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ST. PETERSBURG -- The biggest downtown condominium project in 30 years had its public coming-out Wednesday, and downtown boosters liked what they saw.

If built, the twin towers -- called the Villas on Beach Drive -- would be two of the tallest buildings in the city, roughly 50 feet shorter than the Bank of America Tower and within about 5 feet of tying the Bayfront Tower for second in height.

With roughly 200 condos, the Villas would have as many units as all three recent major downtown condo projects combined -- the Cloisters, the Florencia and Vinoy Place. Those three projects were built by developers with substantial local reputations. In contrast, Paul Morris, the man behind this plan, is relatively new to the city, and his nascent company has not built anything this big.

None of that seemed to concern the group of people who turned out Wednesday to support it at the Environmental Development Commission, the first body to vote on the project.

The only opposition came from some residents of Presbyterian Towers, a high-rise for seniors whose waterfront view would be partly blocked by the Villas.

After listening to more than two hours of testimony, the commission unanimously approved every variance the project needed. The commissioners were using new rules for the first time, ones set up to avoid another Bayfront Tower, a big, blocky building that rises next to the sidewalk and goes straight up, and which has become a symbol of what not to build near the waterfront.

"I see this project as the real jewel in the downtown crown," said Russ Sloan, president of the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce.

The project includes between 180 and 220 condominiums in the towers, which would rise over three floors of retail, restaurant and office space, a health club, banquet facilities and 532 parking spaces, more than twice the parking required.

"The important role this project has is in sustaining the momentum of downtown" redevelopment, said Don Shea, executive vice president of St. Petersburg Downtown Development Partnership.

Longtime civic leader Mary Wyatt Allen also spoke in favor of the Villas.

"It will be an asset to the city," Allen said. She praised the extra parking, which she said the area needs.

There seemed to be little concern about the 23-story height of the Villas, a stark contrast to several years ago when the other three condominium buildings went up. The Florencia was to be 23 stories but had to cut two stories even though it is more than 100 feet shorter than the Villas will be.

After the Florencia, the city began work on the new development regulations that applied for the first time Wednesday. They require tall projects to start terracing back after the first story and have more open space at street level. The Villas have a courtyard to achieve that effect. EDC members also seemed satisfied that the gap between the towers would allow enough sunlight to fall on Straub Park.

The project still has a long way to go, however. The City Council would have to vote on the project twice. Morris said that if everything goes smoothly, construction might be under way by September.

The 400 block of Beach Drive is owned by the John M. Hamilton family. Hamilton is excited about the project, which he described as a win-win situation for downtown.

"This is the culmination of a long effort of 40 years," Hamilton said as he and members of his family filed out of the hearing room after EDC approval. It took him that long to buy all the property in the 400 block, he said. The Hamiltons will turn the property over to Morris in a long-term lease that Hamilton said could be signed in two weeks. Building condos on leased land would be another change for the downtown.

Morris, 53, moved to the city from California early last year. He says he has a background of working for other developers on major projects but incorporated his own company -- Morris Development Group -- in Florida only a few months ago.

He began talking about the $70-million project last summer and even predicted it would be under construction by now. The plans were supposed to be before the EDC in December but were pulled by architect Calvin B. Samuel, who had power of attorney, and said in his withdrawal notice to the city that Morris owed him more than a quarter-million dollars.

However, both Morris and Samuel disputed there was any trouble between them. Samuel remains the architect of the project. He was not allowed to present plans for the Villas to the EDC Wednesday because he is a member of the commission. The city's legal counsel told him he should not be involved in the presentation.

Morris said the project was pulled because he didn't have firm enough commitments for the financing. Now he says he has complete financing but would not disclose backers.

Initially, Morris' plans were for the residential units in the twin towers to be luxury apartments. When he had trouble with the financing, partly because of retrenchment after Sept. 11, he said, he changed to condominiums.

William C. Calary, a senior associate with CB Richard Ellis in Tampa, said that he will be the leasing agent for the retail units in the Villas and that his company may end up selling the condominiums also. He said retailers already are interested in the project but he would not name any. He described them as upscale.

Calary said that price on the condominiums will not be as high as the Florencia, one of the three luxury condominiums built in the last five years. Prices on units in the Florencia ranged from just over $400,000 to $2-million.

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