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Community center has donor for land: Palms of Largo owner

The more than 8 acres north of East Bay Drive would have to be rezoned.

By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published January 2, 2008

The owner of the Palms of Largo is seeking a land use change that could pave the way for a new city community center.

Several months ago, the Goodman Group, which owns and operates the Palms of Largo senior community, offered to donate land north of East Bay Drive to the city for the new center.

"When you're in the senior living business, you're there forever and you have to be a good neighbor," said Gary Solomonson, national director of sales and marketing with the Minneapolis-based Goodman Group.

Solomonson said the idea came up several months ago during a casual meeting with the city's Recreation, Parks and Arts director, Joan Byrne.

Byrne told them the city was struggling to find a site for the city's community center, which is especially popular with area seniors.

"Joan, I might have the perfect place for that new community center," Solomonson recalled company founder Sidney Goodman saying. "How about if we give you the 81/2 acres?"

"I think I was in shock," said Byrne recalling the conversation.

The property, on the east side of Alternate Keene Road, is classified as residential. The owner is seeking a change to a mixed-use designation, which would allow the center and possibly some work force housing on the site.

The city's Planning Board will hold a public hearing on the proposed change at 6 p.m. Thursday. The board will then make a recommendation to the City Commission.

A land use change usually takes about six months because it requires approval from various local and state entities, Largo planning manager Bob Jarzen said,

For years, the property was part of the McMullen family homestead, he said.

County records show that a company affiliated with Goodman bought the property from Virginia White Laney for $925,400 in 1997. On the property is a home built more than a century ago by Laney's grandfather, Dr. Robert Lee McMullen.

City leaders are enthusiastic about the Goodman Group's offer.

The city had been seeking to relocate the Largo Community Center at 65 Fourth St., which sits on prime property in the heart of the downtown redevelopment district. The city hopes to eventually group together several parcels in the district and market them to a developer.

"This has helped push our time frame up a little bit. We had the money to build it, but not a place to put it." Mayor Pat Gerard said. "And I love the part about the workforce housing, if we can work that out."

The company is exploring whether the work-force housing element is viable, Solomonson said. If so, it would probably include about 75 to 100 residential units, he said.

The community center could contain more than 30,000 square feet, said Mike Staffopoulos, assistant city manager.

The Goodman Group is also talking with the city about creating a system of urban trails in the area.

The trails could eventually link Highland Avenue to Keene Road and create a network from the community center to other city and county facilities.

Times staff writer Rita Farlow contributed to this report. Lorri Helfand can be reached at lorri@sptimes.com or 445-4155.

[Last modified January 1, 2008, 21:15:08]