Over the past few months, several groups have been in the running to redevelop two centrally located city-owned properties in Downtown St. Pete. The first lies directly on Central Avenue at the northeast corner of 4th Street while the second sits on 2nd Avenue North between 4th Street and 5th Street. The property at Central Avenue and 4th Street is currently home to the City of St. Petersburg’s Municipal Services Center (MSC), an 11-story office building which contains city services such as the planning department, code enforcement, and parking management, among others.

The existing MSC has outstanding deferred maintenance and late last year the City received an unsolicited proposal from Property Markets Group (PMG) to buy the Central Avenue property for $13M. Pursuant to Florida law, the City cannot sell City-owned property without first soliciting offers from other potential buyers.

The idea is to save on maintenance costs by developing a new MSC on the site of a city-owned parking lot two blocks away on 2nd Avenue North. The new building would also be closer to City Hall and other city services creating a campus-like feel. The City could then allow for the sale and redevelopment of the existing MSC site, which fronts Central Avenue.

The four groups in the running to redevelop the properties are: the Allen Morris Company, Blake Investment Partners, a joint bid from Third Lake Partners and Echelon, and a joint bid from Property Markets Group (PMG) and Feldman Equities.

Best and final offers were due last Friday the 17th. St. Pete Rising obtained all four of the follow up submissions. There have been a few changes to each proposal that are worth noting.

First, the City sought to clarify that they were open to residential uses at the site of the new Municipal Services Center on 2nd Ave North if it improved the economics of the development for the city. Also regarding the 2nd Ave North site, the City wanted more information on how a mixed-use building could safely accommodate separate uses for the security of the MSC.

A brief overview of each proposal along with recently submitted changes are noted below. For the full story on how the process and each proposal has come together, check out our past reporting on the Municipal Services Center.

Allen Morris Company

In previous submissions, Allen Morris proposed a single-use office building for the City on 2nd Avenue North. Their updated submission not only includes a dedicated 120,000 SF office tower to replace the MSC but also includes a separate 340-unit residential tower with around 30-stories. Allen Morris’ previous submission for the 2nd Avenue site did not include a residential component.

The 2nd Ave North project would also feature a 550-space shared parking garage and 12,000 SF of ground floor retail space. An estimated 15% of the residential units would be workforce housing units for those making under 120% of area median income (AMI). Assuming a twelve month design period, ground breaking would be in 1Q 2022 with completion in 4Q 2023. Additionally, in keeping with their previous proposal, a portion of the garage would be convertible for future office space.

The design and building program for Allen Morris’ Central Avenue development proposal remains largely unchanged from their initial submission. The proposal envisions a roughly 20-story building with 40,000 SF of office space, 308 residential units, and 13,000 SF of activated retail along Central Avenue. Completion of the building would be two and a half years after the opening of the new MSC building – around 2026.

Blake Investment Partners

Blake’s proposal for the 2nd Avenue site remained unchanged with a proposed 120,000 SF office building and a 600-space parking garage. Their relatively simple design and the fact that only 100,000 SF of office space will be finished space is expected to translate into lower costs for the City. The remaining 20,000 SF could be finished for future use.

The primary change in Blake’s most recent submission is with the Central Avenue site. While both the current and past submissions have focused on preserving the existing MSC building, the updated submission takes it a step further.

Where the previous submission wanted to renovate the existing ~150,000 SF MSC building and include a modern façade, the current proposal seeks to restore the original 1920’s era Neo-Gothic façade. Working with Place Architecture’s Tim Clemmons and All-Trades Historical Restorations, the group believes the original façade is recoverable and can be retrofitted to create a modern office building. Preserve the Burg is quoted in their submission recommending the reuse of the building.

Third Lake Partners / Echelon

Largely unchanged from their prior submission, the group is proposing a new MSC building at the 2nd Ave North site with 120,000 SF of office space along with an adjacent, and separate, 20-story residential building. The new MSC complex and adjacent residential building would be designed with Mediterranean architecture and the developer would agree to set aside at least 20% of the units for workforce housing.

Like Blake Investment Partners, Third Lake would like to renovate the existing MSC building into market rate office space and activate the ground floor by adding retail along Central Avenue.

The primary strength of the submission is the potential synergies with the Third Lake-owned 200 Central office building which is adjacent to the site. The submission states that potential shared uses could maximize the downtown core.

Property Markets Group / Feldman Equities

Arguably the most ambitious proposal comes from Property Markets Group and Feldman Equities. The group’s latest changes increase the potential intensity of the submission.

Along 2nd Avenue North the group is proposing 120,000 SF of office space to replace the existing MSC building, as well as a potential option for additional office space that would be leased to the public. The project would also feature 308 residential units, an increase from 220 units in their prior proposal, as well as ground floor retail. 20% of the residential units would be marketed as workforce housing units. This updated building increases the height by a few floors compared to the prior submission.

The submission makes a distinction in the separation of the structured parking, noting that both the entrances and circulation for the office and residential uses would be completely separate. This is likely a safety enhancement over the prior submission.

The group’s Central Avenue proposal is largely unchanged and includes a striking 415-foot mixed-use tower with 400 residential units, 150,000 SF of Class A office space, and ground floor retail. Given the scale of the proposal, completion would not be expected until 2026.

These changes are just the latest update in an eight month discussion to redevelop the existing MSC building and a city-owned lot on 2nd Avenue North.

Moving forward, the City will likely select one of the groups and begin entering into negotiations where building uses and financing terms are ironed out. While Mayor Kriseman will consider each of the proposals, the agreement would ultimately need to be approved by City Council.

More information on these proposals can be found on the City’s website.