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Palms offers land for community center
By DAVE SHELTON
| Article published on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007 |
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LARGO – The owner of The Palms of Largo has offered the city 8.5 acres of vacant land on Alternate Keene Road for construction of a new community center.
The existing Largo Community Center, in the downtown area, is old and needs to be renovated or replaced, according to city staff. Three years ago plans were to move all of the building’s operations into a Central Park building left vacant when the city library moved across the street to its new, $21 million building.
The City Commission balked at that idea, however, when estimates showed it could cost up to $5 million to make the former library useful. A wrecking ball was dropped on that building and it was replaced with sod.
Earlier this year, the city was offered a small lot on Highland Avenue behind the former Winn-Dixie supermarket as a location for the new community center. But that idea was scrapped after the commission asked the developer, whose plans included mixed-use of residential and commercial buildings, balked at providing more parking for the city.
During the City Commission’s Oct. 9 workshop meeting, Mike Staffopoulos, the assistant city manager, announced The Goodman Group, owners of the big Palms housing development, was offering the tract which isn’t far from the city’s existing Highland Recreation Center.
Staffopoulos said the developer would like to build the new community center for the city along with affordable housing units.
“Both the city of Largo and the Palms of Largo have a large number of employees working in close proximity to this site that may qualify for such housing,” Staffopoulos said.
“The city of Largo has not typically engaged in public-private partnerships to the extent proposed by The Goodman Group, however given the size of land being considered for the site and the dynamics of associating residential units with a community center, the concept should not be discounted,” he said.
The idea won Commissioner Gay Gentry’s support with the stipulation that the project include provision of public transportation to and from the site from throughout the city.
Other commissioners also welcomed the proposal.
“I like the idea of including affordable housing,” said Mayor Pat Gerard. “We love it. Thank you.”
“Let’s get this thing going,” added Commissioner Rodney Woods.
Commissioner Mary Gray Black also backed the project, but used the opportunity to ask the city staff to consider building a “Miracle League” baseball field in the nearby city park where there are tentative plans to move existing ball fields.
Black said a ball field for physically handicapped children has been launched by the city’s Kiwanis Club. She said only one such ball field exists now in Pinellas County. She said it is in St. Petersburg.
The Largo Community Center is home for many of the city’s educational, crafts and social programs, dance classes and services for the elderly.
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Article published on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2007
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