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Letter to the editor

Condo towers get go-ahead

The EDC okays the $350-million downtown project.

By SHEILA MULLANE ESTRADA
Published June 10, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Terra Architecture] New development proposal on the Tropicana block at Second St and Central Ave. The buildings include 585 condos 151 hotel rooms 109,000 square feet of retail space and a garage with room for 880 vehicles.

ST. PETERSBURG - A $350-million combined retail and condominium development in downtown St. Petersburg was approved Wednesday by the Environmental Development Commission.

The contemporary-styled Tropicana Center complex will encompass the entire block bounded by Central and First Avenues and First and Second Streets N.

The block represents "one of the most important opportunities for revitalization of downtown", according to zoning official John Hixenbaugh.

For that reason, several proposed projects were rejected over the past decade as the city sought the right mix of development for the downtown and waterfront areas.

"The city wanted first and foremost two stories of retail space, an attractive and well-planned pedestrian passage through the block connecting the BayWalk Shops to the South Core Garage, " Hixenbaugh said. "The administration was content to wait for the right project to be designed. This application represents that project."

The Tropicana Center will include two condominium towers rising above two levels of retail space and structured parking. The towers will be a total of 33 and 36 stories.

The 36-story tower on the west end of the block will include 264 dwelling units, 151 hotel rooms and parking for 400 vehicles on two levels. The lower levels will include 46, 000 square feet of retail space, a condominium lobby and a hotel lobby with a restaurant.

The project's second phase will include an additional 56, 000 square feet of retail space on two levels, a condominium lobby, 480 parking spaces on four levels, and a 33-story tower with 321 residences.

A pedestrian esplanade running through the middle of the site will be part of the first phase of construction. Storefronts will be included on all four sides of the building.

Hixenbaugh said the city needs more retail in the downtown area, including the return of a major department store.

The Florida Modern architectural design includes a mix of concave and convex surfaces, with the easternmost building featuring a convex cylindrical tower topped by a domed, illuminated crown.

The two towers will be oriented at 90 degrees of each other.

"The city's skyline will be enhanced by the two different towers so much more than might be achieved by one single massing set upon the block, " said Hixenbaugh. "The project will be an exciting addition to downtown."

Hixenbaugh said the city would have preferred that the project include office space, but present economics prevent that option. If that reality were to change, units could easily be converted to retail use.

No prices have been set as yet for the condominium units, which will range in size from 850 to 1, 250 square feet. Developers said the units will cost less than other condominiums in the downtown area but will not qualify as "affordable housing."

A building now on the site, the former Floroton Hotel is the city's first masonry hotel and will be demolished to accommodate the new development. The developers pledged to work with St. Petersburg Preservation to ensure that any historic artifacts are protected or moved to another location.

The only major objection was voiced by Downtown Neighborhood Association president Timothy Baker, who questioned the city's decision to grant, without a variance, extra floor area ratio (FAR).

Usually, project developers must include extra features to qualify for "bonuses" that would allow extra square footage. Baker said he feared the ruling would mean developers would have no incentive to include extra features such as moderate income housing, historic preservation or public art.

Hixenbaugh explained that city land development regulations for projects in the downtown core automatically allow up to 2.5 times the FAR specified in zoning codes and, therefore, do not require the variance normal in other zoning districts in the city.

The EDC also approved the related vacation of a 20-foot-wide east-west alley in the block bounded by Central Avenue and First Avenue N and First and Second streets N. The vacation allows consolidation of the block.

In another action, the EDC approved a special exception and related site plan for a 2, 100-square-foot Dunkin' Donuts restaurant at the southeast corner of Fourth Street and 76th Avenue N.

The restaurant, which is on an outparcel of a Sweet Bay supermarket shopping center, will include a drive-through. (No. 07-32000006. R-4)

The EDC also approved a site plan modification reducing a previously approved plan for a nine-story, 12-unit condominium to a three-story, four-unit building. (No. 07-31000018. E-4).

[Last modified June 9, 2007, 21:04:15]