St. Pete Innovation District unveils new master plan shaping future waterfront growth

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St. Pete Innovation District unveils new master plan shaping future waterfront growth

The Innovation District, a 560-acre neighborhood on the southeastern edge of downtown St. Pete, is putting the final touches on a new master plan outlining a long-term vision for growth, including possible zoning updates that could lead to larger mixed-use developments.

The plan, which was presented during an open house on Wednesday night, is meant to be a flexible, long-term framework rather than a rigid set of instructions.

Developed in partnership with the City of St. Pete and Kimley-Horn, the plan emphasizes expanded waterfront access, climate resilience, mixed-use development, and stronger connections to downtown and surrounding neighborhoods.

First established in 2016, the Innovation District has become a hub for marine science, healthcare, research, and technology anchored by major institutions including the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital, Orlando Health Bayfront Hospital, Port St. Pete, and Albert Whitted Airport.

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SkyWay Lofts completes 66 new affordable apartments in the Skyway Marina District

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SkyWay Lofts completes 66 new affordable apartments in the Skyway Marina District

As the Skyway Marina District continues to grow, a local developer is bringing more affordable housing to the neighborhood.

Tampa-based affordable housing developer Blue Sky Communities has completed the second phase of SkyWay Lofts, adding 66 new apartments to the 1.19-acre property at 3800 34th Street South.

The new, four-story building is reserved for residents earning between 22% and 80% of the area median income (AMI), or roughly $16,000 to $58,000 per year for a one-person household. Notably, the monthly rent starts at $305 for a one-bedroom and one-bathroom unit. 

The building is already at full occupancy with a waitlist available for applicants.

“Thanks to the City of St. Petersburg, the Skyway Marina District has been transformed into one of the premier neighborhoods of our city,” Scott Macdonald, Executive Vice President and Partner of Blue Sky Communities, said at the ribbon-cutting ceremony on Tuesday.

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Heritage Oaks, an 80-unit affordable senior apartment community, opens in Largo

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Heritage Oaks, an 80-unit affordable senior apartment community, opens in Largo

The Rainbow Village neighborhood in Largo’s Greater Ridgecrest community marked a major milestone Thursday morning with the ribbon cutting of Heritage Oaks, the first of four phases planned for the Rainbow Village redevelopment.

Officials from the Pinellas County Housing Authority and Newstar Development joined residents and elected leaders to celebrate the opening of the 80-unit affordable senior apartment community at 13060 Washington Drive in Largo.

“I remember looking at the master plan for Rainbow Village from 2007,” said Neil Brickfield, executive director of the Pinellas County Housing Authority, during the ceremony. “Here we are 18 years later, about to cut the ribbon.”

Heritage Oaks replaces 48 aging, block-style duplex and triplex units.

The new three-story apartment building contains 74 one-bed, one-bath units and six two-bed, two-bath units. The community includes 70 parking spaces.

All apartments are reserved for seniors earning up to 60% of the area median income (AMI), with monthly rents starting at $1,507.

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A 75-year-old church in St. Pete’s Euclid St. Paul’s neighborhood will be converted into apartments

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A 75-year-old church in St. Pete’s Euclid St. Paul’s neighborhood will be converted into apartments

After decades of Sunday services, a 75-year-old church on the southern edge of the Euclid St. Paul’s neighborhood is preparing to take on a new role in the neighborhood by becoming housing for local residents.

The former Pinellas Vietnamese Church of the Nazarene, located at 1225 9th Avenue North, will be adaptively reused into 20 workforce housing apartments.

The project is being led by local property owners and real estate investors Joshua and Danielle Neitz, who purchased the church and its adjacent parking lot for $1.325 million in February.

“My wife was a teacher for many years, and all of our friends were middle-class people trying to earn a living and stay in the area,” Joshua Neitz said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We need more options to make life a little more affordable for residents.”

In October, the church was added to the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places, protecting the building from demolition while allowing for adaptive reuse under the city’s code.

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264-unit affordable housing community to break ground next month near the Warehouse Arts District

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264-unit affordable housing community to break ground next month near the Warehouse Arts District

After nearly four years of planning, a long-delayed affordable housing development near St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District is officially moving forward.

Fairfield Avenue Apartments LLC, which is tied to St. Petersburg-based HP Capital Group and former Florida Senator Jeff Brandes, has purchased the 6.9-acre property at 3300 Fairfield Avenue South for approximately $6.2 million.

The property will be leased through a trust administered by the Housing Finance Authority of Pinellas County, securing a 99-year affordability commitment.

