City closes $6.4 million land sale for The Central in the EDGE District of downtown St. Pete
/The completed edge parking garage at 1300 1st avenue North, which is open to the public | st. pete rising
The City of St. Petersburg has closed a $6.4 million land sale for The Central, a planned $200 million mixed-use development in the EDGE District, completing a property transfer that had held up construction for months.
The deal was signed on Election Day, November 3rd, the same day Charlie Crist defeated Mayor Ken Welch, transferring portions of the former police headquarters property at 1300 1st Avenue North to entities affiliated with Ellison Development.
The closing clears the way for continued work on the 2.1-acre development, which will include Class A offices, a Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, retail space, 42 workforce apartments, and public gathering spaces.
“This is a big day for The Central and for the EDGE District,” Casey Ellison, president and CEO of Ellison Development, said in a press release. “The excitement surrounding this project has continued to grow, and this milestone brings us one step closer to delivering a destination that will create new opportunities and fresh energy to the neighborhood.”
For nearby businesses and residents, the most visible progress so far has been the 531-space public parking garage, which opened in June 2025 across from Ferg’s Sports Bar.
The sale excludes 400 parking spaces spread across five floors of the garage, matching the number of public spaces promised when the redevelopment proposal was selected in 2019.
Ellison says the garage will remain open during construction of the office building and hotel.
The 2.1-acre development site at 1300 1st Avenue North | st. Pete Rising
With the land transfer complete, the developer is moving forward with plans for Halcyon, an office building along Central Avenue that Ellison now describes as approximately 116,000 square feet of Class A office space across 10 floors, with more than 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail.
Halcyon’s planned amenities include exterior balconies and access to the development’s hotel amenities.
Wendy Giffin of Cushman & Wakefield is leading office leasing, and Ellison says additional leasing announcements are expected soon.
The building has already attracted a prominent future occupant. In July 2025, Cathie Wood’s ARK Invest announced plans to relocate its headquarters from 200 Central Avenue to Halcyon.
Alongside the offices, the Central Hotel is now planned as a 165-room Marriott Autograph Collection property, a slight reduction from the previously announced 168 rooms. The hotel will feature a signature restaurant, a rooftop deck, and event spaces.
The Central is a multi-phased development offering workforce housing, a hotel, and workspace | The central
Chef and television personality Geoffrey Zakarian previously announced plans for a restaurant inside the hotel. His company, Zakarian Hospitality, is also expected to oversee the hotel’s food and beverage operations and provide hospitality services for Halcyon. The restaurant’s name and cuisine have not been announced.
Between the buildings, Central Plaza will provide a landscaped public gathering space connecting the hotel, offices, dining, and retail.
A public art installation by Ya La’ford will honor the Courageous Twelve, the Black St. Petersburg police officers who challenged discriminatory treatment within the department.
The housing component will bring 42 income-restricted apartments fronting 1st Avenue North, with requirements that remain enforceable after the sale.
Of those apartments, 34 must serve households earning at or below 120% of the area median income (AMI), while eight must serve households earning at or below 80% of AMI. All apartments will have restricted rents.
A rendering of the future hotel and office building | The central
The community must include one-, two-, and three-bedroom apartments, with at least two units of each bedroom size.
Those affordability restrictions will remain in place for 20 years after the final certificate of occupancy or through June 30th, 2047, whichever is later.
Additionally, at least five apartments must initially be reserved and offered to city employees before becoming available to other qualifying households if they remain unrented at opening.
A post-closing agreement, which was recorded on November 4th, requires the office, retail, and workforce housing components to be completed by January 1st, 2030.
The agreement also references a $4 million purchase-money mortgage from the city associated with the workforce apartments and a $1 million credit for demolition of the former police headquarters and additional workforce rental units.
Recorded restrictions limits development on the hotel pad to a hotel or an office building with related ground-floor retail. A micro-unit residential building is explicitly prohibited.
The agreement acknowledges that the property is being sold below fair market value in exchange for the office development, workforce housing, and related economic benefits.
A rendering of Halcyon, the planned 10-story office building | the central
Failure to complete the office space could result in $1 million in liquidated damages, while failure to build the workforce housing could result in $6 million in liquidated damages.
The closing marks another milestone in a redevelopment effort that began in 2019, when then-Mayor Rick Kriseman selected Edge Central from seven proposals for the former police headquarters property.
City Council approved the original development agreement in 2021. The project, previously called Orange Station, later shifted from a plan that included condominiums to one featuring a hotel. A ceremonial groundbreaking followed in February 2024.
Ellison Development has led the project alongside J Square Developers, DDA Development, and Backstreets Capital. Tim Clemmons of St. Pete-based Place Architecture designed the development.
“We’re ready for the community to begin seeing The Central rise,” Ellison said. “The Central will create a place that belongs to St. Petersburg and adds something meaningful to the city for generations.”
