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Students quiz commission on plans for apartments
By KATHERINE GAZELLA © St. Petersburg Times, published September 7, 2000 TARPON SPRINGS -- One by one, the high school students went to the microphone and asked about the proposed apartments. What will happen to the gopher tortoises, they asked. If a gray fox is found on the property, where will it go next? And will the trees that are cut down be replaced with adult trees or "scrawny little ones?" asked Rebecca Morrow, a senior at Palm Harbor University High School and president of the school's marine biology club. In the end, the Tarpon Springs City Commission approved plans for Riverside Apartments, which will have 304 units, making it the largest multifamily development in the city. The complex is being developed by Sandspur Housing and will surround Integrated Health Services nursing home as well as a vacant 51/2 acre residential lot. Tuesday night's meeting included a civics lesson for more than a dozen marine biology and ecology students from Palm Harbor. Their teacher, Corine Coviello, had encouraged them to research gopher tortoises and other things related to the property, and she attended the meeting with the students. The students' comments were well-received, but City Commissioners pointed out that the board had no reason to oppose the development. The apartments were appropriate for the zoning on the property, commissioners said, and the developer had followed the city's apartment guidelines. "Property owners have certain rights," Mayor Frank DiDonato said, talking directly to the students. Sandspur plans to build a mix of apartments with one, two, three and four bedrooms in two-story, townhouse-style buildings. Prices will range from more than $500 to more than $900, said Scott Culp, director of development. He said he regretted that the development might kill some gopher tortoises. The company plans to build the apartments without relocating gopher tortoises, he said. In a survey of the property, he said, three active gopher tortoise burrows were found. Developers can get permits to relocate gopher tortoises, but moving the animals poses problems, said Rick McCann, a biologist with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. It can be hard to find an appropriate place to move the tortoises, he said. They also can transmit upper-respiratory diseases to other tortoises when they're relocated, he said. Culp assured commissioners and residents that the company, which has developed 99 other apartment complexes, plans to remain in charge of the complex. He said Sandspur has no plans to leave or turn over the management to someone else. "We're here to stay," he said. The complex will have a pool, a gated entrance, a children's playground, an exercise room, a computer room and a supervised after-school program for children, he said. Each tree that is cut down will be replaced, some with adult trees and some with "scrawny ones," he said. The apartment complex will be built on a U-shaped property west of U.S. 19 and south of Beckett Way. In addition to the students, several residents from the area attended the meeting and asked primarily about the traffic on Beckett Way and other surrounding roads. "Our roads are dramatically overloaded now," said Richard Cassidy, who lives near the property. "The traffic situation is horrendous." Culp and several commissioners commended the students for taking an interest in the issue. DiDonato said he hoped the meeting was a good experience for the students. "I would assume they're all getting extra credit and A's," he said. - Staff writer Katherine Gazella can be reached at (727) 445-4182 or gazella@sptimes.com.
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