With the right restrictions (building height, environmental protections, etc), this will be a great addition to our city. I support it.

Thanks for the input, Pete.

I completely disagree. Apartments never end up as an asset to a community after 10 years. They are not maintained like condos/homes. They are owned by companies that want maximize return on investment, and not committed to long term upkeep as individual property owners are. Just go visit apartment complexes in the area that are 10 to 20 years old for validation......

We live right around the corner from Firmenich on 590, and I am shocked, appalled and disappointed this was approved by our council. This will create a traffic nightmare in an area that can not support that much additional traffic. We've already allowed another set of condos/apartments to be built up on Main/McMullen.
The current infrastructure will not be able to handle the influx of people and their vehicles. I am certain there are other ways to bring in more shoppers for our retail, but using that as a validation for this construction is ludicrous. I certainly do not want to be living near it. I agree with Commissioner Besore, lets keep our community quaint and not let multi-unit buildings ruin our small town flavor. Remember, this is the town that doesn't even want a stop light...

Terrie and barbara, thanks for the comments. But just to clarify, the actual development has not been approved yet, just the decision to go forward with further studies (tree canopy, wetlands protection, traffic, etc...) to see if the project is a viable option for the city.

Although this 296-unit residential complex with 37,900 square feet of retail/office/service properties will be on the edge of the City and will probably not ruin Safety Harbor's small town image, I worry about the future. I hope that the approval of this project is not a signal to future developers that Safety Harbor is open to more of these types of large scale developments. Developers all over Florida have ruined other cities and towns that once had the same attractive small town atmosphere that Safety Harbor still has. We must be vigilant and not ruin Safety Harbor with overdevelopment because once we lose our special small town Old Florida charm, we can't ever get it back.

This apartment complex WILL happen with a commission that allows it to happen. 4 to 1 vote now. Joe Ayoub will soon be our mayor and he is in complete favor of this development. Also remember he was the only commissioner to vote against our Grand Tree Ordinance. If residents do not want projects like this in the community they have to send emails, go to meetings, write letters to the editor and support commissioners who share the same vision of our beloved town. Commissioners have the potential to do great damage to the character of Safety Harbor. Once something has been altered it is gone forever.
I know if I lived nearby I would be very upset. Perhaps TAXPAYERS can organize to prevent this from happening.
We also need to remember with more concrete comes more runoff and pollutants . Briar Creek should be remembered when projects of this scale come before a commission that had been tasked with fixing the mistakes of commissions past.
Everyone needs to get to know the 3 people that are running for commission ( they are running for one open seat) their voice will be important for this project down the road. I like Ray Irvin, passed my questioning with flying colors :)

Look for profiles on the other two candidates soon, Terrie!

I took time today to look at this project today, and have several concerns. I believe the impact on traffic on SR-590 and the connecting through-fairs will have an negative factor to the community at-large. Future project must be required to do an impact study on traffic, environments, storm water, emergency services, commercial and residential quality of life issues,not just the boundaries of the development it's self. When the project is done the developer will move on and we the tax payers will have to live with the results. Future problems will fall to the tax payers to pay for and the residence to live with. That should never be aloud to happen, planning will not fix everything but it will lower the risk to the citizens who will pay for the failures. So to look at every project from every point of view to insure we allow development that fits the kind of city we all came together to live in as neighbors, it's our decision and joint futures not the developers.

What is the alternative? Does the city have a master plan to encourage the kind of development they would like to see happen with this type of property? Without a master plan, commercial developers will build what they see is most profitable without regard for the ambiance we want to encourage in our City. The Commissioners will vote for whomever is giving them the most visibility.

This sounds like a disaster in the making. Apartments always bring down the value of an area...each and every time.Anyone that doest think that has no grasp of reality. If anything, homes should be built or the city should uy the land and leave it natural. We are losing the look and feel of a florida town daily...look at that mess of houses they are putting at the top of main street. Ugly apartments, and all losing the small town feel. The city wants more money...and it is all about money. You want groth? fix up main street...And the adition of more commercial developers? look to the north and south of us...there are whole rows of open and empty businesses everywhere, add them together ! Even worse, take a walk down mainstreet and count the empty businesses...I think the Vice Mayor should be looked at closely on this...even to the point we should look where he is living and then what the plans are...I gaurentee he is not living near apartments, but in a single unattached home with a yard and a garage.

It is so obvious this is a money play on so many levels and anyone in the safety harbor government supporting this kind of development should be looked at closley and questioned if they really care for the town itself.

It all smells of greed.

Please let us know when we can make our voices heard to shoot down this disaster.

Jimmy, I appreciate all your comments. We will definitely post updates regarding future meetings that will focus on this issue. Keep reading Safety Harbor Patch!

Jimmy P and all Safety Harbor residents concerned with preserving the way of life that has drawn us to this unique community. Please attend the Planning and Zoning Board meeting this Wednesday October 10th, 2012 at 6:30 PM at the Safety Harbor City Hall. There will an vote taken on the Richman Group Proposal AKA “Dark Shadow”. Please come prepared to voice your informed opposition to this proposal. The Planning and Zoning Board wants to hear facts, not opinions. You can find all information regarding this meeting and the propsal on the city's web site. Click on the “Meeting Agendas and Minutes” category and then click on the PLANNING AND ZONING BOARD MEETING AGENDA for Oct 10th. This is "our" city we have a voice and it must be heard !

I will sign the petition, I am a business owner of 5 months in our quaint community however I am not a resident but still that should not be an issue, I moved my business from Downtown Dunedin due to being overcrowded with unfinished condos which was an eye sore to say the least plus too many restaurants & bars which brought in the wrong element at the moment small businesses in Downtown Dunedin are hurting where attention is given to excessive bars, a lot of families have distanced themselves, I am thankful the families who used to shop at my boutique are now back to shop at my boutique here due to Safety Harbor being so unique & quaint!
Also here's another point, take a good look at Downtown Clearwater, that massive condo with retail shops below is sitting empty, same thing is happening in condos galore in overcrowded beaches with massive traffic problems!
Ideal development would be to build 2 story family townhomes which could be used for seasonal rentals to build tourism, there are so many travelers who want to lease a townhome 4 to 5 months some even for 6 months during season, it might even give them an excuse to visit during slow season, they want to be able to bring their pets with them so it is nice to have a doggy park, other amenities included would be a library, small drugstore, a surf & turf type market, a bank, a community activity room, possibilities are endless & it is good for the adjacent community, please consider this option, thanks :)

After a few years go by will the developer sell off to someone else who will allow Section 8 housing? This isn't the kind of neighborhood I'd like to see come to Safety Harbor. Rentals don't bring in the same clientele as permanent fixed residents. This company is out to maximize their property development with no thought to how it will fare within the community. 296 units with only one and half parking spaces per unit with no guest parking is unrealistic. Traffic onto two lane Highway 590 is going to over run the road and the adjacent intersection. Does this seem like realistic planning or just another company out to make a buck? I'm opposed to this development and hope you will. At four stories tall do we really want a sundial on the surrounding neighborhood. No, no no.