At its Dec. 13 meeting, the Pinellas Park City Council approved the development of 108 townhomes on 11.9 acres to the north and south of 70th Avenue N. at 41st Street.
PINELLAS PARK – At its Dec. 13 meeting, the Pinellas Park City Council gave the green light to the construction of Park Lane Townhomes, a development on property near the Shoppes at Park Place.
The council unanimously approved Ordinance No. 3832 following its second and final reading, allowing Beazer Homes USA Inc. to construct 108 two-story, single-family townhomes on 11.9 acres – 50 on a 3.64-acre parcel of land on the north side of 70th Avenue N. at 41st Street and 58 on 8.255 acres on the south side – near the bustling retail strip. Beazer, a national developer, also constructed the nearby Sawgrass Village Townhomes, located at 70th Avenue N. and 46th Lane. Average price of the homes in the Park Lane Townhomes development will be around $150,000, varying with the market, the developers said.
Dean Neal, zoning director for the city, said the project was allowed several waivers and variances. These include the creation of a private right of way as well as a dead-end street and street alignment.
This is the third time the council gave the go-ahead to residential units for this particular property. It originally approved construction of 124 units on the land in 2004, when developers were given permission to tear down the ParkSide Mall and build the Shoppes in its place. A year later, the council approved a new scaled-down plan to build 106 units on the property, a plan which also was eventually abandoned.
The council also unanimously approved the annexation of 9.8 acres at 5601 126th Ave. into the city, after agreeing to forgo $85,500 in fees for Pinellas 126th Avenue LLC to build an industrial park on the land. The 18-lot industrial park will total about 202,500 square feet.
Also at the Dec. 13 meeting, following the purchase of two parcels of land owned by the Suncoast Haven of Rest Rescue Mission, at 5625 and 5663 Park Blvd., earlier this month, the council approved the purchase of several other properties in the same strip. Vice Mayor Rick Butler recused himself from the vote because he owns property in the same strip at 5635 Park Blvd.
The council approved the purchase of the following parcels of land in the same area: .18 acres at 5609 Park Blvd. from IHK Security, LLC for $145,000; .21 acres of vacant property at the northwest corner of 56th Street and Park Boulevard from Jason Jagdeo and Ramnarace Jagdeo for $82,000; .35 acres at 5667 74th Ave. N. at Park Boulevard from GTE Financial for $166,500 plus closing costs; .19 acres at 5705 Park Blvd. from David and Mary Touchton for $140,000 plus closing costs; and .13 at 5681 Park Blvd., as well as a vacant lot to the north of it, from Robert L. Watson and Mary L. Watson for $250,000.
Both Mayor Sandra Bradbury and Councilman Ed Taylor spoke out about the $250,000 price tag of the property at 5681 Park Blvd.
“I do not support this purchase for that price,” Taylor said. “It’s too much, far beyond the market value, appraiser’s value and taxable value.”
“I have concerns about the price,” Bradbury said, “but … it’s for the greater good of the community around it. But it would have been nice to come in at a lower price.”
Bradbury voted in favor of purchasing the property, and the purchase was approved 3-1, with Taylor voting no and Butler recusing himself.
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