Developer: 23-story tower part of a broader vision for Pinellas Trail

A $49 million mixed-use tower is now in the works near Tropicana Field – boosting the presence of commercial developments rising along the Pinellas Trail. 

St. Petersburg-based Apogee Real Estate Partners, which is led by John Stadler and John Barkett, filed plans to build a 23-story at 155 17th Street South on the northwest corner of 17th Street South, providing a direct connection to the Pinellas Trail. 

A rendering showing the southwest perspective of Apogee’s proposed 23-story tower at 155 17th Street S., St. Petersburg.  

The tower will consist of 204 apartments and a 300-space parking garage. The project will include a café space and a covered “urban porch” along the trail, and will include 4,600 square feet of additional retail space.

“We saw the site several years ago. With Barkett working on the Trails Crossing project, we see the trail as a huge asset connecting into the Warehouse Arts District and Tropicana Field,” Stadler told the St. Pete Catalyst. 

The Trails Crossing project is a vision Barkett is spearheading that involves turning unused vacant sections under the Interstate I-275 overpass, where the trail runs, into a must-visit destination filled with dog parks, murals and shipping containers for local vendors. 

“You have all this cool activity in the Warehouse Arts District and then you have this gap and then you get into the Edge District. It’s this divide that this project is going to connect it all,” Barkett previously said, stating there’s a major opportunity to capitalize on the real estate surrounding the trail that will only continue to grow.

Barkett is also working with Mill Creek Residential, which is building an adjacent 20-story, mixed-use tower near the trail. 

For Apogee’s 23-story tower, which has yet to be named, an existing 32,000-square-foot warehouse will be demolished. 

The elevation of Apogee’s planned 23-story tower from a southern perspective.  

A description of the project states the ground floor will have amenity space, a leasing office and a residential lobby with an entrance fronting 17th Street South.  

Floors two through five will house parking with a residential liner building located on the east side. The sixth floor will include residential units and amenity areas. Floors seven through 22 will consist of residential units, according to a description from Tim Clemmons of Place Architecture. 

The 23rd floor will consist of indoor and outdoor amenity areas, including a deck that will boast unobstructed views of the Gulf, Stadler said. 

The first five floors will be designed in an industrial style, and the building will also have a butterfly-styled roof to align with the architecture within the district.

The St. Petersburg City Council will review the project April 21 to ensure it is consistent with the Intown West Redevelopment Plan. 

Stadler said Apogee will purchase the site May 15, and construction will start in the first quarter of next year.