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Plans evolve for $138M+ senior living project in Skyway Marina District
Plans are in the works for an upscale boutique senior living development in the Skyway Marina District.
The St. Petersburg Development Review Commission will review a site plan on Wednesday for The Manhattan-St. Petersburg, a planned senior living community at 4401 34th St. S.
Local developer Jack Dougherty, a longtime leader in the Skyway Marina District, is working with the landowner Sarasota-based Orange Belt Holdings on the project. It’s just north of Marina Walk, a 245-unit waterfront apartment complex that Dougherty is building on the site of the former Flamingo Resort.
Orange Belt Holdings, an entity associated with LifeStar Living, bought two parcels, at 4401 34th St. S. and 4537 4th St. S., for $9 million.
A rendering of The Manhattan-St. Petersburg. Rendering: LifeStar Living.
“We were first approached about the site from Dougherty. He is very proactive in the redevelopment of the district and we have a very good working relationship,” LifeStar Living President and CEO Joel Anderson said.
The plan to be reviewed calls for 195 dwelling units and 48 assisted living units at 4401 34th St. S.
“We will have a continuum of care so as a resident’s needs continue, they will not need to look for outside care,” Anderson said.
The applicant is also requesting a variance to the building height. The maximum allowable building height is 96 feet and LifeStar is proposing the height to be 105 feet.
The LifeStar team has worked on several developments in the senior living sector, including projects in The Villages and in Fort Myers.
The first phase entails building 111 condo units and health and well amenities, and is estimated to cost $138 million. Meanwhile, the second phase is the remaining buildout, which doesn’t yet have an estimated cost, Anderson said.
An additional rendering of The Manhattan-St. Petersburg. Rendering: LifeStar Living.
The units will range from one-, two- and three-bedrooms starting at 1,000 square feet and upwards to 2,386 square feet.
Each room will have a private balcony and view of the bay.
The community will feature a rooftop deck with an outdoor heated pool and bocce ball courts. The other amenities include an on-site fitness center with a juice bar and studio, an auditorium and theater, a full-service spa, and a beauty salon and barbershop among other offerings.
Anderson said the hope is to start construction around June. A sales and design center will be located in Marina Walk.
The group kicked off its marketing for the living units last month.
He added that through the Covid-19 pandemic, the industry learned how to incorporate technologies to create a safer space for residents and employees.
“There’s a big expense of trying to retrofit some of this tech,” Anderson said. The tech at The Manhattan-St. Petersburg includes touchless and voice-activated technologies, motion-activated doors, UV-C lighting, auto-sanitizing hardware and enhanced air filtration systems, according to its website.
The Manhattan-St. Petersburg development has been in the works for some time and will add to the surge of recent activity taking place in the district, including the Sur Club, a 296-unit luxury residential complex that opened at 3303 32nd Ave. South, and The Addison at Skyway Marina, a 314-unit luxury rental apartment complex at 3951 34th St. South.
Most recently, Coral Gables-based real estate firm Altis Cardinal purchased a 34-acre Ceridian Office Park at 3201 34th St. South – representing the city’s largest land purchase in decades. Altis plans to develop it into a $500 million mixed-use development and offer over 1,500 residential units.
