St. Pete-Clearwater Airport moves forward with redeveloping 128-acre Airco site
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A former golf course property spanning 128 acres next to the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is set to be redeveloped, beginning with the construction of a new taxiway that will lay the groundwork for a future aviation business park.
For the past two decades, PIE has been working toward redeveloping the county-owned property known as the Airco site. The site is the largest contiguous piece of developable land in Pinellas County. PIE is now moving forward with selecting a contractor for the first phase of the project, a new taxiway located off Ulmerton Road.
“The taxiway is the first step to redeveloping the property and providing the infrastructure for future businesses there, especially aviation companies, which we’ve seen a lot of demand for,” said PIE Public Relations Director Michelle Routh in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.
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Construction is underway on Azalea Cay, a planned 1,000-unit apartment community on the former Raytheon property in west St. Pete.
Tampa-based Metro Development Group, St. Pete-based Porter Development, and local elected officials broke ground Monday morning on the first phase of the project at 1501 72nd Street North, near Azalea Park and Tyrone Square Mall.
The $109.8 million first phase will bring 341 apartments, including 102 income-restricted homes.
Fifty-one apartments will be reserved for households earning up to 80% of the area median income (AMI), while another 51 will be available to households earning up to 120% of AMI.
“I look around and I envision someday teachers, nurses, first responders coming home from a tough day at work and calling Azalea Cay home,” Les Porter, president of Porter Development, said during the ceremony. “Maybe one of the big reasons why they’re still able to live in St. Pete is because of the rent associated with their apartment.”
The remaining 239 apartments will rent at market rate. The income-restricted units must remain affordable for at least 50 years.