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City of St. Pete continues to drive Innovation District, CRA development

Megan Holmes

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The Innovation District Property subject to the City's RFP is located at 11th Avenue South and 4th Street.

The City of St. Petersburg continues to drive development throughout the city, in line with its continued efforts to build up both thriving areas and those in exceptional need of attention.

Despite the high density of St. Petersburg, there remains vacant land ripe for development, much of it city-owned. The City is currently seeking proposals for the development of two separate sites, both on vacant land city-owned land – one in the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area, and one in the Innovation District.

Innovation District – 11th Avenue South & 4th Street

The Innovation District is home to world-renowned institutions in science, medicine and journalism. It boasts anchor institutions like the lauded University of South Florida College of Marine Sciences, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), USGS, John’s Hopkins All Children’sPoynter Institute for Media Studies and many others

The City, in collaboration with the nonprofit Innovation District Organization, has been seeking to drive the development of the district to support collaboration between businesses and institutions, supporting promising entrepreneurs, small businesses and start-ups by plugging them into this impressive ecosystem.

The City hopes that the request for proposal will yield responses to create office and entrepreneurial space complementary to the vibe of St. Pete and the prestige of the Innovation District.

The City of St. Pete’s Economic Development team has had many conversations with the team from the Innovation District about what they most wish to see from the space.

“I am excited about the potential for the property,” said Alison Barlowe, Executive Director of the Innovation District. “It is in the middle of the Innovation District and is a great opportunity to connect the community with our anchor institutions.”

“My hope is that the RFP results in a facility that has multiple uses,” says Barlowe. “And that those uses can flex with the growth an evolution of the district.”

Barlowe’s ideal proposal would include a gathering space open to the community – perhaps a coffee shop or another space where people can connect – alongside an incubator space with co-working, wet labs (it is the Innovation District, after all), and a space for programming.

All of that doesn’t preclude the need for traditional office space, however. Barlowe would also like to see small offices, appropriate for budding businesses with a funky vibe.

All of these hopes are outlined in Section 8 of the request for proposal, along with some city-specific requests, including the proposer’s collaboration with the City’s Workforce Development Team and Small Business Enterprise Program.

Property Details

The property for development sits at the corner of 11th Avenue South and 4th Street South. The lot is approximately 2.5 acres, and was last appraised in 2013 at $828,000. The property holds two zoning categories, Commercial Corridor Traditional 1 (CCT-1) and Neighborhood Suburban Multi-Family (NSM-1). Proposals are due July 30 at 10 a.m.

Read the full RFP for this property here.

South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area Property, outlined in red.

South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area – 18th Avenue South and 18th Street

The second property up for development is at the Northwest corner of 18th Avenue South and 18th Street. The request for proposal was issues on July 9. The City hopes to yield proposals for an energy efficient/green affordable housing development on the currently-vacant lot. The property is located in the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area, whose plan is centered on uplifting and expanding opportunities for “entrepreneurs, minority, women and disadvantaged business enterprises and small businesses,” among other functions.

The area features a tax increment financing (TIF) district, which provides revenue for the revitalization of the CRA. The City has used the TIF revenues to directly assist private investments in residential and commercial developments.

The ideal proposal, according to the RFP, would include approximately 16 units of housing and work with the City’s Workforce Development Team and Small Business Enterprise Program during design and construction phases of the project. Proposals are due Sept. 10 at 10 a.m.

Read the full RFP for this property here. 

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