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Annexation plan would split Lealman
By ANNE LINDBERG PINELLAS PARK -- East and west Lealman could be severed and one of the area's last horse farms could be replaced by apartments if the City Council agrees to a proposed annexation. The linchpin in the deal is a zoning change: Developers want to build 130 apartments and 67 single-family homes, but Pinellas Park must change the properties' zoning from farm to residential. Without that promise, the owners won't annex into Pinellas Park, said Tom Shevlin, the city's zoning director. "That's the deal. They want assurances that this approval would be part of the annexation," Shevlin said. A hearing covering the zoning issues is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Jan. 3 in front of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission at City Hall, 5141 78th Ave. N. The City Council would consider the annexation and zoning changes at the same time, Shevlin said, probably in February. The importance of the three parcels is their location. If the property is annexed, Pinellas Park and Kenneth City will touch, cutting Lealman in two. In one swoop, Lealman residents' hopes of incorporating one large city would be crushed. "We knew this was going to happen," said Ray Neri, head of the Lealman Community Association. "This is our nightmare coming true." St. Petersburg architect Randy Wedding, who is designing the project, said apartments are slated for the land abutting 62nd Avenue N. The homes would be on the parcel along 58th Avenue. Much of the land is currently occupied by Millbrooke Stables. The barn and riding facilities are leased out. About 50 horses are boarded on the land, with their owners paying up to $300 a month for care. A few owners pay more for extra services. Kara Fenlon, who leases the property, did not return a phone message asking for comment. Boarders were horrified to hear they might have to move their horses. "It's an absolute travesty to the horse community," said Evie Wolfe, who boards three horses and gives riding lessons at Millbrooke. "Where are we going to go?" No other barn in Pinellas Park, she said, has room to take that many horses. It's likely many of them will have to go to barns in Hillsborough, Manatee or Sarasota counties. "I'm just trying to figure out where I could scrape up enough money to build a barn," Wolfe said. "I'd be full of tenants." Wedding said it's unclear when construction might begin, but owners should have at least six to eight months to find another home for their horses. The proposed annexation is more bad news for Lealman activists who want to combine the eastern and western portions of that unincorporated area. The new city would look like earmuffs, with large portions on each side of Kenneth City connected by a narrow land bridge between that town and Pinellas Park. Failing that, activists' best hope would be two smaller cities: between Kenneth City and St. Petersburg and between Kenneth City and Seminole. "I'd like to know what Pinellas Park promised them," Neri said. "That's the whole key." Pinellas Park officials previously have waived fees and made other promises to encourage annexation. City officials defend themselves, saying the waived fees are "soft" money that would not have come into city coffers anyway. The ultimate benefit of increased tax revenue, they said, outweighs any waived or lowered fees. Neri disagreed, saying he believes that Pinellas Park residents would be upset if they knew the "real cost" of annexation. Bud Wortendyke, Pinellas Park's annexation guru, could not be reached for comment. But Wedding, the architect, said the city had promised nothing. The developers, he said, want to have all city services available. "We like being in Pinellas Park for that project," he said.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
