Trails Crossing, a new linear park under I-275 in downtown St. Pete, moves forward after City Council vote
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Four blocks of underutilized space beneath Interstate 275 in downtown St. Pete could be transformed into a new linear park featuring public art and event spaces, creating a destination for pedestrians and cyclists.
In a 7-to-1 vote, City Council approved an agreement on Thursday to contribute $150,000 toward hiring Colorado-based LandDesign, Inc. to kick off the master planning process for Trails Crossing, a walkable, activated park under I-275 that will embrace micro-transit and connect urban neighborhoods—an idea that has been in discussion for years.
“For too long, our community has been physically, socially, and economically divided by infrastructure that was never designed with connectivity in mind,” said John Barkett, a local developer and co-founder of the nonprofit group Friends of Trails Crossing, during Thursday’s meeting.
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A St. Pete developer is planning a 60-unit apartment building in the Grand Central District that could demonstrate a quicker, potentially less expensive way to add housing to the city.
Blake Investment Partners plans to build a five-story apartment building at 3200 First Avenue South, at the corner of 31st Street South and First Avenue South, using a factory-built system from New York-based Vessel Technologies.
The building will be Vessel’s first Florida project and part of Whitney Village, a larger mixed-use development being constructed on the YMCA’s former athletic fields. The project also includes a 325-unit apartment community by Greystar, currently under construction, a future retail village, and 860 parking spaces.
The Vessel building is not being constructed through the traditional, site-built process used for most apartment projects.
Instead, Vessel will manufacture large steel-framed panels and other components in the Northeast, transport them to St. Petersburg, and assemble the completed building on-site.