Tarpon Springs commissioners approve plan for controversial apartment project

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. - After a meeting that spanned multiple days and included more than 16 hours of testimony, Tarpon Springs commissioners voted 3-1 in favor of approving preliminary plans to build an apartment complex in a highly-disputed plot on the banks of the Anclote River.

The approval is the first of two the Morgan Group will need from the city in order to move forward, but environmental groups and residents say they’re prepared to fight the project every step of the way.

"Find another site that’s all they have to do," said Chris Hrabovsky of savetarponsprings.org. "They’re gonna lose. They think that they’ve won something tonight. They’ve just exposed themselves and we’re not just going to fight them here. I warned them that we’re going to do the same thing that we did with Walmart."

Several people attending the meeting were able to successfully block Walmart from developing the same location nearly a decade ago.

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Opponents want the 74-acre mix of wet and highlands to remain undeveloped. It’s currently home to several threatened species including gopher tortoises and bald eagles. Dozens of neighbors stayed to voice their objections before the final vote was taken just before 5 a.m.

"You put a large density of people on the water in a coastal high hazard area, which really, I think, from the state and county perspectives, they’re urging people not to develop any longer," said Barbara Walker.

The Morgan Group’s plan would place five apartment buildings, a total of 404 units, in a flood zone. The project would also add two new entry and exit points on busy U.S. Highway 19.

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Many residents cited concerns over increased traffic in the area as well as risk to residents living in an area at high-risk for flooding.

"To go and intentionally put 404 apartments for maybe 2,000 people smack dab in the middle of a floodplain to me doesn’t make sense and it’s not what we should be doing. It’s what FEMA says we shouldn’t be doing. It’s what Pinellas County says we shouldn’t be doing," said archeologist and Pinellas County resident Michelle Birnbaum.

As Tarpon Springs Mayor Chris Alahouzos explained before voting to approve the plan, the city does not own the land and therefore has no say in whether the property becomes home to apartments or a new park. The vote focused solely on whether the Morgan Group’s plan is in line with city code.

"We heard a lot of testimony on both sides two days in a row and the testimony we heard is that the evidence is there and qualifies the project.  Based on that, I made my decision to vote for it," said Alahouzos. "It has nothing to do with how I feel about it to build the project. It’s based on what we’re required to do."

A second reading and vote is scheduled for November 9.