SEMINOLE \u2014 A developer\u2019s proposal to demolish the Winn-Dixie on Park Boulevard and replace it with housing took a step forward Nov. 10.<\/p>\n
The City Council reached a consensus at a workshop meeting to authorize negotiations with LIV Development, which wants to purchase the property at 8740 Park Blvd. and construct a multifamily residential community.<\/p>\n
The authorization does not approve the project but allows the city manager to begin negotiations to determine whether the proposal can meet city requirements and address concerns about height, parking and neighborhood impact.<\/p>\n
LIV Development, in partnership with the property owner, proposes to demolish the 55,316-square-foot grocery store and redevelop the 7.18-acre site into a 208-unit, Class A apartment community called Livano Park and Park, with four- and five-story buildings.<\/p>\n
The property is zoned Commercial General, which allows multifamily housing.<\/p>\n
Community Development Director Wesley Wright said the project aligns with permitted uses, provided the developer incorporates graywater recycling.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the developer does a graywater application, state laws allows them to get a bonus that can concede a higher development than the 24 units per acre in the CG zoning district,\u201d Wright said.<\/p>\n
LIV is requesting several deviations from city code, including parking and height restrictions.<\/p>\n
The city\u2019s land development code requires two parking spaces per unit, or 416 total spaces. LIV is requesting 1.55 spaces per unit, or 323 spaces, citing limited space and a desire to maximize landscaping.<\/p>\n
In the CG district, maximum height is 50 feet measured from sidewalk to rooftop. LIV proposes raising the limit to 65 feet.<\/p>\n
The project includes one building with two height sections: a five-story, 62.6 feet portion facing Park Boulevard, and a four-story, 53.5 portion facing Park Street.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reason we had made that choice is that we wanted to be cognizant of the neighbors behind,\u201d said Jonathan Knudsen, LIV\u2019s director of development. \u201cWe wanted to have some consideration for the view, especially as they\u2019re driving by and leaving their neighborhood as well.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the company plans to hold a community meeting, likely in December. The development targets renters with median incomes between $80,000 and $150,000.<\/p>\n
Council raises concerns<\/p>\n
Council members expressed reservations about building height and parking.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe parking is not going to be enough,\u201d said Vice Mayor Chris Burke. \u201cI don\u2019t think in the history of the council, as long as I\u2019ve been on it, that we\u2019ve ever approved above a 50-foot building to be constructed in our city.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to city documents, existing structures along Park Boulevard exceed the proposed height, including seven-story condos at Seminole on the Green Cavalier and six-story buildings at Seminole Isles, Lake Seminole Square, and Shores of Long Bayou.<\/p>\n
Council member Jim Quinn said most units will house two people with two cars, making the reduced parking ratio problematic.<\/p>\n
Knudsen said the ratio is supported by data from past projects and industry standards \u2014 an average of 1.31 from the Institute of Transportation Engineers and 1.47 from the Urban Land Institute. The company proposes 1.55 to meet actual demand without creating operational problems.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want to construct a project that is underparked; that is an operational nightmare for us,\u201d Knudsen said. \u201cSo, we wouldn\u2019t be asking for this relief, if we weren\u2019t confident operationally that this is what is required…we\u2019ve done a number of these projects in multiple areas.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said the company determined the need at 309 spaces but is proposing 323 as a buffer. Parking will be unassigned and first-come, first-served.<\/p>\n
Council member Ray Beliveau raised concerns about increased peak-hour traffic and whether the fire department\u2019s new truck can serve a five-story complex.<\/p>\n
Knudsen said the project\u2019s traffic engineer compared projected trips to those of the former Winn-Dixie. The analysis found residential use would reduce traffic by more than 2,500 daily trips.<\/p>\n
City Manager Ann Toney-Deal said all buildings must meet Florida\u2019s strict fire codes, including sprinkler systems, and the fire department will review the project during the site plan review.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny structure that\u2019s built new has to meet the building code,\u201d Toney-Deal said. \u201cPart of the site plan review process of any building, regardless of the height, is subject to a fire department review.\u201d<\/p>\n
Council member Trish Springer asked whether the building would be concrete. Knudsen said it will be wood-framed construction.<\/p>\n
Burke questioned the structure\u2019s hurricane durability.<\/p>\n
Knudsen said the company relies on licensed architects and engineers suited to the wind zone and follows all hurricane-related requirements. The site sits outside FEMA flood zones.<\/p>\n
Next steps<\/p>\n
If the city approves, LIV expects to close on the land next October, followed by an 18-month construction schedule.<\/p>\n
The final agreement will be scheduled for two public hearings before the council votes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"SEMINOLE \u2014 A developer\u2019s proposal to demolish the Winn-Dixie on Park Boulevard and replace it with housing took…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":50255,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[1644,31945,596,3883,202,204,203,199,201,200,5290],"class_list":{"0":"post-50254","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-housing","9":"tag-liv-development","10":"tag-pinellas-county","11":"tag-seminole","12":"tag-st-pete","13":"tag-st-pete-headlines","14":"tag-st-pete-news","15":"tag-st-petersburg","16":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","17":"tag-st-petersburg-news","18":"tag-winn-dixie"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50254","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50254"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50254\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50255"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50254"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50254"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50254"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}