"To be compatible is the life and breath of protecting the charm of the city. Does it fit?" Mayor Maureen Freaney said this from the dais this spring, while commissioners weighed a five-unit townhome building at 444 Skinner Blvd. "This isn't hard for me. This doesn't fit."
The developer withdrew the application on April 28, 2026, before a vote. A few blocks east, a 120-unit apartment proposal on Patricia Avenue is going through review without any commission vote, because Florida law takes that vote away.
Both projects come out of the same nine square miles. One rulebook decides new for-sale housing and a different one decides larger rental housing. If you're comparing Dunedin with other parts of Tampa Bay, the split explains why so few new homes come up for sale here.
Two approval paths
| Small for-sale infill | Live Local rental projects | |
|---|---|---|
| Who decides | City Commission, after Design Review | City staff, administratively |
| Can "compatibility" stop it? | Yes, and it has | A discretionary veto is hard to square with mandatory administrative approval |
| Height and density | Set by local code, up to 46 feet with commission approval downtown | Floors set by state statute based on what's allowed within one mile |
| 2026 example | 444 Skinner Blvd., 5 units, withdrawn | Patricia Ave./Scotsdale St., 120 units, under review |
Dunedin's ordinary process runs Design Review applications through compatibility review at staff committees, then to City Commission hearings. The city's own Live Local FAQ says it directly. "The Commission does NOT vote on Live Local projects which has been established by the State of Florida."
What happened at 444 Skinner Blvd.
The Skinner proposal from Land Devs was small: five townhomes, three stories of living space over ground-floor parking, 42 feet tall. Commissioners were following what the Tampa Bay Times called a rare staff recommendation to deny it. Community development director George Kinney and CRA director Robert Ironsmith found it inconsistent with the city's criteria for physical compatibility.
Kinney's reasoning is the useful part for a buyer. He said most recent redevelopment in that stretch "is limited to not more than two stories." He also said a four-story building would be incompatible both with existing heights and with "any anticipated future redevelopment in the surrounding area." That standard looks forward as well as back. It judges the parcel in front of the commission and also what the very limited vacant land nearby might become.
The developer's side argued that the project met the height rules. City code allows up to 46 feet with commission approval, and the Main Street Exchange and the Douglas parking garage across the street were both approved at 46 feet. Commissioners still came back to fit. Commissioner Tom Dugard laid out the pull in both directions. He said the city's surveys keep telling it that "our citizens are feeling crowded — that we're jamming too much into our nine square miles." He also said the building would bring revenue and flood control.
The developer withdrew and plans to redesign and reapply. As of early October 2026, our research had not turned up a public resubmittal.
What passes: 12 townhomes on Causeway Blvd.
The for-sale track does approve projects. On May 2, 2026, the City Commission unanimously approved Design Review for 12 townhomes, a retail winery and a seven-room hotel on 1.05 vacant acres. The site is 265 Causeway Blvd., plus a group of lots on Outlook Way, and the commission waived the second hearing.
The project's marketing describes three-bedroom, three-bath townhomes of more than 2,300 square feet with a four-level layout. As of October 8, 2026, it was inviting pre-sale offers and had not published prices.
Put the two spring decisions side by side. A clean, unanimous approval produced 12 new homes for sale. A withdrawal took five off the table. That's how new for-sale supply reaches the market in Dunedin, a handful of units at a time, each batch weighed on its own fit with the block.
How the rental path works
The Live Local Act took effect July 1, 2023. To qualify, a project has to set aside at least 40% of its units as affordable for at least 30 years. For a qualifying project, the statute requires administrative approval with no further action from the governing body, as long as the project meets the applicable multifamily development rules other than use, height, density and floor area.
Height works differently on this path. The statutory floor is the tallest height currently allowed, or allowed as of July 1, 2023, for commercial or residential buildings within one mile, or three stories, whichever is higher. A narrower cap applies when a project abuts a qualifying single-family neighborhood on two or more sides. Chapter 2026-179, effective July 1, 2026, closed another option. Cities can no longer cut that height through height-based setbacks or stepbacks.
