$33 million Tierra Verde Marina redevelopment revised, residents remain opposed
/The tierra verde marina, which offers wet slips, dry storage, and other amenities | Greenleaf Capital documents
A developer has revised its plans to redevelop a prominent seven-acre property on Tierra Verde, but many residents believe the project is still not in the city’s best interest.
Tampa-based Greenleaf Capital, the real estate division of HCI Group Inc., is seeking approval from the City of St. Petersburg to transform the Tierra Verde Marina at 100 Pinellas Bayway South into a modern boat club with expanded amenities.
The goal, according to the developer, is to revitalize the island’s waterfront entryway.
The marina currently has 64 wet slips, 314 high-and-dry racks within a 58,000-square-foot storage complex, a 24,000-square-foot shopping center, and a gas station.
The $32.7 million redevelopment calls for demolishing the retail plaza and marina facilities to make way for a larger storage facility and private boat club with a restaurant, bar, and pool.
Greenleaf Capital acquired the site in 2011 for $5 million, three years after 28 acres of Tierra Verde, including the marina, were annexed by St. Petersburg.
The company is also seeking a 15-foot height bonus to build a nine-story, 90-foot-tall storage facility.
Tierra Verde Marina is located at 100 Pinellas Bayway South just beyond the Pinellas Bayway Bridge at the entrance to Tierra Verde | Google Maps
If approved, phase one would demolish the existing shopping center and replace it with a three-story clubhouse, a harbormaster office, and 236 additional dry racks, raising the total to 548. A surface lot with 117 parking spaces would also be added.
The clubhouse, designed in a southern coastal style, would include a lounge and kitchen on the ground floor, a 2,581-square-foot restaurant with balcony seating on the second floor, and a 2,465-square-foot rooftop bar. The new harbormaster office would house 856 square feet of retail, locker rooms, and restrooms.
Phase two calls for demolishing the current 58,000-square-foot dry storage facility and replacing it with a new structure that increases capacity to 711 racks. A tractor barn is also planned.
Although the property lies within St. Petersburg’s city limits, its land use and zoning remain under Pinellas County jurisdiction.
As such, the project will be reviewed under the County’s zoning and land development regulations. The site is zoned General Commercial (C-2), which permits a mix of retail, light manufacturing, and marina uses.
At a Tierra Verde Community Association (TVCA) meeting earlier this year, residents raised concerns about the loss of commercial space, increased traffic, and design elements such as decorative screening, building shapes, and taller structures.
They also requested that the gas station be preserved and that retail uses such as a gym and pizzeria be included.
In its pre-application notes, the developer wrote: “At the conclusion of the presentation, we said we would take their comments into consideration, which we did and modified the design.”
However, Greenleaf concluded through a feasibility study that additional retail was not economically viable and said a traffic study found the redevelopment would reduce vehicle trips.
Despite those revisions, the TVCA said the updated submission makes only “minor cosmetic changes” and fails to address core concerns.
The Association, which hired a land use attorney, has also collected 3,765 petition signatures opposing the project.
“While we are not opposed to the redevelopment of this property, we advocate for an alternative plan that preserves retail options, maintains the aesthetic integrity of our island’s natural beauty, and minimizes hazards at the entrance to our tranquil community,” said Anne Norungolo, a TVCA board director, in an emailed statement to St. Pete Rising.
TVCA also noted that the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA), which initially supported the project, has since withdrawn its endorsement.
The project team includes Naples-based RWA Engineering, Tampa-based Halff Associates Inc., and Tampa-based Arehna Engineering Inc.
The proposal is expected to go before the City’s Development Review Commission on October 1st. If approved, it would represent one of the most significant redevelopment projects in Tierra Verde’s recent history.
A groundbreaking date has not yet been set.
