January 14, 2026

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

January 14, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

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.

January 09, 2026

After hours of debate, 21-story, 370-unit luxury apartment tower wins approval in downtown St. Pete

January 09, 2026/ Veronica Brezina

A cluster of small affordable apartment buildings could soon be demolished to make way for a 21-story, 370-unit luxury apartment tower in downtown St. Petersburg.

After hours of debate, the city’s Development Review Commission voted 6-1 Wednesday evening to approve the project planned for a 1.3-acre site along 5th Avenue North between 4th and 5th Streets.

In addition to 370 apartments, the project, known as The Pelican, would also include 3,819 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 485-space parking garage.

St. Pete-based Stadler Development, led by John Stadler and his son Chris, is spearheading the $134 million project, which would share a city block with the Hollander Hotel and Trinity Lutheran Church.

Stadler is under contract to purchase the property from local investor Michael Andoniades, who owns the Hollander Hotel and several other properties throughout the city.

December 30, 2025

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

December 30, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

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.

December 29, 2025

619-unit Alton Skyway apartment community planned for SPC’s Allstate Campus in the Skyway Marina District

December 29, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

For the first time, detailed plans have been filed showing what will replace St. Petersburg College’s former Allstate Campus in the Skyway Marina District.

Delray Beach–based Kolter Multifamily has submitted a site plan review application to the City of St. Pete for Alton Skyway, a luxury garden-style apartment development proposed for the 17.25-acre property at 3200 34th Street South.

The plans call for 619 apartments across eight five-story buildings and neighborhood-scale retail.

According to the application, which is scheduled to be reviewed by the city’s Development Review Commission in February, Alton Skyway would be constructed in two phases.

Phase one would deliver 342 apartments across four buildings on the southern half of the site, along with 484 parking spaces.

Phase two would add the remaining 277 units in four additional buildings and 399 parking spaces.

December 17, 2025

400-unit Marina Club Apartments completes construction in the Skyway Marina District

December 17, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Three years after breaking ground, the 400-unit Marina Club Apartments has completed construction in the Skyway Marina District, adding another large residential community to one of St. Petersburg’s fastest-growing neighborhoods.

The eight-story apartment building, located at 4341 34th Street South and overlooking Boca Ciega Bay, was developed by Jack Dougherty of Allied Group Holdings and built by Skanska USA.

Dougherty previously developed the neighboring Marina Walk Apartment Homes, a 245-unit community that opened in 2022.

Marina Club Apartments was designed by Architectonics Studio and consists of six residential floors built atop a two-story podium garage.

December 16, 2025

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

December 16, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

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.

December 11, 2025

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

December 11, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

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.

November 17, 2025

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

November 17, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

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.

November 10, 2025

Lofts on 1300 to bring luxury apartments to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North

November 10, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Construction is about to begin on a new boutique apartment building just north of downtown St. Pete.

Located at 1300 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North, Lofts on 1300 will bring nine new luxury apartments to the edge of the Euclid St. Pauls neighborhood.

The 0.37-acre site, which was previous home to two single-family residences, is zoned CRT-1 (Corridor Residential Traditional-1), which allows for a mix of residential and commercial uses.

“The beauty of this project is that it will be so close to downtown but still in the heart of the Crescent Lake and Euclid St. Pauls neighborhoods,” developer and owner David Hofstadter told St. Pete Rising. “I saw an opportunity for multifamily when I purchased the 100-year-old house on the property.”

Hofstadter bought the property in April 2024 for $848,000.

November 10, 2025

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

November 10, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

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.