They waited more than four hours to have their voices heard, and though the argument lasted past midnight, the end result was just as bad as they’d feared. The property now known as the Bay Village Shopping Center is one step closer to becoming a residential development. And while the decision could allow for the rebirth of an embattled piece of real estate, it also allows for what the Pinellas Point residents at Thursday night’s City Council meeting claimed as their biggest fear: more apartments.
It was this fear that led seven residents from the community to remain at City Hall into early Friday morning, fighting a rezoning that they said would lead to less neighborhood pride and more crime. The owners of the property, on 62nd Avenue South, say they plan on having owner-occupied town houses on the site, but residents feared that the new residential/office zoning could lead to renter-occupied units.
Zelma Shepherd, who lives within sight of the shopping center, said that she has seen drug dealers in the nearby apartments.
“They are as thick as maggots,” she said. “And just as nasty.”
But the lawyer for Bay Area Land Corp., the company that owns the property said the rezoning will alleviate the issue.
“There is really no interest on the part of apartment builders,” attorney George Rahdert said, “The real strong interest is to redevelop it as owner-occupied town houses.” (Rahdert is also counsel for The Poynter Institute, where this web site is produce.)
The problem for the residents is that there is no guarantee the land will be developed as Rahdert described. Members of the Greater Pinellas Point Civic Association said BALC and its vice president, Martha Buttner, have ignored their concerns in the past. Residents have no reason to believe either will respect their wishes now, they said.
“There’s no trust,” she said.
The council struggled with its decision for nearly an hour, weighing the opinion of the residents against the possibility of a new start for the shopping center. The property has been zoned for commercial use since 1977 when Buttner’s family first developed the land. Council members recalled an ice cream shop and a thriving grocery store that they say added to the community. Since 1994, however, the main commercial space in the center has remained vacant, and the property has declined. The city currently lists nine code violations for the site, ranging from a damaged roof to a cracked perimeter wall.
“When I go into that parking lot, a feeling of bleakness hits me,” said Councilman John J. Lasita.
Some council members also expressed surprise that the residents argued to keep a zoning that allowed more intense commercial development. Bill Foster said in the five years he’s been involved with the council, he couldn’t remember another time when a neighborhood group has shown preference for a commercial zone rather than a residential one.
“I go with neighborhood associations 90 percent of the time,” he said. “This one, I’m perplexed.”
In the end, the vote was 6-1 in favor of the rezoning, with James S. Bennett, whose district includes Pinellas Point, opposing. Chairman Earnest Williams was not present.
Bay Area Land Corp. will have two public hearings with the Pinellas County Commission before the residential zoning can be finalized. Connor said the neighborhood association will be present at both hearings.
“We’re going to follow this every step of the way,” she said.