Mayor selects developer for historic South St. Pete parcel

Mayor Ken Welch’s administration has selected a proposal to create affordable housing at the former site of a cultural landmark along 22nd Street South, colloquially known as the Deuces. 

Fort Lauderdale-based Green Mills Group will transform the now-vacant, .68-acre city-owned property in South St. Petersburg into Heritage Grove. The $20 million project will provide 54 income-restricted apartments and 2,500 square feet of street-level retail space. 

Officials received development proposals from the site’s former owner and South St. Pete resident Elihu Brayboy, who led the Tall Cotton Initiative, Green Mills and Fort Lauderdale-based Alexander Goshen/Goode Van Slyke Architecture after launching the procurement process in August 2024. 

“I think there are some great opportunities to highlight the legacy of the Deuces and meet some current needs our community has, and to do it from a lens of inclusion on that block,” Welch previously told the Catalyst. 

“We want to make sure progress is inclusive, and the entire community gets to participate in that.” 

The city sought projects that “honor the community’s heritage and inspire equitable partnerships among small, minority and women-owned businesses.” Green Mills will partner with the St. Pete Greenhouse, an entrepreneurial hub, to identify tenants for Heritage Grove’s retail space. 

Green Mills will dedicate the development’s 54 one and two-bedroom units to people who earn between 30% and 80% of the area median income. That ranges from just $25,050 to $66,800 for a two-person household. 

The property at 951 22nd St. S. was once home to several African American-owned businesses during the city’s Jim Crow era. The Royal Hotel served Black professional baseball players, and entertainers who headlined the Manhattan Casino, less than a quarter of a mile north. 

Hurricane Irma destroyed what was known as the Merriwether Building in September 2017, eight years shy of its centennial anniversary. According to Pinellas County property records, the city acquired the property from Brayboy, who has long fostered entrepreneurial opportunities along the Deuces, for $100 in 2023. 

Green Mills’ partnership with the Greenhouse will ensure those who lease the project’s two or three retail bays have access to technical assistance, funding opportunities and networking events. “Welcome the city’s guidance on additional initiatives that could amplify the impact of these efforts, ensuring maximum benefit to the local community,” states the proposal. 

The firm touted its decades of affordable housing development and finance experience, and its hands-on approach to helping people secure a safe and stable place to live. “As a result, Green Mills has achieved one of Florida’s highest competitive tax credit application success rates, delivering each community on budget while providing more green features than required,” the company wrote.

Heritage Grove will provide a “vibrant” clubhouse and game room for social gatherings and recreational activities, a business center with computers and on-site parking. Green Mills also pledged to offer amenities that “enhance health.” 

Green Mills believes Heritage Grove will help enhance the surrounding community’s “economic stability and vitality.”

“The architectural design of Heritage Grove will reflect the history of the Deuces Live District, incorporating cultural motifs and materials that resonate with the community’s identity,” states the proposal. “We plan to commission a local artist to create a mural that reflects the district’s African American heritage … The facade and public spaces will incorporate materials and patterns inspired by African textiles, while interior common areas will feature local art and historical photographs honoring the corridor’s past.” 

The four-story building will feature solar panels, energy-efficient designs and systems, low-flow plumbing fixtures and drought-tolerant landscaping. Green Mills believes the retail space’s floor-to-ceiling windows will create a “Main Street effect” and align with the city’s desire for a pedestrian-friendly streetscape.

Heritage Grove will offer nine units at 30% AMI, 30 at 60%, three at 70% and 12 at 80%. Green Mills proposed a forgivable 99-year lease totaling $885,000 and offered the city 25% of residual revenue to reinvest in the community. 

The affordable housing-focused firm said it could start the project “much sooner” with city subsidies, which would allow it to pursue non-competitive tax credits. However, Green Mills has the “capacity and experience to execute the project swiftly and efficiently” either way. 

City council members will vote on a negotiated lease and development agreement Oct. 16. Green Mills has built two affordable housing developments in St. Petersburg: Burlington Post and Burlington Place.