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Townhome project points toward renewal

A developer will build 18 townhomes in Lealman, adding a sense of "upper crustiness."

By ANNE LINDBERG
Published August 6, 2006

LEALMAN - For six years, activists and county staff members have been working to revitalize part of this unincorporated area. Last Wednesday they got a strong sign that their efforts are paying off.

A Tampa developer is building 18 townhomes on the site of a former mobile home park. The price tag? In the mid $200,000 range.

The cost elicited a gasp of surprise when members of the Lealman Community Association were told of the development at last week's monthly meeting.

Stephanie Rinkenberg, a representative of Haven Ridge LLC, was quick to assure the audience that this was a good thing because it would help increase property values.

The project is different from the typical condominium/townhome project, Rinkenberg said. Haven Ridge will be structured like a small neighborhood where everyone owns their lots and homes rather than having residents only own the structure while a homeowners association possesses the common areas.

"There will be no homeowners association," Rinkenberg said. "This is not an apartment. This is not your typical townhouse."

The goal, she said, is to provide a "single-family living lifestyle" while increasing density on the land.

The combination means that more homes can be placed on expensive property, helping lower the cost of homes.

When finished, the 1,466-square-feet townhomes will be two-stories with three bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms. A separate two-car garage will be about 20 feet from the back door.

The end result will be "slightly upper crusty but not really," Rinkenberg said. "We're on the edge of upper crustiness."

Construction has already begun, with build out expected in 1¹/₂ to 2 years.

Before it was razed about a year ago, the approximately 1.5 acres at 38th Street between 42nd and 43rd avenues N was the home of the Pine Tree Mobile Home Park.

The park, which had several code issues, was occupied by renters and was bought more than a year ago to be redeveloped, said Frank Bowman, of the Pinellas County Community Development Department. But the woman who bought the land found it too difficult to get something built, so in December, she sold it to the Alliance for Affordable Housing for $770,000, according to Pinellas County property records.

The alliance, which has built several homes in the Lealman area, formed Haven Ridge LLC to create the new townhomes. It was the high price for the land that prompted the company to form the separate Haven Ridge LLC to build the 18 townhomes, four of which will be sold as affordable housing.

[Last modified August 5, 2006, 19:35:16]