 |
||||||||
 |
||||||||
|
||||||||
|
Fence stirs ill will among neighbors
By JOSH ZIMMER © St. Petersburg Times, published December 3, 2000 KEYSTONE -- By the time developers broke ground on Keystone Shores Estates, residents who had input on the design believed it would honor the area's rural character. But when a berm topped with a fence went up along Gunn Highway, they felt deceived, neighboring homeowner Jim Bradford said. Now they are angry at Lindell Investments, the developer, and the county officials who issued the permit for the fence and berm. "Everybody's pretty displeased considering all the effort we put in," said Bradford, who helped negotiate the agreement. "If we tried to dream up something that was that ugly we couldn't have done it." After hearing from at least one dissatisfied resident, county planning official Dennis Kline said he dispatched inspectors and work was stopped Nov. 22. The county and residents still are at odds over what kind of fence Lindell should be allowed to build. Kline said Gunn Highway is an urban scenic corridor, which would allow 8 feet of fence and berm. Lindell's unfinished fence-berm is about 10 feet high, he said. Residents never agreed to a roadside fence, Bradford said. They insist the land development code clearly shows the area is a rural corridor, which would require a 30-foot setback consisting of natural vegetation from Gunn Highway. Lindell president Ron Weisser said he and a landscape architect and engineer met with residents Friday morning, and that there will be follow-up discussions with the county. The company is spending $400,000 to landscape and build an entrance to a 37-home subdivision where homes will start at $600,000. It is part of a 50-acre planned development at N Mobley Road that could include retail and office space. Lindell is only building the residential portion.
 © 2006 • All Rights Reserved • Tampa Bay Times
490 First Avenue South • St. Petersburg, FL 33701 • 727-893-8111 
|
From the Times |
