The City of St. Pete has begun reviewing proposals submitted to redevelop the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District, a process that will determine the future of one of downtown’s most significant redevelopment sites.

The city received nine proposals in February from development teams seeking to transform the site, which is currently home to Tropicana Field and a swath of surface parking lots.

The land was historically home to the Gas Plant neighborhood before its displacement in the 1980s and is now being reconsidered for a large-scale mixed-use district that could include housing, jobs, cultural spaces, and public amenities.

After an unsolicited proposal to redevelop the property was submitted by Ark Ellison Horus, other groups were invited to submit alternative proposals through a competitive process aimed at identifying a team capable of delivering a project aligned with the city’s goals.

In addition to physical development, proposals were expected to address community benefits, economic opportunity, and long-term public value.

A controversial 21-story apartment tower planned for downtown St. Pete will move forward after the City Council voted Thursday to deny an appeal challenging its approval.

The $134 million project, known as The Pelican, has been proposed by St. Pete-based Stadler Development and would replace seven existing apartment buildings on a 1.3-acre site near the Hollander Hotel and Trinity Lutheran Church along 5th Avenue North between 4th and 5th Streets.

Plans call for a 370-unit residential tower with 3,819 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 485-space parking garage.

The appeal was filed by local historic preservation advocacy group Preserve the ‘Burg following a January approval by the city’s Development Review Commission.

Under city procedures, the burden was on the group to demonstrate that the project failed to comply with the city’s Land Development Regulations.

During Thursday’s hearing, Preserve the ‘Burg argued that the project’s height of 212 feet, scale, and overall intensity are incompatible with the surrounding neighborhood.

The City of St. Petersburg is moving forward with a plan to create new affordable housing on a collection of vacant, city-owned lots near the Jamestown Apartments and Townhomes, just west of Unity Park near downtown.

The proposal centers on nine infill parcels totaling about 1.7 acres, located between 12th Lane North and 15th Street North, and between 4th Avenue North and Burlington Avenue.

The lots have sat unused for more than 40 years, originally acquired as part of a 1982 redevelopment plan that required a buffer around the Jamestown complex.

That requirement expired in 2012, and city officials say the land is no longer needed for that purpose.

During a March 12th Housing, Land Use, and Transportation Committee meeting, Council Members unanimously approved moving forward with a charter amendment that would remove the parcels from the city’s legally binding Parks and Waterfront Map.

A 3.6-acre church campus in south St. Pete could soon become a new hub for youth arts education, as the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts looks to acquire and repurpose the property into a community arts center.

The foundation has launched a $10 million capital campaign to purchase the site at 5995 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South and convert it into the Bill Edwards Foundation for the Arts Community Arts Center.

The 26,155-square-foot property is currently home to Lakewood United Methodist Church and Alegria Montessori School.

Built in 1958, the campus includes a 396-seat sanctuary, a smaller chapel, a two-story educational building with a fenced-in playground and covered outdoor play area, as well as a fellowship hall, kitchen, and office space.

A long-term vision for the city’s port could reshape the Bayboro Harbor waterfront just south of downtown St. Pete, but early reactions from city officials suggest the path forward remains uncertain.

The approximately 4.4-acre portion of the city-owned Port of St. Petersburg at 250 8th Avenue SE is being studied for a potential redevelopment that could include a public park, cruise terminal, superyacht marina, waterfront promenades, and dining options.

Located within the Innovation District and surrounded by major institutions — including the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus to the west, Albert Whitted Airport to the north, and the U.S. Coast Guard to the east — the site is seen as an opportunity to expand both public access and maritime activity.

At a March 12th Public Services and Infrastructure Committee meeting, consultants from Moffatt & Nichol presented a draft master plan that reimagines the port as a mixed-use waterfront destination.