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Inside a South St. Pete plaza’s evolving redevelopment plans

Mark Parker

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The area around Tangerine Plaza is known for a lack of healthy food options. The city-owned site has remained mostly vacant since 2017, and plans continue evolving. Image: Google.

In June 2024, multiple city council members opposed offering the Sugar Hill Group 18 additional months to prove they could meet an already long-negotiated development agreement’s requirements. The deal passed.

Discussions regarding the embattled transformation of Tangerine Plaza began in 2020 under former Mayor Rick Kriseman’s administration. The underserved area of South St. Petersburg has been without a grocery store since 2017. 

Sugar Hill continued amending its plans for the mostly vacant, city-owned site and has until Dec. 31 to secure a formal commitment from a grocer – and the funding necessary to build what was then 115 affordable housing units. The project at 1794 22nd Street S. was previously estimated at $37 million. 

New plans

Sugar Hill has expanded the residential scope by roughly 62%, with less than six months to meet an increasingly impatient city’s final deadline. According to documents obtained by the Catalyst, the group has sought state approval to build the 72 new units through the Live Local Act. 

“It is an important project,said Mayor Ken Welch.And the January timeline for the next step is very important.” 

The development team includes Rev. Louis Murphy, senior pastor at Mt. Zion Progressive Ministry; Roy Binger, CEO of Binger Financial Services; and Oliver Gross, president of Miami-based New Urban Development. Binger and Murphy did not respond to requests for comment. 

Murphy spoke on behalf of the group in June 2024, when council members approved previous plans in a 5-3 vote.We’re going to make it happen,he pledged. 

“Those of you who didn’t vote for it, just know that we’re going to show you that we are more than capable of turning our community around.” 

The administration will carefully review the latest modifications. Sugar Hill had agreed to build 115 housing units and 10,000 square feet of total retail space, with at least 3,000 square feet dedicated to a neighborhood market. 

Officials mandated that apartment income restrictions must average 80% of the area median income (AMI), $75,150 for a three-person household. For example, previous city documents showed 30 units at 120% AMI – $112,680 for three people – 40 capped at 80% and 45 up to 60%.

However, a new site plan shows two rectangular residential buildings bifurcated by a 141-space surface parking lot. One houses the previously approved 115 units, and another offers 72.

The 3.6-acre site would offer 47 additional parking spaces west of the residential buildings. Two 5,000-square-foot commercial buildings, separated by outdoor space, would front culturally significant 22nd Street, known as the Deuces corridor. 

The project features a total of 43,120 square feet of green space, and a larger outdoor area sits to the northwest of the residential building. A 5-foot privacy wall would encircle the property.

The Live Local Act, established in 2023, provides much-needed tax credits for units at or below 120% AMI. Pinellas County developers can charge up to $3,255 monthly for a three-bedroom apartment with those income restrictions. 

The Sugar Hill Group recently submitted a new site plan. Image: City documents.

New leadership?

Administrators received an email regarding the changes June 4. The development team could have new leadership as it approaches the city’s deadline. 

“I have attached the proposed site plan revisions for Tangerine Plaza,wrote Terry Booty, manager for Urban Farmers INC (UFINC).We wanted to provide this to drive our discussion on next steps, timing and project leadership moving forward.”

The company operates from Hallandale Beach, situated between Fort Lauderdale and Miami Beach. According to its website, UFINCcultivates urban communities throughout the United States in partnership with faith-based institutions to develop quality workforce housing.” 

Booty, in his June 4 email, said he looked forward to a 3 p.m. call with administrators. 

Previous concerns

A year earlier, Councilmember Gina Driscoll noted that the city dismissed proposals from other developers whodon’t need a year-and-a-half to figure out how to find the money.Shefailed to see how this is going to add up to something successful.” 

Murphy said Sugar Hill was in early discussions with Detwiler’s Farm Market, a popular faith-based grocer. Contrary to numerous subsequent reports, its owners immediately dismissed the notion of opening a location in the reimagined plaza. 

While the federal terminology has evolved, the area was a designated food desert long before a Walmart Neighborhood Market shuttered in 2017. If the development team can secure funding and a grocer by the new year, they would enter a $100,000 annual lease for 75 years, with 24 months of waived payments. 

