A 355-unit apartment community has been proposed to replace Kesier University’s Clearwater campus | CoStar

Keiser University's Clearwater campus could be redeveloped into an apartment community under a proposal currently being reviewed by the City of Largo.

North Carolina-based Aventon Companies has submitted a preliminary site plan application to the city to redevelop the approximately 12-acre property at 16120 U.S. Highway 19 North into a 355-unit apartment community.

The property, which is under contract with Aventon, is owned by Clearwater-based Crown Pointe on 19 LLC, an entity controlled by Colliers Executive Vice President John Gerlach.

Whether the project ultimately moves forward, however, remains uncertain due to ongoing litigation between the university and its landlord.

According to a lawsuit filed June 10th in Pinellas County Circuit Court, Keiser alleges Crown Pointe improperly terminated its lease in an effort to facilitate the sale or redevelopment of the property. The university is seeking to preserve its lease rights while the case proceeds.

The 12-acre Keiser University property at 16120 U.S. Highway 19 North could be redeveloped into a 355-unit apartment community | Google Maps

The proposed redevelopment would replace the existing 192,099-square-foot building, which was constructed in 1985 and has housed Keiser University's Clearwater campus since 2014, with five five-story apartment buildings.

According to preliminary site plans prepared by Tampa-based engineering firm Halff, the residential community would feature a clubhouse, resort-style pool, landscaped open space, two stormwater ponds, and 556 surface parking spaces.

Approximately 40% of the property would remain open space.

The property is designated Residential/Office General on Largo's Future Land Use Map and is located within the Largo Tri-City Activity Center.

The proposal will be presented during a neighborhood meeting July 29th at Largo City Hall.

Crown Pointe purchased the property for $14.1 million in April 2023.

At the time, the building was occupied by Keiser University and customer service and technology company 24-7 Intouch, which moved out of the building last year.

Site Plan for a proposed apartment community by Aventon Companies at 16120 U.S. Highway 19 North in Largo | Halff

Ownership said it planned to renovate the property and continue operating it as an office and educational campus before the current redevelopment proposal emerged.

If Aventon Largo comes to fruition, the complex would be the latest addition to Aventon Companies' growing $2 billion portfolio of developments and 9,000 Aventon-branded apartment homes in Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas, and the Mid-Atlantic.

Local developments include Aventon Meadows, a 360-unit community in Wesley Chapel that opened in 2024, and Aventon Lana, a 396-unit apartment community completed along U.S. Highway 19 in Clearwater in 2023.

GID Real Estate Investments acquired the Clearwater property for $89.74 million in 2024 and renamed it Windsor Clearwater Apartments.

The company is also developing a 270-unit apartment community in New Port Richey that is expected to open in 2027.

Representatives for Aventon Companies and Crown Pointe did not respond to requests for comment.