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Upscale subdivision to straddle border
By MAUREEN BYRNE
© St. Petersburg Times, SEMINOLE -- An upscale development of 26 homes will have one name, Lake Seminole Trails, but it will be in two places: Seminole and unincorporated Pinellas County. Sixteen lots will be in Seminole, and 10 will be outside the city limits. "It is unusual," said Al Navaroli, a manager for the county's Development Review Services department. Unusual but not impossible. After months of reviews and meetings, both the city and county are close to approving site plans. Even with two governments overseeing the project, the process has gone smoothly, Navaroli said. "It's pretty much a cooperative venture," he said. The area, thick with pine trees, is near Lake Seminole Park. The 16-acre community would be located north and south of 82nd Avenue on the west side of the Lake Seminole Bypass Canal. What about services and utilities once the neighborhood is ready for occupancy? "We don't expect to experience any problems with that," said Dan Johnson, who has owned the land since 1965. Seminole contracts with Waste Management for garbage collection. Those who live in the unincorporated county choose their own solid waste disposal company. Seminole buys its water from the county, so that won't pose a problem either. Time Warner services cable subscribers in both the city and county. "It's a unique situation and we'll treat it as such and use a common-sense approach when treating any problems," said Mitch Bobowski, Seminole's general services director. Assistant Pinellas County Attorney Jim Bennett said he sees no dilemma with the subdivision's being in both the city and the county. Seminole often refers to the county on building and planning issues, he said. "And there is usually not that much difference between the code provisions," he said. There are no existing deed restrictions for the subdivision, and once a homeowners association is formed, members may elect to annex into the city, Johnson said. Eight acres of Johnson's property were annexed into Seminole in 2000, when property owners in the nearby Gardens condominiums on Park Boulevard voted to join the city. Once the site plans are approved, work will begin within four weeks, Johnson said. Within three months, builders will start on model homes, which will cost $250,000 and up. Building codes require new homes in flood plains to be raised above sea level, so the homes will be on stilts. The entire subdivision should be done in about a year, Johnson said. "We already have a number of lots reserved," he said. Johnson, a broadcaster and a former mayor of St. Pete Beach, said he considered developing the land before, but the time was never right. Until now, he said. Even with the economy taking a dive, Johnson says the market is strong for subdivisions like Lake Seminole Trails. "People are looking for more luxurious places to live," he said. "They're having to pay more for them, but they're willing to do that." Johnson said he plans to keep the area as natural as possible. "We're going to preserve as many trees as we possibly can," he said. "In some cases, we may run a road around a tree if we have to." The subdivision's main entrance will be off 82nd Avenue. Johnson said two strong selling points are the neighborhood's close proximity to Lake Seminole Park and three public schools: Starkey Elementary, Osceola Middle and Osceola High School.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
