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Carillon to feature more work, less play
By SHARON L. BOND
© St. Petersburg Times, ST. PETERSBURG -- Developers of the Carillon Town Center, originally planned to be a work-live-play development, are redesigning the project to be more of a work place with residential and some support services, such as a grocery store and a bank. Gone from the plans for the center in the Carillon office park are a 20-screen theater and a number of restaurants and retailers. A 300-room hotel has been scaled back to 120 rooms. "Basically we have modified the project while keeping the basic configuration intact to reflect market realities," said Julio A. Maggi, vice president for commercial development for Echelon Development LLC. Market realities include the contraction in the overbuilt theater industry, which this fall included a bankruptcy reorganization filing by the nation's largest chain, Regal. Also, the number of hotel rooms in the north St. Petersburg area near Carillon has increased since the town center, which covers 21 acres, first was planned. "Without the ability to secure a multiplex theater anchor, the project cannot attract the number of restaurateurs and retailers which would make the Town Center an active nighttime destination," the city's plan review staff wrote in its filing with the Environmental Development Commission, which will consider the modified plans today. The staff believes the modifications should be approved. Carillon Town Center's original plans were approved by the city in 1999 but must be reviewed because of the modifications. The theater was already in doubt as early as last year but remained in the paperwork for the town center plans as late as last month, when developers filed for a one-year extension of the 1999 approval. In the redesign, Echelon is more than doubling the amount of office space to more than a million square feet that will be divided among five office buildings. The smallest is a three-story, 6,400-square-foot building, and the other four are 12 stories with 24,300 square feet each. "Doubling the square footage of office space substantially alters the character of the development and will refocus much of the activity from a nighttime activity center to one of daytime office hours," the plan review staff said. The staff agreed with the developer that the increase in office space could mean more job opportunities for the area. "Admittedly, the project is not as exciting as originally presented. However, the modification continues to provide great public benefit in the creation of jobs, which is the primary purpose of the city's and the developer's investment in Carillon," the staff said. Residential space in the town center remains the same in the redrawn plans: 199 apartments in a 15-story building. Already built and occupied in the Carillon office park are two apartment complexes with more than 600 units. The town center is just one part of the 432-acre office park, which includes about 30 companies and is bounded by Interstate 275 N, Roosevelt Boulevard and Ulmerton Road.
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