Dunedin moves forward with proposed affordable housing project

Nearby residents voiced concerns about parking, traffic and the size of the development.

DUNEDIN — For years, Dunedin has struggled to provide affordable housing, yet residents living near a proposed three-story, 78-unit apartment complex at 1422 Carnation Drive off Main Street say the project doesn’t fit their quaint neighborhood.

Many attended the May 8 first reading of a development agreement to tell city commissioners the parcel is too small, has only one narrow access road, provides minimal parking and isn’t designed for a development that could add 228 people into such a small area.

During the hearing, city staff urged commissioners to approve The Flats on Main Street, promising that concerns raised by nearby residents would be addressed during a later site plan review.

Commissioners took staff’s advice and unanimously approved the agreement.

According to city officials, The Flats on Main Street is a public-private partnership with the Pinellas County Housing Authority and Dunedin. The Housing Authority will allocate 24 Section 8 Vouchers to fund 30% of the units and will be a limited partner through its affiliated nonprofit, Pinellas County Housing and Economic Development.

Developer Archway Partners said The Flats on Main Street “is preliminarily anticipated to be built as two three-story, garden-style apartment buildings, proposed to provide high-quality housing to extremely low and low-income households.” The development would consist of 42 one-bedroom and 36 two-bedroom units serving households with incomes ranging from 30% to 80% of the area median income.

Archway added that the development “will be complete with high-quality features” including solid surface flooring, granite countertops and energy-efficient appliances.

“All of the units will be developed with the same high-quality standard regardless of the income level of the resident,” the developer said. The project will include in-unit washer and dryer hookups, a multipurpose community room, a library, a coworking space and a tech lab. Construction is expected to begin in late 2025 and take about 15 months, with leasing taking two to three months.

Community development director George Kinney said, “This development agreement represents the first of a two-step project approval process. The second step is design review and approval,” which will analyze stormwater infrastructure capacity, height, transportation design and landscaping.

Said Bob Ironsmith, director of economic and housing development: “We’ve heard for a number of years that affordable housing is a high priority. We were able to apply through the state of Florida for tax credits, which made this project feasible.”

“As we all know there isn’t much vacant property in the city of Dunedin. This represented a great opportunity for us,” Ironsmith told commissioners. “This project is very feasible, very viable and we’re very excited about making this happen.”

Commissioner Tom Dugard asked staff to address neighbors’ concerns about the project’s community fit.

Ironsmith noted, “The property is zoned for multifamily; I think it’s a good fit. We made sure we won’t go four stories, we wanted to keep it at three stories. On the east side there is an additional setback of 10 feet, so from my view I feel it’s pretty compatible.”

Kinney added, “From a planning perspective, it’s an excellent transitional piece because it’s behind that commercial atmosphere that fronts Main Street, and then it transitions into the more modest single-family and duplex kind of units.”

However, several nearby residents disagreed with staff’s assessment.

Nancy Schmidt told commissioners she has concerns about “when nearly 4 acres of trees and grass is turned into cement.”

She added, “a three-story building next to one-story homes is entirely unacceptable. We’re a complex of 112 families, not counting the other houses around us, and now you’re going to put three-story buildings right up against us. I’m concerned about the water, I’m concerned about property values, because you’re sacrificing 112 families or more for 78. To me it’s just like trying to get a square peg in a round hole.”

Rob Refo told commissioners, “The scope of the proposed development, based on the location, the size of the plot of land and surrounding residential neighborhoods, it’s just not appropriate for this.”

He noted the project’s 114 bedrooms could house up to 228 people, potentially rising to 342 if apartments reach maximum occupancy.

The paramount issue, Refo said, was “all foot traffic, all vehicular traffic, bicycles, wheelchairs, scooters will enter and exit one access point off Main Street, through the Luekens liquor parking lot.”

He said the developer plans 117 parking spaces with no overflow. “If there are other cars, where are they going to go?” he asked.

In addressing parking concerns, Kinney said it was too early to provide specific solutions but noted the project meets code requirements with 1.5 spaces per apartment. “The developer is hearing this and there are probably some creative ideas they can do” during the site plan stage, he said.

Mayor Maureen Freaney questioned whether Carnation Drive serving as the only access point was a concern.

Kinney said a traffic impact study would undergo peer review, which might generate “possible improvements or suggestions.”

Commissioner Robert Walker asked whether the design review would address alternate access points.

“Yes, but fire is deeply involved in the design review process, so their comments will be brought through that design review,” Kinney said.

Walker noted affordable housing has been a top issue on community surveys. “I would just like to be comfortable that these are issues we can address during the design review,” he said.

Commissioner Tom Dugard acknowledged the site challenges. “This is a challenged spot. We’ve looked for the last five years and we know we’ve got to go forward with this.”

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