Another page turns for shuttered newspaper plant

When the Tampa Bay Times began printing newspapers in Lakeland in 2021, the company shuttered and sold its 60-year-old St. Petersburg printing and distribution facility at 1301 34^th Street N.

This week, Texas-based real estate investment firm Crow Holdings submitted preliminary plans for a multi-family apartment and townhome complex on 21 acres of the 27-acre site.

According to documents received by the Southwest Water Management District, the development is to be called Alexan 34th North. Demolition of the former newspaper plant will be the first step in the redevelopment.

The six four-story Alexan buildings will total 392 units, with a pool, an amenity center, a clubhouse and a dog park. The existing stormwater retention pond will remain on the property.

Documents indicate the land is currently owned by Taconic Asset Trust of St. Petersburg. Kimley-Horn is listed as the Civil and Landscape Engineer.

In 2023, Crow Holdings – which has an office in Tampa – submitted plans for Alexan 17, a luxury apartment building (with retail) at 1700 Central Avenue, in the Grand Central District.

That year, the company also announced plans for a 336-unit housing complex in Largo, with workforce housing, to be called Alora.

Trammell Crow Residential (TCR), a division of Crow Holdings, has offices in 17 U.S. markets. “Our activity in the Southeast region of the country has continued to accelerate in recent years, supported by the secular trends of domestic migration and undersupply of housing options,” Jim Berardinelli, the company’s Florida director, said in 2022 when the Tampa office opened.

“We believe our proximity to our properties is a competitive advantage, not only to see projects through every phase of development – from permitting to construction to delivery – but also to identify future opportunities.”

The Times sold the 34^th Street facility to New York investment firm Alden Global Capital for $21 million, which the newspaper said would be used to pay down its debts.

In 2024, plans were announced to transform part of the acreage into the “Thirteenth Avenue Industrial Center.”

Space in the Pinellas Industrial Center, with 83,000 square feet of warehouse space for lease or sale, is currently listed by Commercial Partners Realty.

The plans submitted to the Southwest Water Management District show Alexan 34th North utilizing this property as well.

Calls to Trammell Crow Residential and Commercial Partners Realty were not immediately returned.