Builders tout upscale project

La Perla, which would be built on the site of Holiday Campground, would be a high-class addition to the city, officials say.

By MAUREEN BYRNE

© St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001

SEMINOLE -- Bill Baynard Sr. has been approached by developers for years.

His property on the shores of Long Bayou is prime real estate in a county that has very little undeveloped land left. If the city approves zoning and land-use changes for the 101-acre parcel, it is likely to become the newest -- and one of the largest -- upscale residential development in Seminole and in mid Pinellas County.

"In Pinellas County, we have pretty much reached a point, if there is going to be development, it is going to be redevelopment," said John Reed of the La Perla Development Group.

Reed wants to build a mixture of single-family homes, condominiums and townhomes -- 408 in all -- on the property where Holiday Campground now sits. The $100-million project most likely would be called La Perla, which means "the pearl" in Spanish, he said.

According to Al Navaroli, a manager for the county's Development Review Services department, there hasn't been a project like this in mid or south Pinellas in quite a few years. The last major upscale residential project he can recall there is Bayou Club Estates, a neighborhood of luxury homes off Belcher Road between Park Boulevard and Ulmerton Road. Since 1992, homes have sold there for $355,000 to $900,000.

Although Baynard's property is smaller than Bayou Club Estates, the overall theme of the proposed development would be a lot like the luxury neighborhood in unincorporated Pinellas County.

"A lot of the homes could be very similar to the types of homes that are in the Bayou Club," Reed said.

With negotiations ongoing and contracts yet to be signed, Reed said he wasn't ready to give many details about the project. But those in the market for an upscale home or condominium in a Mediterranean-style theme gated community may be interested in La Perla.

If the city approves, the 600-lot trailer park would be replaced with 180 condominiums, 152 townhomes, 48 club homes and 28 estate homes. All would have tile roofs and be surrounded by landscaped grounds, Reed said.

A preliminary sketch of the site plan shows six five-story condominium buildings and an open area for two-story townhomes at the entrance of the community. The condominiums would have an underneath parking area and luxury accommodations on the top floor.

"I'm sure the possibility exists the fifth floor may end up being some penthouse," Reed said.

The club homes would overlook a 6-acre lake. The homes would range from 2,000 square feet to 3,500 square feet, Reed said. No yard work would be required of homeowners.

"It gives them the luxury of having a free-standing home, without the headaches of outdoor maintenance," Reed said.

The waterfront estate homes would start at 3,000 square feet, Reed said. Their view would include Long Bayou. Although there is no deep-water access in the bayou, the property already has a fishing dock.

Reed realizes some critics of the development worry what effect the project could have on the environment. Although the property, which is across Park Boulevard from the entrance to Lake Seminole Park, contains 101 acres, only 45 acres are usable because the land borders Long Bayou and a fragile wetlands system.

"If I have my way, it will continue to stay pristine," Reed said. "It will be utmost and foremost in our minds to treat the environment in the best way we can. There will be a number of government agencies that will be watching us as we go through the process."

And when that process may begin is anyone's guess.

"Until the closing actually happens, it's only a process," Reed said.

Mitch Bobowski, Seminole's general services director, knows about that process. He said the city has seen several smaller proposed developments never come to fruition.

"What happens is we get to the end and it doesn't happen," Bobowski said, adding that most of the failures are due to financial reasons.

For now, Bobowski said, the city is busy doing what it does for any other development project in Seminole: paperwork.

The City Council will hear the Land Development Review Board's recommendation to grant the land use and zoning changes at its April 10 meeting. A denial could kill the plan.

The property's land use and zoning designations allow for a hotel, motel, inn, resort or recreational vehicle park. The developers want to change the zoning to residential planned development, which would permit them to build a neighborhood instead of an 800-unit hotel.

If La Perla happens, it will be an asset to the city, Bobowski said.

"It will be one of the nicest developments here," he said. "If the project goes through, it will have a positive impact on the city's image and subsequent tax base."

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

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