Know
What’s taking shape in the Skyway Marina District?
The once-sleepy Skyway Marina District in southern St. Petersburg is capturing the attention of developers who are bringing luxury apartments and new uses to vacant lots and underutilized buildings.
Skyway Marina District President Frank Marsalisi was born and raised in the Broadwater neighborhood and witnessed the evolution of the area, which was formally established as a district in 2013.
“When I was a kid, there wasn’t a lot happening. It’s changed due to the district becoming organized. We brought in Tiki Docks and it’s become the flagship restaurant for the area. We are trying to bring in more retail and restaurants to make it more of a town center where people don’t have to go downtown or to the beaches for entertainment,” Marsalisi said. “The income levels have increased. For the longest time, our district was plagued by median income.”
Marsalisi and other leaders are touting the future redevelopment of the expansive Ceridian campus as the major pivoting point for the district that will diversify its economy.
“This property is the largest potential land development [opportunity] away from the Tropicana Field site,” Marsalisi said.
Altis Cardinal purchased the Ceridian Office Park in a $40 million all-cash deal in 2021 and unveiled its plans to transform the 34.3-acre site into a $500 million mixed-use destination. The group recently submitted plans to build 2,000 housing units.
An aerial rendering of the proposed Skyway Village development at the Ceridian campus. Image: Altis Cardinal.
Marsalisi and District Director Misty Bottorff said the Ceridian campus could be the key to unlocking more mixed-use components and replicate a similar activity center such as South Tampa’s Hyde Park or Midtown, a complex in downtown Tampa that ties in retail, restaurants, a grocer and Class A office buildings in one centralized location.
The general concept may not be too far of a reach as the new property owner’s plans for the phased Ceridian redevelopment – dubbed Skyway Village – would also deliver 3,572 parking spaces, 119,160 square feet of self-storage space and 49,000 square feet of commercial space.
The Ceridian campus as it appears today. The new owner plans to keep the 125-foot Ceridian office building.
The massive Skyway Village development would be anchored by a 23,500-square-foot national grocer focused on organic and fresh produce.
In comparison, one of Midtown’s largest tenants is niche grocer Whole Foods.
As the plans martialize for the site, prominent local developer Jack Dougherty is building a handful of surrounding projects that will spur more activity.
Dougherty is the owner of Allied Group Holdings, which is the team behind Marina Walk, a 245-unit waterfront apartment complex located at the site of the former Flamingo Resort. Today, Marina Walk is fully leased, and Dougherty is building a second neighboring apartment development.
His group purchased several parcels from California-based Maximo Plaza Inc. to build Marina Club, formally called Marina Beach, on the southwest corner of 34th Street South and 42nd Avenue, where a shopping mall sat.
An aerial rendering of the Marina Club, previously known as Marina Beach. Image: Pinellas County records.
The mall, last used as an indoor flea market, closed its doors last year in anticipation of the sale. The new mixed-use redevelopment will feature 400 apartments, a 2,400-square-foot bank, a fast-casual restaurant and a 95,000-square-foot LifeStorage facility at the site.
Dougherty said general contractor Skanska has completed half of the shell for the building. Construction is expected to wrap up by December 2024 and leasing will launch earlier that year.
He explained a project of the scale would typically take 15 months to complete the shell alone; however, Skanska is using precast concrete, which is created offsite and assembled at the site.
“With precast, the building goes up much quicker than traditional concrete construction. They will complete the shell in eight months. It’s cutting the time nearly in half,” he said.
The Fifth-Third Bank branch will open on the property in August next year. Additionally, Dougherty said he has received three letters of intent from “highly sought-after restaurant concepts” for the designated dining use in the building.
Just south of the site, another project will rise.
Sarasota-based LifeStar Living, which purchased a 5.25-acre site from Dougherty, will be building The Manhattan, a 154-unit senior living community on two parcels and directly facing Boca Ciega Bay.
Rendering of The Manhattan St. Petersburg. Image: Lifestar Living.
Dougherty, who is working with the landowner, said the $120 million-plus Class A building will serve residents seeking independent and/or assistant senior living.
“Almost all the senior housing projects in St. Pete are built in the 1960s and don’t have the upscale amenities that meet the current standard,” he said.
What’s missing?
Although the redevelopment of the Ceridian campus will bring thousands of residential units and new projects such as the 296-unit Sur Club luxury apartments add to the housing stock, there’s a major missing component – affordable and attainable housing.
The Sur Club, which opened in 2021.
The district execs said affordable housing was not addressed in the master plan; however, St. Petersburg-based Blue Sky Communities, which built Skyway Lofts, the Skyway Marina District’s first affordable housing complex, will be expanding the number of units with a new building.
The project, dubbed Skyway Lofts II, will be directly across from the existing 65-unit Skyway Lofts building at 3900 34th St. N.
The existing Skyway Lofts complex and the vacant site that will be developed into Skyway Lofts II.
