TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suncoast Pinellas News

Debate rages over proposed Tarpon property deal

ADVERTISEMENT

By Mark  Schantz | The Suncoast News

Published: November 7, 2009

TARPON SPRINGS - The sides squared off during Tuesday night's City Commission meeting in a debate over whether the city should purchase two parcels along Tarpon Avenue to provide additional downtown parking.

In the end, a divided commission directed City Attorney James Yacavone to determine if there is an interest in the proposal on the part of the parcels' owners.

Commissioners Peter Dalacos and Robin Saenger were on the losing side of the 3-2 split.

Dalacos said the estimated cost of buying the property and turning it into a parking lot, $400,000, was not worth the gain of eight parking spaces.

With the city in the midst of a study that will help determine the future of downtown redevelopment, now is not the time to make the land deal, Saenger argued.

Downtown merchants and property owners have urged the city to purchase the two parcels at 143 E. Tarpon Ave. One is vacant, while the other is occupied by a 996-square-foot building that formerly housed an antiques shop.

Under the proposal the newly created parking area off Tarpon Avenue would be connected to an existing city parking area on Orange Street that gets little use, apparently because of its out-of-the-way location.

Saenger said she would like to wait and hear whatever suggestions a consultant and a recently created planning focus group come up with regarding the planned downtown makeover before voting to commit community redevelopment funds to the proposed parking lot.

To Mayor Beverley Billiris and Commissioners Susan Slattery and Chris Alahouzos, however, the debate is over. Merchants and property owners have repeatedly told the city additional downtown parking is needed to attract customers, they noted.

The property of the people urging the city to make the land deal generates the majority of the city's community redevelopment funds, Billiris noted. Not all of the property in the community redevelopment district is on Tarpon Avenue, Dalacos countered.

Slattery said the city should ask the owners of the two parcels, the Weissenborn family, whether they are even interested in selling the land to the city. The family members do not live in the city.

According to Yacavone, the City Commission - in its role as the governing board of the city's Community Redevelopment Agency - can buy land without getting the approval of city voters in a referendum but can't acquire it through an eminent-domain legal action if the owner is not willing to sell.

The commission, Dalacos said, should abide by the article in the municipal charter that requires the commission to hold a referendum to approve city purchase of land costing in excess of $250,000 even when it is acting as the CRA board.

Ten years ago, when the city was developing the parking lot at Orange Street and Safford Avenue, the Weissenborns told the city they were planning to redevelop the Tarpon Avenue parcels and weren't interested in selling.

Mark Schantz can be reached at 727-815-1075 or mschantz@suncoastnews.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT