16-story apartment tower proposed to replace larger approved project near USF St. Pete
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A 16-story apartment tower has been proposed across from the University of South Florida St. Petersburg campus, replacing a larger project approved for the same property last year.
The proposed development would rise at 446 4th Street South, at the northeast corner of 5th Avenue South and 4th Street South.
The 0.7-acre property is currently home to a 105-year-old commercial building previously occupied by Fresenius Kidney Care American Dialysis Center and an adjacent surface parking lot.
The project, which would be developed by Charleston, South Carolina-based The Beach Company, will contain 165 apartments, approximately 3,200 square feet of ground-floor retail space, a 176-space parking garage, and 178 bicycle spaces.
It’s a significant change from the development St. Petersburg City Council approved for the site in February 2025.
The proposed 16-story apartment tower would rise at 446 4th Street South, at the northeast corner of 5th Avenue South and 4th Street South | Google Maps
That earlier plan, led by St. Pete-based Stadler Development, called for a 21-story, 245-foot tower with 213 apartments, 2,250 square feet of commercial space, and a 230-space parking garage.
The Beach Company’s proposal would reduce the building’s height by 50 feet, eliminate 48 apartments, and provide 54 fewer parking spaces.
It would also increase the amount of retail space by roughly 950 square feet.
The 195-foot tower would have a floor area ratio (FAR) of 6.0, making it less dense than Stadler’s proposal, which had an FAR of 7.0—the maximum allowed under the site’s DC-2 (Downtown Center-2) zoning.
The new plans show retail fronting both 4th Street South and 5th Avenue South, with a residential lobby along 5th Avenue South.
The garage’s primary entrance would be on 5th Avenue South and an additional alley entrance from Delmar Terrace South.
Renderings show a multi-story parking podium wrapped in architectural screening. Above it, the apartment tower steps back from the street, creating an elevated amenity deck with a pool and landscaped courtyard.
Designed by Charlotte, North Carolina-based Housing Studio, the concept draws from Art Moderne and historic warehouse architecture, according to the application.
The proposed material palette includes masonry at the base, stucco on the upper floors, metal-panel accents, large windows, balconies, and screened garage openings.
The application estimates the project’s construction value at $54 million.
The Beach Company is a fifth-generation, family-owned real estate firm founded in 1945 by J.C. Long. The company develops, acquires, owns, leases, and manages multifamily, mixed-use, office, retail, industrial, resort, and master-planned residential properties across the Southeast.
It also operates related construction, commercial brokerage, residential brokerage, and investment-fund businesses.
In 2022, an affiliate of The Beach Company acquired a 260-unit apartment community in Orlando called Marina Landing.
The new site plan will go before St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission on September 2nd.
No construction timeline was included in the application.
First floor plan for The Beach Company’s proposed tower near USF St. Petersburg | The Beach Company
