Kriseman selects Moffitt to take over 800 Block; will build cancer center downtown

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman has selected the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer and Research Institute Inc. to develop the 4.5 acres of the 800 Block of 2nd Avenue South. 

Moffitt’s penetration in the downtown St. Pete market would allow St. Pete residents to have a direct connection to Moffitt providers and services – an asset not otherwise available within the city’s current outpatient facilities.

The development group’s site plan. City of St. Pete documents.

The unsolicited proposal from Moffitt and the Atlanta-based developer TPA Group was selected from five additional proposals that entail developing a mix of projects from apartments to hi-rise office towers and hotels. When Moffitt submitted its unsolicited proposal three months ago, it opened the door for the other groups to vie for the site. 

Moffitt plans to build a state-of-the-art outpatient cancer care facility. The plans also call for a mixed-use, modern multi-family residential tower with a workforce housing component, ground floor retail, a public-access parking garage, and the retention and future expansion site of the United Insurance Holdings Corp. (UPC) headquarters, according to its initial proposal. 

“Having a Moffitt Cancer Center facility in the heart of our downtown, near both our Innovation District and the Tropicana Field site, is a homerun for St. Petersburg,” Kriseman said in a statement. “We are a healthier city when residents in need of quality outpatient care can focus on beating cancer and not the traffic. I am especially pleased that this proposal includes a much-needed residential tower with workforce units and a public parking garage in a part of St. Pete primed for even more growth.”

The breakdown of Moffitt’s plans: 

• A 75,000-square-foot, three-story outpatient cancer care medical building
• A 30-story, 350-unit residential tower which will include a workforce housing component and at least 10% of ground-floor retail 
• A public-access parking garage with an anticipated minimum of 500 parking spaces
• A potential 14-story hotel development

Moffitt Cancer Center’s operations will bring 200 new jobs to St. Petersburg over a five-year period. The Moffitt Cancer Center will allow 8,000 St. Petersburg residents each year to stay in St. Petersburg for Moffitt services.

Moffitt projects this will result in 36,000 annual visits and the elimination of 75,000 hours of travel time. 

A breakdown of what the outpatient cancer center will offer: 

• Clinical trials and research studies
• Medical oncology
• Hematology oncology
• Radiation therapy
• Infusion
• Advanced imaging
• Screening and diagnostic services
• Additional multi-specialty services based on the needs of St. Petersburg residents

“Moffitt Cancer Center is working diligently every day to save more lives. In order to do that, we must reach more patients. We want to bring the best cancer care closer to the residents of Pinellas County,” said Dr. Patrick Hwu, president and CEO of Moffitt Cancer Center. “We are thrilled with the opportunity to better serve more Floridians with a new outpatient center in downtown St. Petersburg.”

Moffitt offered $5 million to the city in its unsolicited proposal. 

The city’s development administration anticipates completing the terms of the sale soon.

UPC’s plans

UPC, which was one of the entities included in Moffitt’s proposal, previously planned to buy the vacant city-owned parcel at 800 1st Ave. S. that’s across from its current HQ as it was outgrowing its space, but UPC backed out of the deal due to the impacts caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.  

UPC does not currently have any plans for the site and doesn’t anticipate having any associated investment regarding the purchase of the property; however, this allows UPC to be entitled to use the site for future use as it has a lease with the city. 

TPA Group’s plans 

TPA has retained Barr & Barr as a construction manager for the site work and residential tower. Barr & Barr is one of the groups working on the mixed-use Midtown Tampa project in the Westshore area.  

TPA has a long-standing relationship with Barr and Barr, which also has an existing relationship with Moffitt Cancer Center, as it has worked on several projects for Moffitt.  

TPA has also retained Tampa-based Alfonso Architects and St. Pete-based George F. Young Civil Engineers as the design team for the residential tower.

Construction on the tower is expected to take place by the second quarter of 2022.

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