A vacant strip of waterfront property along St. Pete Beach's Gulf Boulevard may be redeveloped into a full-service resort with floating boat docks, a waterpark, a rooftop tiki bar, and more. 

St. Petersburg architect Jack Bodziak, who has worked on commercial and residential developments throughout Tampa Bay, has filed plans with the city to build a 104-key hotel, dubbed Windward Pass Resort, on the McPherson Bayou.

The 2.76-acre assemblage, bookended by the Sand Cove Apartments and Sun Harbor Condos, is currently owned by local philanthropist and ceramic artist Beth Morean. 

"I've been friends with Beth for a long time. We’ve been talking about the property for a long time," Bodziak said to St. Pete Rising. "I worked with her a while ago when another group wanted the property and had approval to build a Marriott hotel there." 

He explained that over the years, multiple investors have approached Morean, making "lowball offers" and proposing agreements that never came to fruition for the parcels at 3815, 3856, 3859, and 3861 Gulf Boulevard.

Morean, who's worked with Bodziak on designing other properties, plans to sell the land after the project is fully entitled. She also plans to bring artwork to the resort's public plazas and promenade. 

According to the submitted application, the site is in a transitional area between numerous beachfront high-intensity commercial uses along Gulf Boulevard and lower density residential neighborhoods across the Bayou to the east.

The six-story, 54-foot-high Windward Pass Resort will have lush landscaping and 60-foot setbacks between the neighboring buildings, and a screened 190-space parking garage.

"We programmed the waterpark and miniature putt-putt golf course at the south and north ends, a two-story game room, two plazas, and a promenade meant to be accessible from the entire property down to the waterfront," said Britt Browne Hayes, Partner at Bodziak/Hayes Architects.

The waterpark, featuring slides and a lazy river, will be primarily exclusive to resort guests, but will be open to the public during off-peak hours. 

There will be a second secluded pool area with a sundeck and poolside swim-up bar. The resort will also feature two restaurants onsite, including a rooftop bar. 

"The old Treasure Island Fun Center, where the Publix Supermarket is now, was the place to be, and the Splash Harbour Water Park at the Holiday Inn & Suites at Indian Rocks Beach draws an incredible crowd," Bodziak said, "We need more recreation here for families to enjoy." 

Across the McPherson Bayou to the east, are single-family homes. The resort will be strategically situated to shield the residents from noise emitting from the waterpark, with fencing and landscaping to reduce any impacts, according to city documents. 

The plans for Windward Pass Resort were crafted last year. The unexpected appointments of St. Pete Beach’s new city commissioners delayed the technical application review process by four months. Nonetheless, the Technical Review Committee reviewed and pushed forward the request for a conditional use permit (CUP) at a February 16th meeting. 

Bodziak said it will be roughly four months before the project goes before the newly appointed city commissioners, who recently approved a CUP for the renovation and expansion of the Sirata Beach Resort property following a 16-hour deliberation that spanned two days.

"In early iterations, we pursued [ground-level] retail. Gulf Boulevard is a main thoroughfare, and it's very vehicular-oriented," Hayes said. 

"We were thinking about the pedestrian experience, but there's a narrow setback. It would require a variance, which we didn't want to seek." 

Bodziak is actively seeking partners for the project. 

Bodziak was previously on the development team for The Karol Hotel in Clearwater, the mixed-use Madeira Beach Town Center, the Emerald Sands Resort in St. Pete Beach, and the renovations of the Detroit Hotel and The Floridian Social Club in St. Petersburg.