Largo residents raise alarm over apartment plan on former landfill site

LARGO, Fla. — A developer is seeking approval for a new apartment community in Largo — a request that has reignited debate over the site’s history as a former construction and debris landfill.

Neighbors and Pinellas County planners have repeatedly flagged the “brownfield’s” concerns, saying the 18-acre site at 13400 Pine Street could be contaminated. 

Master gardener Marva Perry has spent over 30 years tending the flowers and produce in her yard.

“I’m able to build a salad straight out of my yard,” she said.

Perry said her garden played a key role in her journey through breast cancer.

“It keeps you living because you need to be able to take care of it,” said Perry. “When you ask yourself where did God first put man, it was in the garden. That’s where you go to find peace.”

But she said what could happen just blocks from her home is unsettling.

“The brownfield is located less than 500 feet from the house,” said Perry. 

The site, which was once used for construction and debris disposal, is now being considered for an 1,800-unit apartment community.

“We would sit on the porch and see what they were doing over there,” Perry said. “We knew, everybody knew, but everybody did not understand the effect of what would happen when they start filling it in.”

A cancer survivor who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 50 years, Perry said she’s worried about possible environmental risks. She and other residents attended and planned to raise those concerns during a Nov. 18 Pinellas County Commission meeting, but the public hearing was postponed.

“What concerns me the most is how (are) they going to clean it up? How deep are they going to go?” she added. 

Green Energy for North America, LLC is represented by Hill Ward Henderson. Attorney Katie Cole shared the following statement with Spectrum News, saying in part:

“Our client is proceeding with all due diligence as it relates to the suitability of development of the site and such diligence will not be completed for a few months. We are currently working to get the proper zoning in place to allow for the development of the property if and when the developer is comfortable that the property can be developed. Historically, the site was used for construction debris disposal and the diligence relates to investigations regarding the existing debris. There has been extensive testing on the site and no hazardous materials have been found. Our client will continue to test and conform to all applicable regulations and requirements to ensure a safe development.”

If approved, this would be the second affordable housing project within blocks of Perry’s home.

“It takes me sometimes five minutes to back out of my driveway,” she said.

Perry said the new proposal does not match the character or capacity of the neighborhood.

“We want our community to be safe. We want our community to have affordable housing. But there is a place for it, and two back-to-backs is just not the place for it,” she said.

She said more housing should not come at the cost of public health or community stability.

The next hearing is scheduled for Jan. 20.