Place
St. Pete council approves hybrid hotel, residential tower
A proposed mid-rise apartment building in downtown St. Petersburg made headlines last year for its lack of parking. The developers now plan to build a hybrid hotel and condominium tower.
At their Nov. 21 meeting, St. Petersburg City Council members unanimously found the new project consistent with the Intown West Redevelopment Plan. The $22 million development will feature a 13-story building with 60 residences and 60 hotel rooms.
The unnamed project will provide 12 surface parking spaces and 12 bicycle racks. Zoning official Corey Malyszka said site improvements at 1663 1st Ave. S. include 10-foot sidewalks, street trees, landscaping and a new drainage system.
“As described by the project’s architect, the modern style of the high-rise building is defined by the shifting balconies and folding planes that infuse a playful energy into downtown St. Petersburg,” Malyszka said. “A bold architectural composition of alternating glass patterns, aqua accents, and gradients of gray ascend upward to highlight the iconic canopy and signage that activate 1st Avenue South.”
The proposed development is at 1663 1st Ave. S.
City staff recommended approval. Council members – acting as the Community Redevelopment Agency and still visibly stunned from a previous discussion with the Tampa Bay Rays – approved the new project without comment.
Developers Craig Bazarsky of Tampa-based BendinRoad Development LLC and Christopher Bicho of Landings Real Estate Group received approval to build a car-free, eight-story and 97-unit building at the site in June 2023. The .22-acre property is currently home to the Dolman Law Group office and adjacent to the Tru by Hilton Hotel.
A vacant lot to the site’s south offered overflow parking for Tropicana Field. The development team did not speak during the recent meeting. A representative for the joint venture, Puppy Industries II LLC, said they expected residents to utilize public transportation in June 2023.
The developers also planned to “enter into potential parking lease agreements with surrounding property owners as necessary.” (Now former) Councilmember Ed Montanari expressed concern with the project at the time.
“This isn’t like living in Washington, D.C.,” Montanari said. “People do have options – yes, they can bike, yes, they can get on the SunRunner and yes, they can have an Uber, but I know there’s going to be a lot of residents living at this place that are going to have a car.”
Malyszka, at the recent meeting, did not state the reason for the developer’s transition to a 13-story hybrid hotel and multifamily development. He did explain that the city does not require parking spaces for residential units encompassing less than 750 square feet.
The building’s 60 apartments and 60 hotel rooms would require 15 parking spaces – one for every four of the latter units. However, Malyszka said the developer will provide 12 with a 20% bike parking reduction.
An overhead map of the site and views of adjacent properties.
He said the developer will also use a 10% parking requirement reduction for the project’s location along a SunRunner bus-rapid-transit route. “The goal of the redevelopment plan is to provide a specific development focus for the Dome District that supports the Intown West Redevelopment area and capitalizes on opportunities generated by Tropicana Field,” Malyszka said.
The approximately 165-foot-tall building will feature a four-story base before a setback along its north side. Residents and hotel guests will share a first-floor lobby and club room.
The building’s east side will feature a 30-foot setback from a neighboring townhome development. Floors two through five will house 54 hotel rooms.
The 6th story will feature six hotel rooms and six residential units. The remaining 54 apartments will encompass floors seven through 12.
The 13th story will offer an indoor and outdoor amenity deck, coworking space and a pool open to residents and hotel guests. Malyszka said the building’s floor area ratio (FAR) of 7.0, the maximum density permitted in the Downtown Center-2 zoning district, “will fit with both older and newer developments in the district.”
