St. Pete council approves controversial tower’s height increase 

A local developer can add four stories to a tower in downtown St. Petersburg that once included short-term rentals, despite one city council member calling it a “monstrosity.”

The Roche Bobois Tower is no longer a “condotel” with a rooftop Sky Bar, two previous causes for community and council concerns. Instead, Clearwater-based Valor Capital will increase the development’s size to 29 stories and offer 165 luxury condominiums rather than 152.

Councilmember Corey Givens Jr. voted against the $70 million project Thursday. He was “disappointed” and “saddened” to hear that city staff signed off on the development at the intersection of 4th Street and 4th Avenue South.

“I’m pro smart development, and to me, this just is not smart,” Givens said. “We’re talking about squeezing another monstrosity into a half-acre site.”

A side-by-side comparison of the revised plans (left) for the Roche Bobois Tower and the previously approved “condotel” design.

He was alone in that assessment. His colleagues, acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, appreciated that Valor Capital revised its plans for the project.

Valor initially proposed a $55 million, 25-story tower with 152 units that condominium owners could market as short-term rentals. It would have featured a 130-space parking garage and 4,893 square feet of commercial space.

The Roche Bobois Tower, if approved by the Development Review Commission, will now dedicate 4,103 square feet to a restaurant with retail space. The number of parking spaces, also a previous concern, has decreased to 103.

Valor has considered using a “robotic parking system” to move vehicles and potentially increase parking capacity. The developer will demolish two 105-year-old apartment buildings without official historic designations and a four-unit condominium complex that opened in 2003.

Givens noted that towers encompassing 35, 33, 24, and 18 stories neighbor the site. “Our infrastructure just cannot support projects of this magnitude consistently in the same area,” he said.

“We are demolishing four buildings that, although they don’t have historic designation status, are nevertheless historic,” Givens added. “Buildings that were built in the 1920s are getting ready to just be bulldozed and erased to make way for a luxury condominium that most of us can’t afford.”

He asked when officials would “stop the squeeze” and say “no to developers.” City Administrator Rob Gerdes asked if that “was a real question.”

“There’s a tremendous amount of benefit to the city by putting density in an area where it’s zoned for density,” Gerdes said. “We certainly have the infrastructure and the capacity, and we’d be happy to sit down with you and walk through all the details.

“I do have to say, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I don’t see that architecture as a monstrosity, so I’ll just put that on the record.”

A site plan highlights an art plaza with a fountain. Valor Capital offered to contribute $700,000 to the Workforce Housing Trust Fund.

The council could only decide if the project is consistent with the Intown Redevelopment Plan (IRP), established in 1981 to reduce blight downtown. Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz, who voted against the initial project, said she “struggled with” zoning language that requires building heights to “taper down.”

Zoning official Corey Malyszka explained that the city has a separate map that dictates heights. The 375-foot-tall tower is allowable on the proposed site, a block north of the St. Petersburg Innovation District.

In March 2024, Karen Carmichael appealed the previous project on behalf of the neighboring Sage Condominium’s board and residents of several smaller buildings around the site. Valor did not receive public opposition Thursday.

A representative said the firm “worked directly” with Sage’s board, “and we’re happy to say they’re in support of the project.” CEO Moises Agami said in a prepared statement that the development “reflects a level of sophistication and attention to detail that we believe the community is going to love.”

The Roche Bobois Tower, named after the French luxury furniture brand, will offer units ranging from studios to three-bedroom layouts and penthouses on the sixth through 29th floor. A fifth-floor amenity deck with a pool and terrace will sit above the parking garage.

The development will also feature an outdoor public arts plaza with landscaping and sculptures. Agami said the increased height will allow Valor to “better serve” demand from investors while “continuing our efforts to preserve and enhance the neighborhood’s character.”

Councilmember Gina Driscoll “shifted” her previous opposition to the project due to Valor’s modifications. She reiterated that their approval hinged on compatibility with the IRP, “even if I do have hesitations about the density or the height or whatever.”

Driscoll said the current buildings are in “significant disrepair and beyond help.” She also hopes that staff “never bring us a condotel idea again.”

The council approved the project in a 7-1 vote. Development review commissioners, who approved the initial site plan, will ultimately decide the project’s fate Aug. 7.