Politics & Government
Dunedin Closes Gateway Deal For 124 Apartments, Retail Complex
Leaders unanimously passed the plan for the corner of Main Street and Milwaukee Boulevard on its second reading at the Sept. 12 commission meeting at City Hall.
A three-story, mixed retail and 124-unit apartment complex is officially coming to a years-vacant, prime 4.1-acre downtown parcel in Dunedin.
Leaders unanimously passed the plan for the corner of Main Street and Milwaukee Boulevard on its second reading at the Sept. 12 commission meeting at City Hall.
"We've been at this for a long time," said Mayor Dave Eggers. "As the good market was starting to slow down and the bad market came, these folks (Pizzuti Companies) weathered the storm.
Construction may begin as early as September 2014, city officials said.
The $15-million project is touted as the beginning of an architectural trend and a transformative piece for downtown and the rest of the city.
"I am ready for you to put the shovel in the ground," said Vice Mayor Julie Ward Bujalski.
Eggers only expressed concern for the city's "high" parkland dedication fees as compared to other cities. He believed the higher fees prevented the developer, Pizzuti Companies, from being able to include more parking options in the plans.
"Just something to look at," Eggers said to city staff.
At the first public hearing on the deal, city leaders had some concerns about parking and the financial effects of a proposed incentive package packed with unprecedented discounts on a 25-year lease meant to help Pizzuti get the project moving.
An extended economic downturn caused Pizzuti to stall the second half of its purchase of the prime downtown parcel since 2007. The property, located at the corner of Main Street and Milwaukee Avenue, remained vacant during that time as officials and developers waited for an upturn in the real estate market.
City officials believe once the project is constructed could bring an estimated $952,000 to city coffers in its first year, according to city documents. The project would also create 82 temporary construction jobs and 120 permanent jobs, according to city estimates.
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