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Largo provides site for upscale homes
Development: Trees, acreage attractive to trio at Dakota Land
Jane Meinhardt
Staff Writer
LARGO — Up to 30 unusual homes, starting at about $500,000, are planned for one of Pinellas County's prime vacant parcels.

The Dakota Land Co. has contracted to buy 12 acres on the northwest corner of Belleair and Belcher roads near a neighborhood of upscale homes on large lots.

The project, called Plantation, would feature nearly a mile of manmade streams with waterfalls meandering around the fronts of strategically placed homes. Home sites measure 18,000 square feet.

The property, formerly a horse farm known as the Walker Estate, includes a 4-acre lake, large oaks and the foundations of what was to be a multimillion-dollar mansion for Jurg Weiss, a Swiss investor.

It is a parcel with colorful history.

A sprawling ranch house and adjacent buildings on the property were razed after the family members owning the farm died. A Clearwater lawyer obtained an option to buy the property and tried in 1998 to have it rezoned for a 185-bed assisted living facility.

Opposition to rezoning killed that plan.

Weiss bought the property in 1999, and an annexation dispute developed between Largo and Clearwater.

Largo won.

Weiss, described as charismatic and supportive of friends and acquaintances, commissioned a 24,000-square-foot mansion with eight bedrooms, 13 bathrooms and a pool.

In addition to interests in Switzerland, he was president of Pelican International Investments Inc. in Pinellas County. Corporate records show Weiss dissolved the company in September 2000.

The foundations and a partial wall of his mansion had been constructed when Weiss was arrested in April 2001.

Weiss faced charges of financial crimes in Switzerland. Authorities there issued a warrant, and the U.S. District Court in Tampa ordered his arrest.

Weiss waived extradition and was returned to Switzerland. His U.S. assets, including the 12 acres, were temporarily frozen.

Property appraiser records show the property's most recent sale for $1.7 million came in February 2001. The current owner of record is Belleair Beach Marine Inc. The corporation's Clearwater address listed on property records is the office of Weiss' former attorney, who also was the registered agent until December 2001.

Belleair Beach Marine is inactive, Florida corporate records state. Tampa lawyer Yamile Haibi is listed as the registered agent.

She confirmed that Dakota Land Co. contracted to purchase the 12 acres but declined to disclose financial details.

"We haven't closed on it," Haibi said. "We don't have a hard and fast closing date, but it will be some time in December."

The Dakota Land Co. and its principals plan to develop Plantation as a private land reserve centered on the lake, which has been named Swan Lake.

Howard M. Cooper, president, teamed with his son, Torrey Cooper, and Richard S. Truesdale as developers of the project.

"We had to come up with a site plan that accommodates all the trees," said the younger Cooper. "You can't touch these trees."

The exteriors of the 15 homes will have common designs and architecture reflecting styles used in 17th century Southern colonial states, with brick and limestone features, he said.

Each 2-story building will be 8,800 square feet, which can be divided into two homes with a common middle wall.

"Owners will be able to custom design their own interiors and floor plans," said Torrey Cooper. "We have a lot of flexibility as far as different sizes and interior design. These will be deeded, fee-simple houses for high-end clients."

Marvin Rose, owner of Rose Residential Reports in Tarpon Springs, said $500,000 for a 4,000-square-foot home is in "the market range" in Pinellas County.

"Homes in Pinellas are in such short supply, and there's such a demand," he said. "This (project) is in a fairly attractive central location, too, so these days that's not an unreasonable price."

The homes combine construction features of duplexes and town homes, which is unusual, Rose said.

"I don't know of anything like that anywhere in Pinellas," he said.

Public promotion of the homes begins Nov. 1. Five of the homes have been reserved, Cooper said.

The Plantation's planned water works centered on the lake is reminiscent of another of Torrey Cooper's projects.

In 1987, he attempted to develop Swan Park, an $8.6-million office and shopping complex in the 1700 block of 68th Street North in St. Petersburg. A 2-acre lake was the focal point of a complex that would have included waterfalls and fountains.

Swan Park never materialized because of problems with storm water pipes and litigation with nearby property owners, Cooper said.

In the mid-1990s, Cooper was the chief executive officer of a company that ran into legal trouble. A Pinellas County circuit judge ordered the company, Credit Life Corp., dissolved in 1995 and banned Cooper from ever operating that type of business in Florida.

Cooper and the company were accused of buying insurance policies from the terminally ill and failing to pay for them.

"We were one of the first companies in this business," Cooper said. "What happened was a funding source in Orlando backed out, but all the policies were settled."

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http://buffalo.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2002/11/04/story1.html?t=printable