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Higher buildings take city to new heights

At a recent meeting, some Largo city officials sounded like they would be more comfortable with keeping Largo a small town than a growing, uptown community.

That attitude, coming from a city so aggressive about annexing new territory that it has sparked a virtual annexation war with the county, may strike some as bizarre.

Nevertheless, Largo commissioners hesitated over whether to allow 10-story buildings - 10-story buildings! - in the downtown core.

The city has worked for years to spark redevelopment of downtown. It hasn't been a total failure. More than 50 townhomes and a small commercial strip were built along West Bay Drive on property where the old City Hall once stood. And a Hampton Inn & Suites was recently built on West Bay on the former Police Department property.

But other than those two projects, the redevelopment hasn't taken off.

At last week's City Commission work session, the topic was whether to amend the downtown redevelopment plan to allow taller buildings and some other changes, such as increased densities, that might make the area more attractive to developers.

The high cost of land in Pinellas makes it difficult for developers to recover their investment unless they can build higher or more units than old codes allow. Largo officials have wondered whether they needed to lighten up a bit to make development pay off more for those who take the risk to build in an aging downtown environment.

All of the commissioners agreed that a few taller buildings in the low-rise downtown would be okay. But while some thought 10 stories would be just about right, others were squeamish about going that high.

Mary Gray Black and Harriet Crozier wanted the limit to be seven stories. Crozier said she couldn't imagine 10-story buildings "right in the middle of Largo."

If not in the downtown, where would Crozier put tall buildings? Look around Pinellas or any major city, and where are the tall buildings? Most often downtown, creating the city skyline. Those tall buildings, whether they are residential, office or commercial, draw people and business into the downtown core, keeping it alive.

Perhaps it was the close proximity of homes to Largo's downtown that gave Crozier and Black heartburn. Yet homes typically surround downtowns; usually, they are among a city's oldest neighborhoods. For that reason, it is important for redevelopment plans to create transition zones with stepped-down height limits between the tallest structures in the core of downtown and the boundaries of adjacent neighborhoods. Largo's plan proposes such zones.

A majority of commissioners finally went along with the 10-story idea, which was the right way to go. If Largo wants its downtown to thrive, it must do something to inspire more interest among those who have the wherewithal to build attractive projects. A little more height and a bit more density, combined with protections for downtown residents, may do the trick.

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[Last modified September 22, 2006, 06:55:48]