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New hope for downtown Largo with project from local developer

 
A mural on West Bay Drive welcomes people to downtown Largo. Officials hope a developer’s project helps to revive the area.
A mural on West Bay Drive welcomes people to downtown Largo. Officials hope a developer’s project helps to revive the area.
Published March 11, 2016

LARGO — Pass through West Bay Drive, and you'll see signs of a downtown.

Wide sidewalks. A colorful mural welcoming drivers to the area. A brewery open until 2 a.m.

But the blocks are also riddled with vacant storefronts, empty sidewalks and blighted property, the products of a downtown struggling to set itself apart from the stretch of road connecting the bay to the beaches.

Enter developer Gary Tave and his idea for the corridor. City officials hope his plan to build two towers with a mix of residential and commercial space will be a gateway to a prosperous downtown.

"Sometimes, the most difficult project to get under way is the first project," said Assistant City Manager Henry Schubert, who will take over as city manager in April.

Tave wants to build a seven-story building on the 500 block and a four-story building on the 600 block, making a total of 123 apartments and townhouses and about 70,000 square feet of commercial space for restaurants, shops and other businesses on the first two floors. Tave managed construction and facilities for the U.S. Navy for more than 20 years before moving into private sector development and property management.

"We're trying to bring people to live downtown, work downtown and play downtown and create enough of a draw to entice other people to shop, to dine, and hopefully spur other developers," he said.

Over the next few months, Tave and city officials will work out the details of the project to ensure it is in line with the city's goals for the area before it goes to the commission for approval. His plan must include features such as public art or environmentally sustainable elements in order to build the desired number of stories and units, said Teresa Brydon, economic development manager for the city.

Tave will also be working to secure the remainder of the funding for the $45 million project, he said. He would not disclose how much money he's raised so far.

Tave bought the 500 block from the city for $200,000, a fraction of the $2.45 million the city paid over two transactions in 2006 and 2007. Brydon said she believes the low cost of the city-owned land freed up money for Tave to purchase the neighboring block from a private owner for about $1.5 million.

"Even though we sold it at a loss, what's coming out of the ground is going to be phenomenal for downtown," she said. "That's the reason why we do what we do."

Both pieces of land are home to businesses and apartments that will be razed when shovels hit the ground, which could be as early as late summer if all goes as planned.

On the 500 block is Barley Mow Brewing Company, which has been on the block since September 2011. Owner Jay Dingman said he's still working through his options for the future.

He has considered opening a tasting room in the beer production warehouse off Commerce Drive or moving into Tave's project once it's completed. Dingman said the move has always been on the horizon. He signed the lease knowing city officials had a grander vision for the block.

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"We understood that it was not going to be our permanent home," he said.

But for residents of the Oak Alley Apartments on the 600 block, the change was not so expected. Several tenants living in the run-down cottages were unaware of the development project and said it would be difficult to find a place with rent prices that work with their fixed incomes or low-wage jobs.

"It would be a major blow," said 55-year-old Ramona Wagner, who has lived with her husband, Phill, in their apartment for about 11 years.

The Wagners pay $850 a month including utilities for their cottage, an expense at the top of their price range when they're relying on $1,200 from Social Security and disability funds.

Vida Nistor and her husband, David, pay even less — about $625. The couple could go up to $800 for a new place with their incomes from Nistor's job as a Walmart cashier and her husband's job working at a printing shop. But they want to know more details first so they can prepare if they have to move.

"Anything they want to do to develop this neighborhood, I'm all for it," David Nistor, 54, said, "but I wish they hadn't kept us in the dark."

Tave said he's planning to work with residents, the city and other housing complexes to relocate them. When it comes to his development, Tave wouldn't disclose the rent estimates but the apartments are going to be "much higher end," he said, with the retail space intended to draw in Largo professionals and people from wealthier areas down the road such as Belleair Bluffs and Belleair Beach.

The project is reminiscent of another redevelopment hope for the city: West Bay Village, a shopping center with luxury townhomes behind it. The houses were successful, but the shopping center has seen business come and go, said Jason King, the manager of Vitamin Discount Center, which has been in the village for almost 12 years.

"We're like the only original store that's still left," King said.

Brydon noted that there are several differences this time around. The city ensured that Tave had a team with an architect and construction group lined up as well as an agent to help him market the commercial space from the beginning. Plus, the height of both buildings will make them stand out, she said.

And, Tave said, his family has lived in Largo for more than 40 years. He's as invested in developing downtown as the residents are.

"I drive up and down West Bay and look at the blight, and I know it can be better," he said. "Somebody needed to do something."

Contact Kathryn Varn at (727) 893-8913 or kvarn@tampabay.com. Follow @kathrynvarn.