LPA recommends land‑use and zoning changes to reunify Golden Acres parcel with mobile‑home park

The Local Planning Agency (LPA) recommended approval of a land‑use plan amendment (Ordinance 25‑08) and a rezoning (Ordinance 25‑09) that would change a 0.53‑acre parcel at 1050 Main Street from Retail and Services (R&S) / Form Based Medium (FXM) to Residential Low‑Medium (RLM) and Mobile Home (MH) zoning, matching the adjacent Golden Acres Mobile Home Park.

City Community Development representative Joseph DePasqua presented the application LUPZO2025‑001 and said the parcel is landlocked and accessed only through private streets within the Golden Acres Mobile Home Park. The applicant and owner is Golden Acres RO Association, Inc.; Jonathan DeMonte, counsel for Golden Acres, represented the association at the LPA meeting.

DeMonte described the parcel’s history: the Hardens acquired the broader property in 1959, the mobile‑home park was developed around 1968–1971, and the standalone house on the subject parcel remained a separate homestead until it was demolished in 2023 after the park association purchased the lot from the estate. He told the LPA that resident‑owners converted the park to cooperative ownership years earlier and that state statutes governing conversions and cooperative park governance limit the association’s ability to change lot counts without unanimous consent. DeMonte said the association’s intent is to treat the parcel as common area for park residents and not to add new mobile‑home lots.

Staff said the requested land‑use change from R&S to RLM and rezoning from FXM to MH is consistent with the comprehensive plan and the city’s rezoning criteria. DePasqua noted that if the LPA’s recommendation is approved by the City Commission, the land‑use amendment will proceed to Forward Pinellas through the county’s Tier 2 amendment process before returning for second reading by the City Commission; staff projected first reading on Oct. 9 and county review later this year or early next.

LPA members asked technical questions about the parcel’s prior rezoning (to FXM in 2015), the calculation of ownership votes required for park changes, and what uses the parcel might host. DeMonte said potential uses the association has discussed include overflow parking, picnic tables and small recreation amenities; any specific improvement (for example pickleball courts or other facilities) would require the association’s approval per cooperative governance rules and a subsequent permit from the city. The association’s president is expected to appear at a later meeting to discuss amenities if the rezoning proceeds.

A motion to recommend approval of both Ordinance 25‑08 and Ordinance 25‑09 passed by voice vote. DePasqua and DeMonte said the rezoning and land‑use amendment will be advertised and transmitted together during the city and county review process.