The group will develop the site into the Fairfield Avenue Apartments, which will contain 264 affordable and workforce apartments making it one of the city’s largest housing communities in decades.

The property was formerly home to the Tibbetts Lumber Company, which was founded by Brandes’ grandfather, Linton Tibbetts, in the 1970s.

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St. Pete becomes Florida’s first city to allow affordable housing on religious property

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St. Pete becomes Florida’s first city to allow affordable housing on religious property

The City of St. Pete has become the first municipality in Florida to adopt a provision into its City Code allowing affordable housing to be built on land owned by religious institutions regardless of underlying zoning, following the passage of a new state law earlier this year.

While the Florida Senate Bill 1730, often referred to as “Yes In God’s Backyard” or YIGBY, gives cities the option to allow affordable housing on faith-owned land, it does not require them to do so.

St. Pete’s new provision turns the state statute into a clear and usable local process.

Many congregations own property that is no longer fully used for worship or parking but was historically difficult to redevelop because it is zoned institutional or public use rather than residential.

Before SB 1730, affordable housing could be built on church land only if a city approved a rezoning, conditional use, or comprehensive plan amendment.

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Visioning begins for new 28-acre walkable mixed-use development near Warehouse Arts District in St. Pete

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Visioning begins for new 28-acre walkable mixed-use development near Warehouse Arts District in St. Pete

What would you create with 28 acres of land in St Pete? A park? An amphitheater? Attainable housing? Artist studios?

Those questions were at the center of a recent four-day community charrette that began to shape the future of a large industrial property along the Pinellas Trail, home to St. Petersburg Distillery and several vacant buildings.

The 28-acre site at 800 31st Street South, located west of the Warehouse Arts District and across from Gibbs High School, is owned by the Iafrate family and is envisioned as a new Creators District.

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Revised plans advance for 13-story affordable housing tower in downtown St. Pete

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Revised plans advance for 13-story affordable housing tower in downtown St. Pete

A long-awaited residential redevelopment on the west side of Mirror Lake in downtown St. Pete is finally making progress, more than two years after the project was first awarded.

Pinellas County Schools’ 1.36-acre property, located at 296 Mirror Lake Drive and home to the 101-year-old Tomlinson building, is now one step closer to being redeveloped as the development team has submitted plans to the city for site plan approval.

What was once planned as a mix of affordable and market-rate apartments will now be an entirely affordable community, with priority given to Pinellas County Schools faculty and staff.

All 202 units in the updated plan will be income-restricted, with some reserved for households earning up to 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) and the rest at 110% AMI.

The Tomlinson building was originally built in 1924 as St. Petersburg Junior High School. It later became the Edwin H. Tomlinson Vocational School before transitioning into the Tomlinson Adult Learning Center in 1978.

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400 Central developer asks Mayor Welch for more time to bid on Historic Gas Plant site

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400 Central developer asks Mayor Welch for more time to bid on Historic Gas Plant site

Red Apple Real Estate, the New York–based development firm behind the 46-story Residences at 400 Central in downtown St. Petersburg, has expressed interest in redeveloping the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District. But only if the city allows more time for proposals.

In a letter sent November 7th to Mayor Ken Welch and City Council, Red Apple CEO John Catsimatidis urged the city to extend its planned 30-day window for alternative submissions related to the site.

Earlier this month, Mayor Welch announced that he would open a brief period in mid-November for developers to submit competing proposals after the city received an unsolicited $6.8 billion plan led by Casey Ellison of Ellison Companies, Cathie Wood of ARK Invest, and Jonathan Graham of Horus Construction.

“Red Apple Real Estate is well-positioned to transform the 86 acres into what I call a ‘wow’ development,” Catsimatidis wrote, adding that his firm has the “knowledge, expertise, and relationships” to create market-rate and affordable housing, along with amenities that enhance quality of life and create jobs.

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Several developments move forward along The Deuces corridor in south St. Pete

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Several developments move forward along The Deuces corridor in south St. Pete

After years of promises to revive 22nd Street South, the City of St. Pete is finally making progress on projects expected to bring new life back to The Deuces.

From the 1940s through the 1960s, 22nd Street South, from 2nd Avenue to 18th Avenue, was the heart of St. Pete’s Black community, filled with thriving businesses, music clubs, and restaurants.

But after I-275 cut through the area in the mid 1970s, the busy corridor slowly fell into decline.

Now, with a growing pipeline of new developments on the horizon, the Deuces is beginning to show signs of revival.

At a community meeting this week at the Enoch Davis Center, city officials gave updates on several ongoing projects.

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