Once redeveloped, Sugar Hill could buy the property, independently valued at $1.84 million, for $1.5 million. The developers previously expected to receive affordable housing tax credits, private investments and gap financing subsidies from the city. 

Former Councilmember Ed Montanari noted documents also listed $3 million in then-unrequested funding from the South St. Pete Community Redevelopment Area’s (CRA) budget and $4 million from Penny for Pinellas tax coffers. 

Despite the delays and uncertainty, the proposal received support. Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders, then chairperson, stressed the significance of a Black-led development group and contractors overseeing the project. 

“My heart is with the fact that Sugar Hill has waited so long, and you have finally given them the opportunity … to make this happen for their community,she said.I have faith in you.” 

A previous rendering of Sugar Hill Group’s proposed development. Image provided.

 

 

 

 

 

10 Comments

10 Comments

  1. Avatar

    Peter Thomas

    July 10, 2025at10:30 pm

    If folks would have not stolen stuff from the store they the store would have stayed. Thief can drive away business and yet you wonder y you lost the store

  2. Avatar

    Ray Tampa

    July 9, 2025at9:49 am

    How many of you believe that holding flawed politicians accountable is vital for a community’s growth. Please, please keep this in the forefront of your thinking.

  3. Avatar

    John Glass

    July 8, 2025at11:05 am

    An article loaded with statistics and figures quickly becomes illegible.

  4. Avatar

    Sally Baptiste Bonyun

    July 4, 2025at9:38 pm

    Every Saturday come rain of shine families show up for free groceries at Tangerine Plaza. They are the ones who see love in action. Hundreds of volunteers showing up to make a difference because this is the positive impact they are making in the community. Not false hopes and words without action but coming together to serve our neighbors. Where are the people who are promising houses while we battle to pay exorbitant rents one paycheck away from being homeless. We cannot afford to continue having landlords who are set on filling their pockets with monies that belong to the people. Sugar Hill is not financially able to carry out any promises made to the people.
    We as a people in this community are choosing to have a roof over our heads by paying these ridiculous rents and we depend on the food provided by the pantry at Tangerine Plaza run by Positive Impact to fill our bread baskets. Say a prayer for leaders who have forgotten their upbringing it takes a village of each one helping the other for the community to grow and prosper.

  5. Avatar

    Donna Huard

    July 4, 2025at4:17 pm

    The true perfect thing for city is to allow Positive Impact, who is ready, willing and able to do something truly amazing for St Petersburg. The plaza does not need to be torn down. What is needed is a free to community run grocery with fresh fruits, vegetables and meat. The want to use every inch of that plaza for city use.,cooking classes, feeding center just to name a few. They have land to sell from their current location on 34 st to build housing. It is a disgrace they were turned down in the manner that they were.

  6. Avatar

    Martha Kladitis

    July 4, 2025at4:03 pm

    Positive impact food pantry is the difference between working class people paying some bills or eating. Not only does the pantry give away generous amounts of food to hundreds of families every weekend, they don’t just give away any sort of food, but FRESH VEGETABLES. This is so needed in our community.

  7. Avatar

    Todd Johnson

    July 4, 2025at10:10 am

    Its obvious its about Welch’s legacy and Since he is a member of Rev Murphy congregation at Mt Zion Missionary Baptist Church something just does not seem right.

  8. Wendy Wesley

    Wendy Wesley

    July 4, 2025at6:51 am

    More than 3,000 days on a gas station diet.

  9. Avatar

    Ray Tampa

    July 4, 2025at4:35 am

    Rose, you’ve offered a great question. Welch, I believe, is incapable of providing a response that makes sense.

    I have developed renewed respect for Rev. Murphy, but in all honesty, this project doesn’t seem aligned with the city’s best interest.

    I must agree with Councilmember Driscoll’s comment,”She failed to see how this is going to add up to something successful.”

    Ken Welch,we’re hungry for you to succeed at something of benefit to the city.

  10. Avatar

    S. Rose Smith-Hayes

    July 3, 2025at8:04 pm

    Positive Impact was ready with money and funding allegedly. Why were they turned down???

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