Developer plans 2,000 housing units for Ceridian campus

Coral Gables-based real estate firm Altis Cardinal has formally submitted plans to bring 2,000 housing units to St. Petersburg’s Skyway Marina District. 

Altis Cardinal purchased the Ceridian Office Park last year in a $40 million all-cash deal with the original intent to transform the site into a $500 million mixed-use destination with 1,500 residential units; however, the new plans solidify the vision, which now calls for more housing and mixed-use buildings.

The phased development – dubbed Skyway Village – would deliver a maximum of 2,084 apartments, 3,572 parking spaces, 119,160 square feet of self-storage space, and 49,000 square feet of commercial space at the 34.3-acre site.

The developer did not indicate if the residential component would include affordable housing. 

A rendering showing a future grocer. 

The massive Skyway Village development would be anchored by a 23,500-square-foot national grocer focused on organic and fresh produce.

Frank Guerra, principal and founder of Altis Cardinal, previously said the group sees the Skyway Marina District “as the next city center,” and said “this development will be the most exciting corner of St. Pete.”  

Altis Cardinal is the same group behind the redevelopment of the old Mosley Hotel property and Cornerstone Office Complex in Kenwood.

The plans show the developer would keep the existing 125-foot Ceridian office tower, converting it into a nine-story amenity tower with wellness centers, a co-working space, a dog spa and more. Altis Cardinal would also repurpose another existing building as a self-storage facility. 

Meanwhile, the group would demolish the remaining structures in the 380,000-square-foot office complex, and “all retail will line the private roads along the main entrance of 34th Street South and face the grocer, creating a walkable and dynamic community village environment.”

A rendering of the Skyway Village parking and streetscape. 

Altis Cardinal is working with WDG Architecture and civil engineering firm Stantec on the project. Guerra said he plans to work with Cushman and Wakefield on the leasing of the property. 

A construction timeline was not provided in the application. 

The proposed project is expected to go before the St. Petersburg Development Review Commission in July. 

Due to the size and scale of the project, Altis Cardinal is seeking a density bonus under a Florida Graywater Statute, which permits a 35% density and intensity bonus if a proposed or an existing development will have a graywater system installed for all of the residential dwelling units, according to the application. 

Graywater includes water from baths, showers, clothes washers, laundry trays and sinks generated from residential or office buildings. A developer can tap into the graywater density bonus if graywater systems are in place to recycle the water for irrigation purposes.