Dunedin still reviews these projects. Its Planning page says the city runs Design Review administratively for Live Local applications. It requires architectural renderings, traffic and drainage studies, and other materials, and staff approve the project if it meets the applicable regulations. Because less than 20% of the city's land is designated commercial or industrial, Live Local multifamily proposals in those areas must be mixed-use. The city also requires the developer to hold a public meeting with nearby residents and businesses.
The pending project is the 120-unit proposal from RK Development Partners on five parcels at 381, 401, 403 and 407 Patricia Avenue and 1090 Scotsdale Street. The developer initially proposed making all 120 units affordable or attainable workforce housing. It appeared on the Development Review Committee agenda for August 26, 2026. Neither its height nor a final decision had been published as of early October. The City Commission held a January 6, 2026 Live Local presentation as an informational item, not an action item.
The rental pipeline keeps growing
The Patricia Avenue proposal isn't the only rental project in the pipeline. In May 2026, the Flats on Main Street broke ground on the north side of State Road 580, just west of Keene Road. It's a 78-unit mixed-income rental project, and Ironsmith said the city hadn't produced a comparable major affordable-housing project in more than 15 years. Bay News 9's coverage gives two timelines that don't line up, so a completion date is still unsettled.
On Pinehurst Road, the commission unanimously approved Azul Avenue Vacation Homes: 21 vacation-rental units in four two-story buildings at 1380 Pinehurst Road. The larger Dunedin Commons site already holds 280 apartments and 56 townhomes under its development agreement. In October 2025, a 4.1-acre parcel at 375 Patricia Avenue there was being shifted from planned offices toward apartments.
Taken together, Dunedin is adding rental units by the dozens and the hundreds. New for-sale homes are coming in batches of five or twelve, and even those depend on a commission vote.
What the county numbers add
Public monthly data for Dunedin's ZIP codes is members-only through Florida Realtors. The closest public read is the Pinellas REALTOR Organization's countywide report. Treat these figures as Pinellas County context, not Dunedin's own numbers.
- Single-family, August 2026: median sale price $464,950, up 6.9% year over year. Active inventory was 3,050, down 18.5%, and new listings fell 6.7%. That left 3.5 months' supply, and sellers received a median 95.3% of original list price.
- Townhouses and condos, August 2026: median sale price $275,000, 6.4 months' supply, and a median 109 days to sale.
September figures are scheduled for release October 16, 2026.
The single-family side is tightening across the county. In a city where new for-sale construction arrives a dozen units at a time, most of that demand lands on existing homes. That changes how to read a Dunedin listing. For a single-family buyer, the realistic alternative to a given resale home is usually another resale home. Waiting for a new subdivision isn't much of an option, because the city's approval process and its scarce vacant land make large for-sale projects rare.
FAQ
Can Live Local be used for homes for sale? The 40% set-aside that qualifies a project is defined for affordable rental units, and Dunedin describes the act as requiring administrative approval of affordable multifamily rental housing.
Does Dunedin have any say over a Live Local project's design? Yes, through administrative review. Applicable development regulations such as setbacks, parking, drainage and architectural standards still apply. Under Chapter 2026-179, though, setbacks can't be used to reduce the statutory height.
Is 444 Skinner Blvd. coming back? The developer said it would redesign and reapply. No public resubmittal had turned up as of early October 2026.
Where can residents comment on the Patricia Avenue project? The city's FAQ points residents to RK Development Partners for project feedback and to the Community Development Department at 727-298-3192 or 727-298-3199 for questions about the approval process.
If you own a single-family home in Dunedin, you're selling into a city that adds new for-sale homes a few at a time, and how your home is presented makes a real difference. Siftar Group pairs that local supply picture with design-led staging and no-upfront renovations so your listing stands out among the resale homes buyers are choosing between. Schedule your complimentary listing consultation.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
