Construction commences for The Julia

An embattled, vacant strip of land adjacent to the historic Flori de Leon apartment building – a site multiple developers have long eyed for projects that have failed to come to fruition – will be redeveloped into a luxury residential tower. 

Investor Peter Francis, alongside the Neucor Construction and St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce members, dug silver shovels into the ground, marking the start of construction a new 19-story tower that will rise at 100 4th Ave. N. 

The Julia, named after one of Francis’ daughters, has been in limbo for the past four years. Francis’ plans have been met with opposition from residents of the neighboring apartment building. 

“I was originally an investor, and I ended up taking over the whole project,” Francis said. “There was previous ownership, but I now own 100% of the project.” 

Project owner and investor Peter Francis celebrates the groundbreaking for The Julia. Photo by Veronica Brezina.

Francis has invested in cybersecurity firms, a brewery in Virginia and companies in the legal sector. Real estate was a new vertical for his portfolio, but he saw an opportunity in the St. Pete market. 

He explained the former investors for The Julia were previously interested in purchasing the site at 146 4th Ave. Northeast, which is where The Nolen, a 23-story boutique residential tower, is underway. 

The Julia site was once poised for the Bezu development, a 24-story condo tower, which the city council denied. It was also previously planned to become the Blue Lotus. It was then modified to become The Julia. 

“We all know this project [site] has a lot of history, so today we are changing that history [in a positive way]. By developing this project, the community is going to benefit with well over $1 million in economic impact and real estate taxes,” said Robert Sherman, managing director of co-development company MBA Development LLC. 

Since its’ inception, Francis has made several changes, including moving the planned pool to the rooftop and creating a wider setback and breezeway between the future building and Flori de Leon. 

Ramiro Gamez, president of Neucor Construction, said the development team will complete the project in 18 months. Its doors will open by late 2025. 

This week, crews will be installing vibration monitors and isolation trenches. 

An aerial rendering of The Julia. Image: www.the-julia.com. 

The team is working with Oregon-based property management services company Vacasa, a vacation rental management company that will manage the condos for the owners if they choose to rent their units to visitors. The building will have another management company to oversee the day-to-day affairs.

Francis is also working with Architectonics Studio. 

The 19 units have a mix of floor plans on levels five through 17. The 2,070-square-foot units, which are referred to as Sky Lofts, will have mezzanines, providing a second floor. They will also feature 20-foot floor-to-ceiling windows.

Meanwhile, the “Flat” units will have two bedrooms and 1,905 square feet of space. 

The complex will have a single penthouse priced at $3.9 million. It will have panoramic views of downtown and a lanai attached to the kitchen. 

Francis said four units are under contract. 

A rendering of one of the rooms in a Flat unit at The Julia. Image: www.The-Julia.com.

He still plans on incorporating a carousel parking structure rather than a traditional parking garage, using technology from Parkmatic. The rotary parking system allows residents to park on a platform that lifts the vehicle and docks it in a parking space. 

Francis said the high-tech parking system will reduce emissions and vibrations for the surrounding residents.