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Foes protest apartment proposal
By BRIDGET HALL GRUMET © St. Petersburg Times, published February 15, 2001 INVERNESS -- Beverly Hills residents filled the County Commission chambers beyond capacity Tuesday evening to speak against a proposed cluster of three-story apartment buildings on County Road 491. Residents quickly snatched up the 70 seats in chambers, while others filed around the perimeter of the room and spilled out into the hallway. And, for the record, not one of those residents who spoke supported the plan for a 120-unit apartment complex. "When you get this number of people from Beverly Hills, us older people, at this time of the night this far away from home, you can understand that they're opposed to this," resident Irvin "Pete" Peterson said. The plans call for five three-story apartment buildings and a 12,800- or 16,500-square-foot retail strip at the corner of County Road 491 and Regina Boulevard, just north of the Regions Bank. Realtor Kevin Cunningham is handling the 9-acre site for his father, Harry Cunningham, who owns the developing firm Randum Corp. Residents fear that a high-density apartment complex will bring crime and decreased property values to their neighborhood. They note that these three-story towers would be the tallest buildings in the area, and they wonder how elderly or handicapped residents will reach the upstairs units when the buildings have no elevators. "To shoehorn an ambitious, densely populated project into a small land area in a semirural area would be totally out of keeping with the Beverly Hills community and its neighbors," resident Doug Vollmer said. "If this area is changed, I will not feel safe to take a walk in the streets where I love to go," added Rowena Price, a resident who likes to take evening strolls. Commissioner Vicki Phillips, whose district includes Beverly Hills, also questioned whether three-story apartment buildings belonged alongside the single-family homes in the community, which is primarily populated by retirees. "It just seems to me that when you drive down (CR) 491 and you see a three-story building, it's just going to look so out of place," Phillips said. Over the periodic boos and jeers from the audience, project engineer Lynn Townsend said the developer wants to build an attractive complex that will be a source of pride for Beverly Hills residents. "They're not looking to just throw in subsidized housing or something of a lower nature that would . . . attract people that would be dangerous to the community," Townsend said. "They want to do a really nice development." And Townsend said not all Beverly Hills residents oppose the complex. Kevin Cunningham has already received calls from residents who want to be placed on the apartment waiting list, she said. Last month, the county Planning and Development Review Board recommended approval of the project, although the board said the developer should scale down the retail strip from 16,500 to 12,800 square feet. The land use allows for "neighborhood commercial" buildings, such as beauty parlors or video stores, which can be no larger than 12,800 square feet, according to county code. But Townsend asked commissioners to consider allowing a 16,500-square-foot retail strip, saying the revenue from a larger building would pay for a more attractive facility. "Unfortunately, to do a smaller building, you cannot pull in the rents for that additional area, and they would not be able to put in as nice of a building," she said. The plans call for building the retail strip on CR 491 by 2002. The first two apartment buildings, totaling 48 units, would be built behind the shops by 2006, while the last three buildings would be finished by 2010. The County Commission has one more public hearing before it will vote on the proposed master plan for the project. Noting the community's strong interest in the proposal, and the Masonic Building's inability to hold all of the audience members, commissioners scheduled the next hearing at 5:01 p.m. March 27 at the Beverly Hills Recreation Association Clubhouse. "It seems like on an issue like this, we ought to bring (the hearing) to the people," Commissioner Gary Bartell said.
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