The proposed development entails constructing a four-story building with 66 units. The rents will range from $315 for a one-bedroom unit for a tenant whose income is 30% of the average median income (AMI) to $1,160 a month for a two-bedroom unit for a tenant earning 80% of the AMI.
Construction for Skyway Lofts II is expected to commence by the end of the year.
Although there’s a continuous theme of new residential projects popping up in the district, leaders don’t want that to be the primary focus.
The newest restaurant to debut in the district is Zaxby’s, a causal-dinning and fast-food chain that opened its second St. Pete location this month at 3700 34th St. S., near the Skyway Lofts.
“The challenge is to make a diverse group of uses in district not just residential,” Dougherty said, reemphasizing the importance of the Ceridian property.
Marsalisi also mentioned he would like to also see a hotel development within the district.
S. Rose Smith-Hayes
July 2, 2023at8:43 pm
The income levels have not increased. I would love to see those statistics. We have 3 and 4 bedroom homes renting for $2300 to $2500 a month and they are being rented by working people, not families. It takes 4 to 6 working folk to afford the rent and utilities. I would love to know the vacancy of those large complexes just completed. The 2 Affordable complexes were full the first week on paper.Section 8 folk were turned down. I pray that our sewerage system can handle all of this…..
Jim Smith
June 29, 2023at10:10 pm
23,500-square-foot for a grocer is pitiful. Publix stores start at 40,000 sq ft and, more typically, 60,000. Since Publix bought out Albertson’s, the entire south end is own by Publix and WalMart (with Aldi the much valued niche option). The enormous numbers of new residents in all these buildings will swamp existing groceries. And no real restaurants, just more the fast food places which are already over-represnted? Real residents need real adult options, including restaurants dedicated to takeout junk food. And is it too much to ask for competent architects? The new buildings are as unattractive as the parking lots they replace.No green space to speak of (and the open green space around Ceridian is disappearing). Everything reeks of cost cutting. City planners are asleep on the job (or in league with the developers?).
Stafford
June 29, 2023at4:10 pm
Kudos to Marsalisi for bring attention to a critical juncture in the development of the Marina District. It is time, right now, to push for all the amenities this area needs to make a real impact as a sophisticated, go-to district. The City Council, planners, and commissions need to support not just development in housing but all the supportive businesses that will telegraph the Marina District as a place not to be missed while visiting our city. That requires upscale stores, restaurants and entertainment. We should be thinking that now is the time to employ leverage to to development that will keep business’ putting their money into the area.
Merle
June 29, 2023at9:40 am
The Ceridian will start out as apartments and then they will probably become condos since the company has a history of doing that. My question is where are all.these new people going to work? The traffic is already bad enough on 37th when the Skyway closes down. There are already too many condos and apartments in downtown St. Pete. They have already ruined the views both downtown and on the beaches. The new pier looks like a parking garage and you can no longer see the water on the shoreline due to all the building. Plus our once blue water is now brown due to pollution. Just watch how many boutique businesses end up closing downtown due to poor planning. There’s no parking! So here we go again to ruin another area in our once beautiful city.
Chip Hanna
June 29, 2023at4:40 am
In time most of these new apartment complexes will become “Section 8” low income projects just like most of the other complexes that currently exist in that area. The developers will make their money and run after a few years. Condos are a different story because the folks that own them have to qualify to purchase them and have money invested. Over building apartment complexes is exactly what has financially ruined the area and building even more rental complexes is only going to make things even worse once the new paint drys and the reality sets in. This is a big smoke screen that’s going to make a few people rich today with no regard for the real future of the neighborhood.
Danny White
June 28, 2023at1:04 pm
To: You Do Not Deserve to Know It~ I can see how his comment feels a bit awkward. I’m not sure exactly what he really is saying by this: Skyway Marina District President Marsalisi said: “The income levels have increased. For the longest time, our district was plagued by median income.” The median income of what households? Maximo Moorings, Broadwater, Bayview and Westshore Village? These are the major residential areas that have long existed within the District prior to the development boom, and they are predominantly middle to upper middle class households.
Danny White
June 28, 2023at12:32 pm
Maybe the Ceridian tower could be repurposed as a boutique hotel? It would fit the area as a needed resource and be a benefit for visitors of the many apartments in the District and others who need extra space on a short term basis. I think the developers should embrace the live-work-play model as they move forward. The fact that three grocers (2 Publix, 1 Aldi) are very close by cannot be ignored; therefore, whatever grocer comes to the development must be a niche market like Whole Foods or Fresh Market. Trader Joe’s is owned by the Albrecht family of Germany, and so is Aldi, so it’s probably not a logical candidate for the site.
DeLancey Miller
June 28, 2023at7:28 am
We need a Target or Costco!
Hopefully the grocery store is a Sprouts or Whole Foods.
It would be nice to get Aldi to expand into 1 of their nicer bigger stores w better staple items!
Restaurant options that isn’t a fast food chain!