Picture progress: St. Pete’s commercial activity

Orange barriers and wire fencing wrap around lots throughout downtown where commercial activity is booming.

Here’s a look at some of the most anticipated projects taking shape today: 

Art House 

Construction scene at 200 Central Ave., the future site of Art House St. Pete.  

In June, Palm Beach-based Kolter Urban, a real estate development and investment firm, broke ground on Art House, the 42-story condo tower at 200 Central Ave. 

At completion, the $140 million tower will have 244 condo units, 6,100 square feet of commercial space and a 482-space parking garage, according to the latest plans.

Art House’s floorplans will range from two to three bedrooms, several with a den, and there would be a total of 12 penthouses on the top three floors.

A resident amenity center is planned for the ninth floor.  Called Cloud 9, it will include a resort-style pool and spa, contemporary cabanas and open gathering spaces, and a formal club room with private dining room overlooking the pool terrace.

Other amenities include a co-working space called The Hub located on the lobby level, a state-of-the-art fitness center with high-tech cardio and strength training equipment, a theater, a game room with a simulator, a covered outdoor dog park and more. 

On the design of the building, The Kolter Group is working with San Francisco-based SB Architects, which designed Kolter’s 41-story ONE St. Petersburg tower, the Saltaire waterfront condo development and the 18-story Ritz-Carlton Residences.

The general contractor is Miami-based Coastal Construction.

The development is scheduled to be completed by 2024.

Ascent St. Petersburg 

Ongoing construction for Ascent St. Petersburg.  

Greystar Real Estate Partner is developing Ascent St. Petersburg, a mixed-use project at 225 1st Ave. North.

Greystar started construction on the $170 million tower in late 2020, and it topped out in April. 

At full buildout, Ascent will have 354 market-rate rental units, a 172-key AC Hotel by Marriott hotel and 6,600 square feet of commercial space.

It will include four levels of parking, a sixth-level dock with indoor and outdoor amenities, including a fitness center and pool, and a roof deck and amenity space on top of the residential building, according to the site plan.

The building is scheduled to open in 2023.

The AC Hotel will feature a rooftop terrace with a restaurant and bar.

The hotel is being developed in partnership with Concord Hospitality and the hotel’s interior design team led by DLR Group.

Cordova Inn expansion 

A pile of rubble of the demolished structure by the existing Cordova Inn.  

The New Hotel Collection has razed the Stanton Apartments and Stanton Hotel to make way for the expansion of the 12,200-square-foot Cordova Inn, situated at 253 2nd Ave. N.

Last year, New Hotel Collection and Largo-based TDZ Capital, the group behind the Cordova Inn development, purchased the hotel and apartments at 225 3rd St. North for an expansion of the Cordova Inn, a 32-unit hotel built in 1921.

A five-story building with 62 rooms will rise at the site creating a total of 50,400 square feet connected to the 100-year-old hotel, and add more parking spaces. 

The expansion is on track to be completed by early 2024.   

Red Apple Group’s The Residences at 400 Central

Construction site of 400 Central.  

The Residences at 400 Central is a planned 1.3 million-square-foot development in the heart of St. Petersburg. 

New York-based Red Apple Real Estate, headed by John Catsimatidis Sr., is the group behind the development.

When completed, the 46-story building will be the tallest tower in the city. 

The tower will offer 301 luxury units starting in the $800,000s price point, and residents will have 35,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor amenities. 

The Sky Lounge Observatory, located on the 46th floor, will offer panoramic views. Other amenities include a fitness and wellness center, co-working space, a boardroom, a theater room, and a private dining room and entertainment area.

The tower will also have ground-floor retail, restaurants and Class A office space.  

Construction for the tower started in late January. The development is expected to take three years to complete. 

The Metro St. Petersburg

Construction site of The Metro St. Petersburg. 

The Metro St. Petersburg is a seven-story, 100-unit studio apartment building that is going vertical at 77 11th St. N. 

The project developer is DevMar Development, the same developer of  The Vantage Apartments in St. Petersburg and RainDance Apartments in Winter Haven. The developer is working with Tampa-based Kast Construction as the general contractor. 

It is expected to be completed in late 2022 or early 2023.

Orange Station

Construction site for the Orange Station development.  

The mixed-use Orange Station development is underway at 1302 Central Ave., which was the site of the old St. Petersburg Police HQ. 

Edge Central Development Partners, a joint venture group involving St. Petersburg-based J Square, Tampa-based DDA Development and Backstreets Capital, is spearheading the project. 

The most recent aerial image of the site. Photo provided.

When completed in 2023, Orange Station will have 50,000 square feet of office space, 14,000 square feet of retail, 61 condos, 42 apartments and 400 public parking spaces in its garage.

In late June, Smith and Associates reported 30% of the condos have been sold since launching the sales program in the spring, including two of the three penthouse residences.

The team has kicked off marketing its future retail space at Orange Station, which will consist of six units ranging in size from 1,100 square feet to nearly 4,000 square feet.

Other significant projects taking shape today include Saltaire, the Kolter Group’s 35-story condominium building under construction at 300 1st St. South; The Nolen, a 23-story boutique condominium tower at 146 4th Ave. Northeast; 334 Apartments, which has been renamed Evo, that’s a 24-story apartment building under construction at 332 2nd Ave. South; and Reflection, an 18-story condo tower under construction at 300 8th St. North. These are a handful of projects underway while many new projects are consistently being proposed by developers.