Subject:
Title
Case No. FLU-25-09 (Green Energy for North America, LLC)
A request for a Future Land Use Map amendment from Residential Urban to Residential Medium on approximately 18.43 acres located at 13400 Pine Street in unincorporated Largo.
label
Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Based upon the evidence and findings contained in the staff report and attachments, Case No. FLU-25-09 is recommended for denial:
An ordinance approving the application of Green Energy for North America, LLC for a Future Land Use Map (FLUM) amendment from Residential Urban (RU) to Residential Medium (RM).
• The applicant is seeking a FLUM amendment on an 18.43-acre parcel.
• The request would allow for an increase in density from 7.5 dwelling units per acre to 15 dwelling units per acre.
• The subject property is surrounded mostly by long-standing, lower density single family neighborhoods to the north, south, and west.
• The three adjacent corridors are minor in function and have limited capacity.
• There is no companion Zoning Atlas amendment; however, development of the property would first require submittal and approval of a Development Master Plan prior to site plan review and approval.
• The Local Planning Agency recommended denial of the request (vote 4-2).
o Two persons appeared in opposition, generally concerned with issues such as density, traffic, and flooding.
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Strategic Priorities:
Resilient Infrastructure and Environment
1.1 Improve traffic flow efficiency
Summary:
Summary
The subject property consists of one (1) parcel totaling 18.43 acres located at 13400 Pine Street in the unincorporated Ridgecrest community. It is on the north side of 134th Avenue North between Pine Street and Trotter Road about 0.35 mile west of Ulmerton Road and borders the City of Largo to the north and west. The entire property is designated RU on the FLUM and is zoned Residential Planned Development (RPD). The RU FLUM category allows a base residential density of 7.5 units per acre that would provide up to 138 units on the subject property.
The subject property was historically used as a construction and debris (C&D) landfill and borrow pit but is currently vacant. In 2004, the FLUM category was changed to RU from Residential Low (RL) (5.0 units per acre maximum) and a Development Agreement was approved to allow for 207 multifamily units via and affordable housing density bonus. The Development Agreement included a concept plan for the development and established affordability parameters for utilization of the density bonus. The project never commenced and the Development Agreement subsequently expired. In 2015, the County Board of Adjustment (BOA) approved a Special Exception (now called a Type-2 Use approval) that also allowed for a 207-unit affordable housing development on the subject property. That approval included a binding concept plan but has also since expired.
The current request contemplates developing the subject property with multifamily housing at a higher density than is allowed by the existing RU category. A FLUM amendment to RM is proposed. With a maximum density of 15.0 dwelling units per acre, RM would allow up to 276 residential units. The applicant has also indicated a desire to construct affordable housing but is not currently requesting an affordable housing density bonus and has not defined the affordability parameters. If the requested change to RM was approved and a 50.0% affordable housing density bonus were applied as in the past approvals, up to 414 units would be allowed. Importantly, the property’s RPD zoning allows for multifamily residential but requires a DMP to set parameters such as number and type of residential units, building height, setbacks, etc. The applicant is not seeking a DMP concurrently with this FLUM amendment request and no concept plan has been provided.
Surrounding Uses:
The subject property is surrounded primarily by residential uses. Immediately adjacent to the north and across Pine Street to the west are single family detached homes within the City of Largo. A mix of single family detached homes and duplexes are to the south across 134th Street North and a multifamily affordable housing development is being constructed to the east across Trotter Road. Institutional uses including places of worship, a Boys & Girls Club, and a fire station are also in the general vicinity. The multifamily development being constructed to the east has the same RU FLUM category that the subject property currently has and is utilizing an affordable housing density bonus (approximately 11.25 units per acre). The surrounding single-family neighborhoods are designated RL or are within the City of Largo. They are generally developed at around four (4) to five (5) units per acre. The nearest unincorporated RM-designated land is approximately 0.4 mile to the southeast across Ulmerton Road.
Flood Risk/Environmental:
The subject property is not flood prone and is not within the Coastal High Hazard Area (CHHA) or the Coastal Storm Area (CSA). Its past use as a C&D landfill may require some environmental remediation, which would be determined during site plan review and permitting.
Transportation Impacts and Service Area:
Comparing the current development potential of the subject property under the existing RU FLUM designation with that of the proposed RM designation, the proposal could generate approximately 627 additional daily vehicle trips, 55 additional AM peak hour trips, and 70 additional PM peak hour trips on the surrounding roadways. In comparison to the previously approved 207-unit development, the proposal could generate approximately 313, 28, and 35 additional daily, AM peak hour, and PM peak hour trips, respectively. A transportation management plan may be required as determined during site plan review. The subject property is within the County’s potable water and sanitary sewer service areas.
Conclusion:
The Pinellas County Comprehensive Plan promotes mixed-income communities and encourages the implementation of missing middle and affordable housing development opportunities. In addition, the subject property is located within an area of the County that is less susceptible to flood hazards and not subject to the accompanying density increase issues of putting more residences in vulnerable locations. The proposal as submitted, however, generates compatibility concerns with much of the surrounding community. Long-established single-family neighborhoods exist immediately to the north, south, and west. Past approvals for multifamily development on the subject property had additional assurances in the form of binding concept plans and housing affordability parameters. Features such as enhanced buffering and compact building footprints could help lessen the impacts on surrounding properties. This current request would allow at least 69 additional residential units than the past approvals without the accompanying assurances of how the project will be laid out or if any of the units would qualify as affordable. For these reasons, Staff recommends denial of the request.
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Background Information:
The LPA recommended denial of the request during its October 8, 2025, public hearing (Vote 4-2).
Surrounding property owners within 250 feet of the subject property were notified by mail. A sign advertising the public hearing was posted on the subject property.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Gregg Mims, Director, Housing and Community Development
Scott Swearengen, Planning Section Manager, Housing and Community Development
Partners:
N/A
Attachments:
Ordinance
LPA Staff Report
Case Maps
Impact Assessment
Traffic Analysis
Business Impact Estatement
Application (including legal, survey, narrative)
Legal Ad
Presentation