Protests don't slow project

Over objections from Holiday Campground residents, the 474-home proposal for Long Bayou now goes to the City Council for approval.

By MAUREEN BYRNE

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 21, 2001

SEMINOLE -- A proposed $100-million project that would bring 474 single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums to the shores of Long Bayou is one step closer to reality.

Over strenuous objections, the city's Land Development Review Board voted unanimously Monday to approve land use and zoning changes for the Holiday Campground property on Park Boulevard.

The board's recommendation will go before the City Council at its April 10 meeting.

For the campground's year-round and seasonal tenants, the board's decision was a stinging defeat. It means they could lose their waterfront lifestyle. About 400 people, mainly campground residents, attended the board's monthly meeting Monday at Seminole Community Library. They packed the room, some standing for the entire three-hour meeting. Many wore red shirts to show solidarity.

But it wasn't enough.

"One of the weaknesses of our side was, we were presenting emotion and not enough facts," Arthur Kunst said Tuesday. "But I think it was a little disappointing that there was not one on that board that showed dissent."

Kunst, a winter resident of the campground at 10000 Park Blvd. for 13 years, said some of the tenants talked of hiring legal help after the meeting. Especially after seeing Ed Armstrong, a local attorney representing the Baynard family of St. Petersburg, who has owned the campground for about 30 years.

Armstrong told the board's five members they would hear a lot of emotional statements from members of the audience, mainly the campground's tenants. But he urged them to stick to the facts when making their decision on the applicant's requests.

"I would remind this board that your role is to weigh substantial, competent evidence," Armstrong said. "Thankfully for us tonight, this is not a popularity contest."

Michael Crawford, a principal planner for the Pinellas Planning Council, told the review board the zoning and land use changes met all of the city's requirements. He told the board the proposed development would be consistent with the city's comprehensive plan, would be compatible with the surrounding area and would have no negative effect on traffic, water, sewer and the environment.

Crawford said the traffic counts and water consumption data for the proposed development would be lower than what could be built on the 101-acre parcel, which is across Park Boulevard from the entrance to Lake Seminole Park. Only 50 acres are usable since the land borders Long Bayou and a wetlands system that is environmentally fragile.

The property's existing land use and zoning designations allow for hotels, motels, inns, resorts and recreational vehicle parks. The Baynards are asking the city to amend those designations so a residential development can be built on the site.

"If anything, this particular land use is lowering the density," Mitch Bobowski, the city's general services director, said Tuesday.

But terms such as land use and density didn't mean much to those attending Monday's meeting. They spoke of the emotional traumas and financial hardships they would endure if the campground closed. They said the proposed development would mean an end to a close-knit community.

"Do not displace this large group of Seminole residents," Harry Rovinelli urged review board members Gerald Yates, Lisa Pezone, Thomas Coleman, Ken Swartz and Ronald Weickenand.

Rovinelli is one of the campground's 75 year-round tenants. The travel trailer park, which has 600 lots, is also home to 150 seasonal residents.

"I love it here," said Betty Register, a full-time resident at the park since 1987. "People treat you like you're family."

Tony Belmont doesn't live in the campground, but he does live just east of the park. He said the members of Long Bayou Homeowners Association don't want the land to be redeveloped.

"We stand in harmony with the residents of Holiday Campground," Belmont said.

The review board also granted Monday a variance for side yard setbacks for 20 of the development's single-family homes. The La Pearla Development Group withdrew its request for a height variance to allow some of the buildings to be up to 96 feet tall. The maximum height for the requested zoning is 65 feet.

The state also must approve any land-use change, Bobowski said. The entire process could take four to six months, he said.

- Staff writer Maureen Byrne can be reached at 445-4163 or at byrne@sptimes.com.

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