Developers, church near accord

By CHRISTINA HEADRICK

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 5, 2000

CLEARWATER -- The West Palm Beach developers negotiating to redevelop downtown have agreed to buy Calvary Baptist Church's properties, including its landmark sanctuary, which has sat on the crest of a hill overlooking Clearwater Harbor since 1923.

Neither the developers nor church officials would disclose the price they tentatively agreed upon Wednesday afternoon. All of the church's downtown land is appraised at $9.5-million in Pinellas County property records, which tend to underestimate market value.

Calvary's head pastor, the Rev. Bill Anderson, said there are still a few details to finish discussing before the deal is final.

"But it is good, because a concrete step is being taken," Anderson said. "It's very close to happening."

The congregation of Calvary Baptist Church will be asked to approve the sale in an upcoming vote, Anderson said. Members of the 134-year-old church have already voted to move to the east side of the city and build a church there off McMullen-Booth Road.

Developer George de Guardiola said the church property is a crucial part of his plans to complete $200-million to $300-million in redevelopment projects downtown, including building apartments, a movie theater and several restaurants on city-owned land.

The developer said he was "very happy" about the agreement. "Calvary had a bunch of critical points for us," he said.

De Guardiola and fellow developer David Frisbie propose to turn Calvary's green-roofed, domed sanctuary into a hotel with a roof-top restaurant. They proposed last week that they would use other church land a block away for condominiums and transform the church's offices on the 400 block of Cleveland Street into new retail shops with apartments above them.

The value of the church's property will be added to the city's property tax rolls as part of the deal. Under a special downtown taxing district already in place, the city's share of new property-tax revenues from the land will be used for other projects that improve downtown.

But even though a deal could soon be finalized, some church members are irate at how city officials have handled negotiations between the developers and Calvary Baptist.

For example, city commissioners delayed approvals that the church needs to build its new home this week. Mayor Brian Aungst said officials wanted the church to agree on a deal to sell its downtown land first, helping the city accomplish its downtown redevelopment goals.

"It really bothers me that a mayor can come out and say that," said 73-year-old Sally Phillips, a lifelong resident and Calvary member, who called the Times to criticize the mayor's behavior. "The fact that he's trying to influence people that way should stop."

The developers' ability to acquire control of millions of dollars worth of privately held land is critical to their downtown redevelopment plans.

De Guardiola says developers are close to finishing deals with other downtown landowners, real estate broker Lee Arnold of Colliers Arnold, and Wisconsin businessman Jeff Keierleber, who owns land needed for a large downtown parking garage.

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