Evolving Dunedin

Traffic Advisory: Detours at Dunedin Marina, Businesses Open

Motorists should expect detours at the intersection of Main Street and Edgewater Drive (Alt US 19) throughout the four-month project.

Construction is underway for a pedestrian walkway to unite downtown Dunedin with the marina waterfront. The main entrance to the Dunedin Municipal Marina closed May 1 for crews to begin work. Drivers should expect detours at the intersection of Main Street and Edgewater Drive (Alt US 19) throughout the four-month project. Businesses in the marina are open and will continue to serve customers. Crews are installing an 8-foot-wide sidewalk along the north side of Main Street between Victoria Drive and the first driveway on Broadway. It includes landscaping and irrigation improvements, as well as a 172-foot stretch of sitting wall meant to visually tie the downtown shopping district to the waterfront. Once completed, city officials believe the…

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What's Tampa Bay Saying?

Gun Magazine Maker Eyes Tampa Bay?

The Tampa Bay Young Republicans say Colorado’s loss could be the Bay’s gain. What do you think about it?

As the Wild West gets milder due to gun control laws a manufacturer that produces high-capacity gun magazines is looking to move out of Colorado. The Tampa Bay Young Republicans want that manufacturer, Magpul Industries, to roll out of Boulder and land somewhere in Hillsborough County, according to the Tampa Bay Times. The company makes gun magazines that hold up to 30 rounds and has about 200 people on its payroll, the Times reported. Magpul's motto is "Unfair Advantage," according to its website. The passage of a law in Colorado that bans gun magazines that hold more than 15 rounds has made Boulder a rather unwelcoming place for the company. The Young Republicans want to capitalize on Colorado’s loss by turning it into what they see as a…

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Achieva Breaks Ground in Dunedin Sept. 28

The up-and-coming corporate center is being built on the former site of the Nielsen Co. call center on Virginia Street. It is expected to be complete by 2013, according to a news release.

Achieva Credit Union breaks ground on its up-and-coming Virginia Street corporate center today.  The corporate center is being constructed in three phases and is expected to be complete by 2013, a news release states. Achieva's move from Clearwater will bring more than 140 employees to the former Nielsen Co. call center at 1659 Virginia St., which is just down the street from Achieva's Dunedin branch at 1150 Virginia St.  "At a time when other financial institutions are cutting back, Achieva is growing and creating jobs as it opens new branches," Achieva wrote in a news release. "So far in 2012, Achieva Credit Union has surpassed 100,000 members, opened its first branch in Hillsborough County, and is approaching $1 billion in assets."  The…

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Caladesi Publix Project Progressing Rapidly

A photographic timeline of the construction shows how much work has been done in six months.

The new Publix being built in the Caladesi Shopping Center is about halfway through construction, and according to business owners in the plaza, the project is progressing according to schedule. "So far, everything is going as well as can be expected," said Ray Hendricks, owner of the GNC directly adjacent to the new building. "An official from Publix just stopped by to check on us, and he said everything is going according to schedule. So that was good to hear." The project began in December, when the existing 34,000-square-foot store was closed to make way for a new facility with an additional 12,000 square feet. Despite the inconvenience of having their parking lot torn apart and dealing with the loss of revenue that comes with such a …

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Denise O'Shea

11:30 am on Tuesday, June 26, 2012

I totally agree with you Joan. It was the only Publix I shopped in because of its small size and the friendly employees. Have you heard if China King has moved? They were my favorite!   more ›

Achieva to Move Headquarters to Dunedin

The city of Dunedin announced Achieva Credit Union's decision to move its corporate headquarters from Clearwater to the former Nielsen call center on Virginia Street this fall.

Achieva Credit Union is moving its corporate headquarters from Clearwater to Dunedin this October, according to a city news release. Achieva's move will bring 143 employees to the former Nielsen Co. call center at 1659 Virginia St., which was vacated after the company decided not to renew its lease with the city last July. The 67,000-square-foot facility will operate as Achieva's data center, near the location of its Dunedin branch at 1150 Virginia St., the news release states. "The City of Dunedin is excited to welcome their newest arrival," the news release states.   Achieva's current headquarters is at 1499 Gulf to Bay Blvd. in Clearwater. Nielsen once operated its headquarters on Patricia Avenue in Dunedin before moving 1,600 employees…

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Evolving Dunedin

No Decision Yet On Changes to Land Dedication Ordinance

After a nearly two hour discussion, city commissioners have yet to decide a direction to take on changes to the rules which make developers pay for parkland.

Carl Krave said he paid the city $64,000 in impact fees to develop Glencairn Cottages, a certified green, modular-home neighborhood near downtown Dunedin. It was a steep price, especially after the real estate bubble burst, but he's largely OK with it since the fees went back to purchasing parklands for the people of Dunedin. Some critics blame the high ordinance fees for deterring development in challenging economic times. Despite those criticisms, Krave, a Dunedin resident, urged city leaders to continue the more than 30-year-old Land Dedication Ordinance as they move forward on plans to revitalize Dunedin's struggling cooridors.  “It’s a good public policy; it's an important tool for you,” he told commissioners at a March 15 meeting. “…

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Evolving Dunedin

Vacant Gateway Lot Gets More Time

City officials granted Pizzuti Builders' request for nine more months to close on a part of the vacant Gateway lot.

Even after an extra six months, Gateway developers still aren't ready to close on the vacant property. They want more time for figuring out a "project that makes sense" before finalizing its purchase, Tom Harmer, a senior vice president with Pizzuti Builders, told city officials at a city commission meeting Thursday (March 15). "We want to see it developed the right way," he said. Nine more months would help, Harmer said. City officials ultimately granted that extension Thursday. Pizzuti Builders agreed to purchase the Gateway property, a 4.1-acre vacant field across from Mease Dunedin Hospital, in two parts. Pizzuti purchased one part of the property for $1.2 million (and certain land trades) in August 2007 with a 2008 agreement to close …

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Bob Hackworth

12:35 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012

What's wrong with this picture? Almost a decade after the city swooped in to buy this property -- and was then immediately sued for tortuous interference by another interested buyer who had contracted to build 80 multi-family units there -- the site sits vacant while the city gives a developer yet another purchase option extension so he can revise the site plan to incorporate uses that the market…   more ›