Conservation Land Saved From Condos; City Hopes To Purchase

DUNEDIN, FL — With a proposal to develop the property into condominiums now off the table, Dunedin city commissioners unanimously agreed Tuesday to find a way to purchase and preserve the environmentally sensitive Douglas-Hackworth property.

Prior to her death in July, philanthropist Gladys Douglas-Hackworth stated that the two parcels of endangered scrub habitat she owned at Virginia Avenue and Keene Road should be preserved in their natural state. The parcels, totaling 43.44 acres, are just outside the Dunedin city limits.

Dunedin residents and environmentalists launched a series of sidewalk protests when they learned that, despite Douglas-Hackworth's wishes, national home builder Pulte Homes had a contract to purchase the property from the Douglas-Hackworth trust for $14.5 million to build 130 condominiums.

Pulte had until Oct. 17 to conduct due diligence on the pending purchase. However, the home builder allowed the deadline to pass without making an offer to the trust.

That made way for community leaders to look at ways to acquire and preserve the property, which is adjacent to another 144-acre conservation property and the 31-acre Jerry Lake owned by the Southwest Florida Water Management District.

Dunedin City Manager Jennifer Bramley said the trust is giving the city and the county 90 days to make an offer on the property, which she said is expected to be appraised at about $8 million.

"My initial response was shock followed by happy tears," said resident Michelle Birnbaum, who organized a series of sign-waving events to raise awareness of the need to protect the property. "I am grateful that the developer has decided not to continue with the purchase of the property. I am also grateful for the support offered by the city of Dunedin. They clearly heard us. I am also so incredibly grateful for all of the people that have helped. None of us could have done this alone. It takes a community."

City commissioners agreed to put $2 million in Penny for Pinellas funds toward funding the property. The commission previously planned to spend those funds on a city parking garage but opted for a traditional surface parking lot.

Residents are also asking the county to use funds set aside under the county's environmental land preservation program, founded in 2000, to purchase the property. The fund currently contains $15 million.

Other funding possibilities include applying to the Florida Communities Trust for a grant of up to 50 percent, about $4 million, of the purchase price and grants from the SWFWMD and the Department of Environmental Protection's Forever Florida lands acquisition program.

"There isn't much time to celebrate," said Birnbaum. "The estate has set a 90-day deadline for the county to purchase this property. At the end of this period, if a deal is not reached, the property could once again end up in the hands of a developer. So our task now is to get the purchase of this property on the county board agenda. Once on the agenda we need the support of the county commissioners to make this happen. With such a short window, we are asking our supporters to contact the commissioners to ask for their timely support. We do not want a repeat of the inaction that led to this last piece of rosemary scrub being under contract for development."

The call to preserve the Douglas-Hackworth property has attracted a number of influential supporters including former Dunedin mayor and Gladys Douglas-Hackworth's stepson, Bob Hackworth.

"I want it preserved," he said. "It's Old Florida, and it's quiet and it's tranquil, and it's just special."

He said his stepmother had offers from a number of developers over the past two decades and that she always turned them down. He believes her desire to preserve the property should be respected.

"To have open green space for future generations, what could be more important than that?" said Dunedin Mayor Julie Ward Bujalski. "I think that preservation of land is one of the most important things we can do for the future generations of people who are going to live here."

"There will never be an opportunity again to create a green space this large in Pinellas County's history because of how built out we are. So this is an amazing opportunity," said James Scott of the Sierra Club. "This is bellwether issue for conservation in Pinellas County. This special piece, slipping through the cracks, is an indicator of a problem in our conservation policy as a county."

The Suncoast Group of the Sierra Club has posted an online petition urging the Dunedin City Commission and the Pinellas County Commission to honor Gladys Douglas-Hackworth's request to preserve the property, at 1900 Virginia Ave. N. The petition currently has 9,777 signatures.

See related story: Residents Fight To Save Conservation Parcel From Becoming Condos