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Neighbors say 70 homes on 30 acres abutting a planned Oldsmar preserve would be overkill. The developer says he's willing to compromise.
By ED QUIOCO
© St. Petersburg Times, published March 25, 2001
OLDSMAR -- When Iris Alfonso and her family came across a sign for a proposed 70-home subdivision next to their secluded neighborhood on the border of Pinellas and Hillsborough counties, they feared such a development would spoil the area's idyllic, Old Florida feel.
Home to chickens, cows and guinea fowls, the family's shady lot on Parsons Road in Hillsborough County is next to tidal marsh and hardwood wetlands at the top of Mobbly Bay.
The family and their neighbors wrote letters, collected signatures for petitions, called state and local agencies for help and distributed fliers to warn others of the proposal.
"A big developer and an investor/landowner interested in $$$$$ are in danger of destroying our neighborhood," residents said in a flier. "They must be stopped."
The residents aren't the only ones concerned about the proposal.
Oldsmar and Pinellas County planners have written letters to Hillsborough officials pointing out that the proposed development abuts the planned 250-acre Mobbly Bayou Wilderness Preserve.
"Our concerns have to do with the appropriateness of putting 70 residential units next to the preserve," said Nick Staszko, Oldsmar's community development director.
Roger Kumar, the owner of the proposed site, said he understands the city's concerns and is willing to compromise. The former owner of the Safety Harbor Resort and Spa, Kumar said he already has directed engineers to scale down the project.
"We will work with them and see what is viable," said Kumar, who lives in Oldsmar. "The city wants to make sure the dignity of the park is preserved. We realize that."
Kumar owns about 30 acres at the end of Race Track Road in Hillsborough County. Because the land is zoned to allow one home for every five acres, the property needs to be rezoned to fit the proposed development.
Hillsborough officials already have told Kumar that 70 homes is too dense for his property and that he would have to resubmit his plans with fewer homes, said Susanne Hicks, a community planner with Hillsborough County's planning and growth management department. Kumar also was advised that the county would like his proposal to have no more than 10 units.
But Kumar said that would be too few to justify the cost of bringing water and wastewater lines to the proposed subdivision. His engineers are looking into designing an upscale neighborhood with 20 to 25 homes.
"The neighbors have to understand that we are not saying that we want to bring in a big community," Kumar said. "I've lived here since 1966 so I'm not going to make my name mud now. That is not the way to live in the community."
Residents in Oldsmar and Hillsborough County would like Kumar's property to keep its current zoning or be added to the preserve, Alfonso said. Residents are concerned that development of the proposed site would have a substantial effect on their neighborhood and the preserve.
"We have a 250-acre preserve right there," said Alfonso, 35, a computer analyst. "Really there is no dividing line with the properties. How can you have a development right next to a preserve and next to coastal areas?"
Oldsmar has entered into a management agreement with Pinellas County for the preserve. The city used a $1.4-million state grant to purchase about 80 acres of uplands and wetlands that will be combined with city and county land to create the preserve.
Oldsmar and Pinellas County "have a particular interest in making sure our interests are protected," Staszko said. "We spent a lot of money taking property out of development."
The proposed site also is in an area defined as a coastal high hazard, which means it is subject to flooding and high winds, Hicks said. Hillsborough planning officials "are trying to balance giving the property owner some reasonable use of his property while balancing all the other stuff. "It's a pretty heavy load," Hicks said.
- Staff writer Ed Quioco can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or quioco@sptimes.com.