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Old hotels may be razed to build high-rise condos
A developer wants to put twin 26-story towers where the Bond Hotel, an adult learning center now sit.
By MELANIE AVE
Published April 29, 2005
ST. PETERSBURG - A California developer submitted plans Thursday to build twin 26-story condominium towers on the site of two old downtown hotels.
Marc Harris, president of San Diego's Granville Pacific Inc., said he wants to build 360 condominiums at 400 Fourth Street N that would feature a 20,000-square-foot gourmet grocery store, 8,000 square feet of retail space on the bottom floor and four stories of enclosed parking.
The former Bond Hotel, which is vacant, and another building that also once was a hotel and is now being used as an adult learning center are on the property. They would both be torn down.
The new units would range in size from 760 to 1,260 square feet. Four 2,250-square-foot penthouses would top each tower. Harris said prices would start in the low $200,000s.
The bottom tier of the towers would be designed with traditional St. Petersburg architecture found in the Old Northeast neighborhood. But Harris said most of the structure would have a more modern appearance and feature "quite a bit of glass."
The condominiums will be Harris' first Florida project. He said he has built condominiums in San Diego, Seattle and Vancouver.
The project, which must receive approval by the city's Environmental Development Commission, has not yet been named.
Harris said he hopes to begin selling units by fall.
He said the property is currently owned by three entities, including lawyer George Rahdert, who represents the St. Petersburg Times. Rahdert bought the 1932 Bond Hotel in 2003 for $1,725,000 after its owner from Holland ran out of money to renovate the 101-room hotel.
Harris submitted his plans in time to beat a Friday deadline for transportation impact fee waivers. The Pinellas County Commission decided earlier this month to allow "no fee zones" in St. Petersburg, Safety Harbor and Pinellas Park to expire at the end of the month.
[Last modified April 29, 2005, 00:33:10]
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