St. Petersburg City Council denied an appeal last Thursday challenging a previously approved 619-unit apartment development known as Alton Skyway in the Skyway Marina District, allowing the project to move forward.

The appeal failed in a 6-1 vote, with Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders casting the lone vote supporting the appeal. Councilmember Brandi Gabbard was absent.

The project, proposed by developer Kolter Multifamily, will be constructed on a 17.25-acre property at 3200 34th Street South, replacing a former St. Petersburg College public safety training property with eight five-story apartment buildings.

The first phase of development will include 342 apartments across four buildings on the southern portion of the site, while phase two will add the remaining 277 units in four additional buildings on the northern portion of the property.

The community will contain one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments ranging from 618 to 1,322 square feet.

At full buildout, the development will have 883 parking spaces, exceeding the minimum requirement of 775 spaces.

Plans also set aside a one-acre outparcel on the southwest corner of the property for a future 5,000-square-foot commercial building, though no retail space is currently included in the approved site plan.

The City of St. Pete has officially approved a major zoning change along the SunRunner corridor, clearing the way for taller buildings, denser development, and a shift toward more walkable neighborhoods.

On Thursday, City Council unanimously approved the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit Overlay, marking the final step in adopting the new regulations.

At its core, the new overlay changes what can be built along Central Avenue west of 19th Street and nearby streets served by the SunRunner, the city’s 10-mile bus rapid transit line connecting downtown to the beaches.

The overlay creates a transit-oriented development district, giving property owners the option to follow a new set of rules designed to support transit use, increase development intensity, and allow a wider mix of uses than what is permitted under existing zoning.

Unlike a traditional rezoning, the overlay is optional, meaning developers can choose whether to use the new standards or stick with the underlying zoning already in place.

The overlay introduces one of the most closely watched changes: the elimination of minimum parking requirements.

ClearView at Echelon City Center, a new 14-story luxury apartment tower in north St. Pete, has started welcoming its first residents.

The 363-unit development is located at 101 Main Street North at the southeast corner of Carillon Parkway and Main Street, in Echelon City Center at Carillon Business Park, less than 15 minutes from both downtown St. Pete and downtown Tampa.

Developed by St. Pete-based Echelon and Tampa-based Third Lake Partners, and built by KAST Construction, ClearView is the latest mixed-use addition to Echelon City Center, a 20.5-acre master-planned development which at full build out is expected to include up to 2,300 residential units, 150,000 square feet of retail space, office space, and a hotel.

Carillon Business Park is one of the Tampa Bay area’s largest employment hubs, known for its concentration of corporate offices. Some of the largest employers include Raymond James Financial, Franklin Templeton Investments, Catalina Marketing, Transamerica, and several defense and aerospace companies such as General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, and L3Harris.