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Property owner will reach out to neighbors

Parties will discuss the redevelopment of Westminster Shores.

By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published June 20, 2007

Both sides in the heated and litigious dispute involving redevelopment of a waterfront retirement community are now ready to sit down and talk.

It has been two years since the owners of Westminster Shores - a retirement community featured in the iconic 1980s movie Cocoon - announced plans for an $82-million redevelopment to include eight multistory structures.

Neighbors of the property, located at the ends of 57th and 58th avenues S overlooking Little Bayou and Tampa Bay, protested, starting a disagreement that reached the 2nd District Court of Appeal.

In recent weeks, the St. Petersburg City Council and courts have ruled in favor of the surrounding neighborhoods, Bahama Shores and Bayou Bonita primary among them.

"We are very disappointed, obviously, " said Harold Hachmeister, vice president of sales and marketing for Westminster Communities of Florida, which owns the retirement property at 125 56th Ave. S. His organization had "attempted many times" to work with the community's neighbors, Hachmeister said, but had been rebuffed.

Paul C. Scherer, a lawyer who represented neighbors in the dispute, disagrees. "They want to say that, but I think the history would show that's not really the way it worked, " he said.

Now, though, both sides say it's time to move beyond the controversy.

"Our position is that something will be built on that site and we're hoping to participate in the decision as to what is built there and we would like to give our input, " Scherer said.

The Bahama Shores, Bayou Bonita and Coquina Key neighborhoods are assembling a committee to talk to Westminster Communities about its redevelopment plans, he said.

"We want to try to work with them to put something acceptable on the property, " Scherer said.

For its part, Westminster Communities is going back to the drawing board.

"We're actually considering a redevelopment of our redevelopment plan, " Hachmeister said. "We haven't made any final decisions on what our next step will be. Whatever we do, we definitely want to work with the neighbors."

It was early in 2005 that Westminster Communities announced its plans. The redevelopment was to be done in phases, with a completion date of 2021.

Residents balked at the massive, tall buildings, saying the structures would spoil waterfront views, hurt property values and be out of character with their neighborhoods.

They also worried about the prospect of an ongoing construction project and loss of tranquility in their waterfront communities.

The plan called for the demolition of many of Westminster Shores' buildings built in the 1940s and 1950s.

The owner said that no waterfront views would be blocked and that the single-family homes it owns would act as a buffer between the redevelopment and other properties.

The city's Board of Adjustment approved the plan in 2005, but residents successfully appealed the decision in Circuit Court.

In response, the city and Westminster Communities took the case to the 2nd District Court of Appeal, which recently upheld the lower court's ruling.

Meanwhile, Westminster Communities had submitted a new plan to the city, proposing a $19-million six-story residential building with 40 units and common facilities.

The Environmental Development Commission approved that plan in April. Neighbors appealed and earlier this month, the City Council overturned the EDC decision.

About Westminster Communities of Florida

Started 54 years ago by First Presbyterian Church in Bradenton and later spun off as a not-for-profit organization. Based in Orlando, it owns 20 retirement communities in Florida, including three in St. Petersburg.

They are Westminster Shores near the Bahama Shores neighborhood, Westminster Suncoast in Pinellas Point and Westminster Palms in downtown St. Petersburg.

About Westminster Shores

Covers about 26 acres and has 133 units, including apartments and single-family homes. There are about 275 residents and 74 assisted-living units.

[Last modified June 20, 2007, 02:02:02]