Firmenich Proposal Approved by Pinellas Planning Council

The Richman Group’s plan to develop an apartment and office complex on the 34-acre Firmenich property moved one step closer to becoming a reality on Wednesday afternoon. 

The Pinellas Planning Council, a 13-member board comprised of school and government officials from around the county, voted 8-5 in favor of the proposal following a lengthy deliberation. 

Despite the decision to recommend the Richman Group’s plan, there was plenty of opposition to the project, from Safety Harbor residents and council members alike, in the Pinellas County Courthouse assembly room.

“Please consider not to approve this,” resident Michael Frangitis said. “When you purchase a house, you really don’t want to see apartments next to your house.”

“None of us are against development,” resident Barbara Hugg said. “However…this project as is does not fit the footprint of our quaint town.”

Safety Harbor City Commissioner Nancy Besore even spoke out against the proposal, acting as a concerned citizen and not a representative of local government.

"I felt it was necessary to come to you...to essentially demonstrate to you the passion Safety Harbor residents have for our city," she said. 

The main concern about the project from the council’s standpoint was the elimination of more industrial property in Pinellas County by changing the zoning for the parcel from light industrial to mixed residential and office use.

“One of the primary purposes of the PPC is to protect the industrial land,” PPC chair and St. Petersburg Councilman Jim Kennedy said.

“So part of me says if we’re going to start doing this…maybe we need to start looking at the sacredness of the industrial lands.”

Other council members mentioned the traffic situation and addressed the possibility of adding another entrance to the property on McMullen Booth Road. 

“Intuitively, it just seems odd to have one entrance,” Dunedin Mayor Dave Eggers said.

But council member and Safety Harbor Mayor Joe Ayoub explained why the City Commission never requested a secondary entrance. 

“We did raise that question several times…and the reason why we didn’t make that a condition of approval is because, based on the feedback from the traffic expert, it just wasn’t necessary and it wasn’t going to alleviate the traffic at that intersection.”

In addition to the concerns, there was a lot of praise handed out during the meeting.

“I want to commend the citizens of Safety Harbor for coming out and speaking, not only here but in Safety Harbor,” Oldsmar Mayor Doug Bevis said. “It shows that you have had an effect.” 

“I do like that the developer has made a lot of concessions and has changed,” Largo City Commissioner Harriet Crozier said. “I think that’s good.”

By the end of the three-hour meeting, the overall consensus was to approve the proposal.

“I think the project is great,” Clearwater City Councilmember Doreen Hock-DiPolito said. “I think you’re going to see a viewable project with a good wooded area and very good use of the property.” 

Following the PPC's recommendation, the proposal will now go to the County Planning Authority, which is comprised of the Board of County Commissioners. The CPA next meets on May 7^th.

Here’s the breakdown of how the members of the Pinellas Planning Council voted on Wednesday:

Yes:

• Jerry A. Mullins, Vice-Mayor of Pinellas Park
• Dave Eggers, Mayor of Dunedin
• Harriet Crozier, Largo City Commissioner
• David Archie, Mayor of Tarpon Springs
• Doreen Hock-DiPolito, Clearwater City Councilmember
• Joe Ayoub, Mayor of Safety Harbor
• Doug Bevis, Mayor of Oldsmar
• Peggy O’Shea, Pinellas County School Board 

No:

• Sam Henderson, Mayor of Gulfport
• John Morroni, Pinellas County Commissioner
• Jim Kennedy, St. Petersburg City Councilman
• Marvin Shavlan, St. Pete Beach City Commissioner
• Joanne “Cookie” Kennedy, Vice-Mayor of Indian Rocks Beach
  
  

Related-

Complete Coverage of the Firmenich issue 

Keep up to date on all the local issues. Sign up for the free Safety Harbor Patch email newsletter and you won't miss a thing!