Place
Developer proposes South St. Pete townhome project
A local developer hopes to transform three vacant lots in St. Petersburg’s Harbordale neighborhood into a 17-unit townhome project.
The proposed development at 414 23rd Ave. S. would sit about 400 feet southwest of the Chattaway restaurant. The South St. Petersburg staple began serving food in 1933.
According to documents obtained by the Catalyst, the developer, a limited liability company associated with local veterinarian and businessman Dr. Richard Wilkes, has requested a front yard setback reduction from 15 to five feet.
“The property’s shape and location, along with the new right-of-way line, create challenges in meeting the required setbacks,” states the developer’s request. “Reducing the setback is necessary to optimize the site and fit the townhome development while maintaining a cohesive design with the surrounding streets.”
An overhead view of the vacant property at 424 23rd Ave. S. Image: City documents.
The applicant is Tin Man Real Estate LLC. City documents list Wayne Drash, another local developer, as a company representative.
Tin Man purchased the .72-acre property for $1.4 million in February 2024. The company’s address is 2151 Central Avenue.
Wilkes signed Tin Man’s annual report with the state in 2024. He also listed 2151 Central Avenue as the address for another company he manages, GW Land LLC.
The proposed townhome project’s easternmost side fronts the 4th Street corridor. Tin Man’s application notes the surrounding area includes single-family homes, offices, apartments and a convenience store.
The site – zoned corridor residential – is also about 500 feet north of a long-planned Pete’s Bagels Drive-Thru. However, the application states that a proposed right-of-way reduction reduces the property’s “optimum use.”
According to the applicant, a substantial variance is “essential to maximize the buildable area while maintaining an efficient design” for the project. The developer believes the reduced setback will ensure a “better fit with the neighborhood’s scale and character.”
“The variance will allow for a better integration of the townhomes into the neighborhood, enhancing the streetscape and promoting a sense of community,” added the applicant. “It will create a more engaging, pedestrian-oriented environment, contributing to the neighborhood’s overall growth and appeal.”
Palm Harbor-based Bingham Architecture refers to the 14,479-square-foot project as the “4th St Town Homes” in its site plan and renderings. The variance request names Housh Ghovaee, CEO of Clearwater’s Northside Engineering, as a registered agent.
Drash and Ghovaee could not be reached for comment.
A front elevation view of the proposed project. Image: City documents.
The 4th St. Town Homes would add to an increasing number of multifamily projects in that corner of South St. Pete. Development firm Stoneweg completed the mixed-income, 330-unit Lake Maggiore Apartments just over a mile southwest of the site in 2024.
Stoneweg’s controversial Coquina Key Plaza redevelopment received city approval in October 2022. The mixed-use project is less than 1.5 miles south of the proposed townhome property.
However, single-family homes still dominate the immediate area around the vacant land. Tin Man’s application states that the townhomes would keep market values more affordable.
The project consists of four 36-foot-tall three-story buildings. Each unit would encompass between 1,689 and 1,856 square feet.
A city sign at the site states that officials would approve the variance unless they receive a written appeal by 5 p.m. Feb. 18. The Development Review Commission would then consider the request March 5.
A city notice states the building officials will approve the project’s variance request unless they receive a written appeal by Feb. 18. Photo provided.
Beverly Jung
February 16, 2025at1:38 pm
The architecture doesn’t fit with the area. I’m sure they’re gonna cut corners to keep the cost down. A lot of the new architecture doesn’t doesn’t mesh With the area but then I guess saint pete kind of is a lost cause now.
Steve D
February 16, 2025at10:02 am
Lauren, what you really mean is that you don’t want anything new, ever. Period.
John Donovan
February 13, 2025at9:26 pm
The front steps, clearly pictured, implies some elevation to ground living floor. There are elevation requirements for new residential build, and many rebuilds. I see no mention of materials thus determining quality is difficult.
Manny Kool
February 13, 2025at3:43 pm
The buildings look cheap. If they aren’t elevated, they’ll be flooded soon enough. Plenty of flooded properties in that area and it is only going to get worse. So you’ve got cheap construction in an area that will eventually flood. Bravo!
Mike
February 13, 2025at7:49 am
St Petersburg residents might not believe this, but there are actually people on this planet that dont sit at home waiting for incompetent governments to solve their problems for them.
“Who will live in these buildings?”
Is that a real question? I cannot fathom the worldview of this readership. People who choose to pay their own way in life arent the problem!
BROOKE ANDERSON
February 13, 2025at12:43 am
Ugly buildings. We deserve better and the setback variances should not be approved
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
February 12, 2025at7:00 pm
People are leaving the city and the state because it is too expensive to live in Florida. Who will live in All of these new buildings???
Lauren Lopez
February 12, 2025at5:41 pm
If this city allows this, I give up. Don’t allow the variance. Period. This is getting ridiculous.