34-room resort proposed for longtime St. Pete Beach villas property
/
A beachfront property known for its pink cottage-style villas on St. Pete Beach could be replaced with a six-story, 34-room resort under plans recently presented to neighboring condominium owners.
Kevin Bowden, who owns the Miramar Beach Resort on St. Pete Beach and the Cambria Hotel in Madeira Beach, is proposing to redevelop the 0.89-acre Beach Haven Villas property at 4980 Gulf Boulevard.
The property is in St. Pete Beach’s Large Resort District, which allows up to 50 hotel rooms per acre.
Bowden purchased Beach Haven Villas for approximately $6.24 million in January 2025.
The 1949-built hotel temporarily closed after Hurricanes Helene and Milton damaged several units. It has since reopened following repairs but does not meet current FEMA requirements.
Under the proposed plan, the existing 18-unit hotel, pool, and parking area would be demolished for a new 34-room boutique resort with covered parking at ground level, four floors of guest rooms, a restaurant and bar overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, and an open-air, covered rooftop lounge.
Bowden and architect John “Jack” Bodziak presented the preliminary plans during a neighborhood meeting Wednesday evening attended by residents of the adjacent Beau Monde and Gulf 5000 condominiums.
the 0.89-acre Beach Haven Villas property is located at 4980 Gulf Boulevard on St. Pete Beach, nestled between the Beau Monde and Gulf 5000 condominiums | CoStar
At ground level, the plans show a swimming pool, pool bar, cabanas, and guest lounge area overlooking the beach.
The second floor would include a front desk, fitness center, business room, and seven units. Floors three through five would contain the remaining 27 rooms, each with a balcony facing or angled toward the beach.
A sixth-floor restaurant and bar would include indoor seating, a kitchen, and multiple outdoor dining areas. Bowden said it would offer a dining experience similar to Ember, the rooftop restaurant and bar at the Cambria Hotel.
The resort would include 58 parking spaces.
The plans list the project at 50 feet above the base flood elevation, with the ground floor elevated to comply with current flood standards.
The 1949-built Beach Haven Villas were damaged by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in late 2024 and have remained closed since | CoStar
The proposal drew immediate concerns from some neighboring condominium owners, who said the new building could obstruct beach views and create privacy issues by placing hotel balconies and public restaurant seating near their residences.
Some residents suggested moving the building farther east to protect views from adjacent condos. Bowden said doing so would reduce the parking available on the narrow site.
“For every 10 feet we build farther back from the Gulf, we would be losing two parking spaces, so if I move it back 50 feet, I lose 10 spaces that we need, but it would allow some of the condo owners to maintain their view,” Bowden said.
Bowden said additional setbacks from the neighboring condominium buildings would require reducing the room count, while the project cannot be built taller under current regulations.
He and Bodziak said they would reassess the design and make a good-faith effort to better address neighbors’ concerns while preserving a feasible redevelopment plan.
The property sits less than a half-mile north of Bowden’s Miramar Beach Resort at 4200 Gulf Boulevard, where a renovation and expansion is nearing completion. That project includes a new 30-room, eight-story hotel tower and will join the JdV by Hyatt collection.
If the project advances through St. Pete Beach’s approval process, Bowden said he hopes to begin construction by mid-2027 and complete the resort by the end of 2028.
