Seven-story Frontier building set for major transformation in downtown St. Pete

Seven-story Frontier building set for major transformation in downtown St. Pete

After sitting underutilized for years, the windowless Frontier building at 821 1st Avenue North is finally set to see new life.

Plans have been filed with the City of St. Petersburg to redevelop the seven-story, 233,590-square-foot office and data center, which is partially leased by Frontier Communications. The proposed redevelopment includes 41,333 square feet of ground-floor retail space, 137,663 square feet of self-storage, and 54,594 square feet of office space.

Originally constructed in 1928 by the General Telephone Company of Florida, the building was expanded in 1967 and 1970. It remains a key part of St. Petersburg's internet infrastructure, housing extensive fiber optic cable, switch rooms, frame rooms, and generators as large as jet engines.

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80-unit affordable housing project Flats on 4th moves forward in north St. Pete

80-unit affordable housing project Flats on 4th moves forward in north St. Pete

An undeveloped parcel at the southwest corner of the intersection of 106th Avenue North and 4th Street North will be developed into 80 affordable apartments reserved for seniors.

The project, dubbed Flats on 4th—a previously approved four-story mid-rise building designed for low-income seniors earning between 40% and 60% of the area median income (AMI).

The Pinellas County Housing Finance Authority purchased the land for the project earlier this month, as Trustee of the land trust, for $2.94 million using Penny for Pinellas funds, a voter-approved one-cent sales tax designated for infrastructure improvements.

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100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel

100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel

After suffering significant damage from last year’s back-to-back hurricanes, a 10-story, 100-year-old building in downtown St. Pete is expected to be demolished and replaced with a boutique hotel.

Local entrepreneur and developer Steve Gianfilippo of Gianco Companies, who purchased the building at 300 Central Avenue in 2017, filed plans on Monday with the City of St. Pete for a 16-story hotel, named The Coronet, which will incorporate mid-century design elements reminiscent of the original structure.

The existing, vacant structure will undergo interim repairs while plans for the new hotel are being drawn up.

“In the seven years that I’ve owned the building, we’ve looked at a few different options,” said Gianfilippo in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “At first, we considered turning it into fully furnished apartments. But with thousands of new apartments already planned or built recently, we saw a larger opportunity to bring a new boutique hotel to downtown St. Pete.”

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144-unit affordable apartment community proposed for Largo

144-unit affordable apartment community proposed for Largo

A Santa Monica, CA-based developer plans to convert a vacant site in Largo's Pinellas Groves community into a 144-unit affordable apartment complex.

Named Olea on 126, the project will include three four-story residential buildings at 6727 126th Avenue North, with units designated for residents earning between 40% and 80% of the area median income (AMI).

The community will offer surface parking and amenities such as a clubhouse, park area, and covered patio.

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304-unit apartment complex in Largo to convert into affordable housing

304-unit apartment complex in Largo to convert into affordable housing

The Oasis at Bayside apartment complex in Largo will undergo an extensive renovation to convert the units to affordable housing and update the aging amenities.

Washington, DC-based multifamily investor Gravel Road Partners and Bridge Investment Group, an investment company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, purchased the 304-unit property at 305 Glades Circle on March 12th for $42.25 million.

Berkadia Senior Managing Director Jason Stanton represented the seller, Latitude Management Real Estate Investors of Beverly Hills, California, in the transaction.

The new owners are partnering with Pinellas County to renovate the 1974-built property and dedicate 258 units for tenants earning 50% to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Currently the property has no affordability requirements.

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