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30-story high rise proposed
By SHARON L. BOND and BRYAN GILMER
ST. PETERSBURG -- A developer with a national reputation plans to put up one of the city's tallest buildings -- a 30-story condominium tower -- on Beach Drive. The project would rise on a key downtown property, the 300 block of Beach Drive NE, and replace the quaint Beach Park Motor Inn and the parking lot behind it. Put together by Tampa-based Opus South Corp., the $70-million project is supposed to start by year's end. It would have about 120 condos, a restaurant, offices and shops. The developer filed initial plans with the city Tuesday for the project, which has no name yet. Mayor Rick Baker made the announcement at a news conference, describing it as a "beautiful addition to downtown and the waterfront." The new project is next door to a block, walled off by plywood, that was supposed to be the Villas, twin condo towers that have failed to get off the ground. The new condo would be built by a developer with a track record on land owned by that same developer. In contrast, the Villas were to be built on leased land by a man with no development record. Prices for the condos have not been set, said Jerry T. Shaw, senior vice president of Opus, who added that plans are preliminary. This would be the fourth condo project -- and the seventh tower -- built downtown in the past five years. Baker is not worried about the recent number of high rises near the waterfront. "They're all being built with plenty of views between the condo towers," he said. "I think it's very smart development. We've had to have an attractive, approachable Beach Drive, but a more residential downtown."
Opus South is part of a 50-year-old national company that has a long track record building commercial structures. (See related story.) Opus' director of architecture, William R. West, said the development would have about 380,000 square feet of residential space and 25,000 square feet of retail. "It fits well into the fabric of the downtown," he said. He said his company hopes to attract the sort of stores that are already on Beach Drive, such as boutiques and framing shops. The development will have its first hearing before the Environmental Development Commission in March. Opus is not asking for any variances. Opus has sought to comply with required city setbacks and sight lines so the high-rise does not block off the waterfront. The mayor praised all of the development that has taken place in the city in the past few years but added how important it is to have people living downtown. The site for the new condo project is vacant except for the Beach Park, a 1966 establishment that offers affordable waterfront views. It is owned by Jimmy Aviram, who has numerous holdings downtown. Shaw, the senior vice president, said Opus has a contract to buy the Beach Park from Aviram. Neither would disclose the sales price. The land behind the Beach Park, the Albemarle block, stretches to First Street and is used for a parking lot. It is owned by restaurateur Dan Harvey Jr. Opus also has signed a contract with him to purchase the land. Again, Shaw would not disclose the sales price, and Harvey was out of town. The whole site is 2.4 acres. Plans filed by Opus with the city zoning department show the main condominium building will be 324 feet tall at the top of the second penthouse. By contrast, the Bank of America building is 26 stories and 386 feet tall. A four-story building in front of the main tower would face Beach Drive and wrap around to Third Avenue. It would have the commercial space and three floors of townhouses as well as amenities such as a pool for residents. The condominium tower will sit in the middle of the site. City Council Chairman Earnest Williams, who participated in the announcement, said some of the townhouse units, which are not in the condominium building, will be more moderately priced than homes in some of the other downtown high rises. Shaw, the Opus official, stressed the mixed uses of the project, saying that while that has been something of a buzzword in recent years, it hasn't really hit many downtowns in the Southeast.
John M. Hamilton Jr., son of the doctor, said Tuesday evening his family had no comment on the announcement of the new project in the next block. Baker expressed confidence in Opus and the company's ability to complete the newly announced project. "I will tell you that our job as the city is to review projects as they come forward to see if they comply with our development code," Baker said, adding that it is the job of business people to decide whether the project should be financed and potential condominium buyers to decide whether it gets built. -- Times researchers Caryn Baird and Kitty Bennett contributed to this story.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
Neither Opus officials nor Baker would draw any connection between the new project and the stalled Villas in the next block. The land on which that project is supposed to be built is owned by the Hamilton family. John M. Hamilton spent 40 years accumulating the parcel in the block. He leased it to a man named Paul Morris, a would-be developer. The project gained approval from the city but since has stalled.
