OLDSMAR — Residents got their last chance to weigh in July 14 on a proposed downtown town center, and city staff will now hand their comments to the City Council as it decides whether to sell the 8-acre site to a developer.
The third and final open house drew a steady crowd to the State Street Center, where attendees filled out feedback cards on their way out. Those written comments will be compiled into a report for the council, which voted unanimously last month to advance the plan.
The city-owned property, bounded by Tampa Road, State Street and Washington Avenue, would be sold to Stanbery Development Group LLC for $2 million. The mixed-use project calls for 240 residential units, a public plaza and more than 21,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
The session was organized into four displays: conceptual renderings, utilities data, traffic study findings and the essential terms the city has negotiated with Stanbery so far.
At the essential terms display, City Manager Felicia Donnelly walked residents through provisions meant to protect taxpayers. Stanbery could not allow tenants to move into the apartments until the commercial buildings and public open spaces are finished. All units would rent at market rate. The city has also proposed construction completion bonds and a $350,000 annual penalty if the developer misses a five-year deadline.
The traffic study drew the heaviest crowd. Preliminary work found no current justification for new signals at the intersections around the property, said Andrew Greenwood, the city’s public works director. Neighbors pressed him anyway, citing vehicle safety and the difficulty of turning on and off Tampa Road.
For some, the town center is a long-awaited chance to give Oldsmar a walkable center.
Tom O’Shea, who bicycles to nearly every town meeting, said the plan could bring a new dynamic to the neighborhood.
“I’m excited. It’s more of the downtown feel that we’re kind of looking for,” O’Shea said. “Something similar to Safety Harbor.”
The State Street parcels have sat empty for decades, he noted. “I think they’ve been trying to develop this ... like, 30 years, trying to get something.”
Others said the project would pile onto residential growth already underway nearby.
One homeowner who lives within walking distance, and who declined to be named, questioned whether the city was settling.
“I think it’s the wrong fit for the lot,” the resident said. “They put out a lot of RFQs, probably 60, 70, 80 over the years. This last time they got two responses back. ... All the other developers realize this is fitting a square peg in a round hole, and they don’t want anything to do with it. We’re settling.”
The resident pointed to other multifamily projects moving forward in the area, including a 279-unit apartment complex on the flea market property.
Council member Valerie Tatarzewski, who attended the final session, said the turnout mattered.
“I’m excited to see the amount of citizen input, and I can’t wait to see the feedback that residents are giving their City Council,” Tatarzewski said.
If the council decides to move ahead after reviewing the essential terms and public comments, it will direct the city attorney to draft a binding development agreement.