St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission voted Wednesday night to approve a controversial redevelopment of the Tierra Verde Marina after hours of public comment and debate over traffic, hurricane safety, environmental impacts, and compatibility with the surrounding island community.

The approval narrowly passed with a 4-3 vote. Commissioners Charles Flynt, Sam Blatt, and Sarah Jane Vatelot voted against the project. Kevin Reali, Joseph Griner, Will Conroy, and David Hugglestone voted in favor.

Along with the approval, the DRC passed two conditions of approval. Commissioners unanimously voted to require a thorough noise study and limit noise levels to 60 decibels. They also approved operating hours for the marina and pool from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on weekdays and 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekends.

Today, the marina features 64 wet slips, 314 high-and-dry racks within a 58,000-square-foot indoor storage complex, a 24,000-square-foot shopping center, and a gas station.

The approved proposal would demolish the existing shopping center and gas station and redevelop the seven-acre marina property at 100 Pinellas Bayway South with two additional 72-foot dry-storage rack buildings, a public restaurant and rooftop bar, retail space, marina offices, and a private pool area for marina members.

Developers vying to redevelop the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District in downtown St. Pete made their first public pitch last Thursday at the Coliseum, as the City of St. Petersburg hosted an open house featuring presentations from the four shortlisted teams: ARK Ellison Horus, The Burg Bid, Foundation Vision Partners, and the Pinellas County Housing Authority.

Each group walked through its vision for the site before taking questions from attendees, offering a more direct look at how their proposals could take shape.

Much of what was presented has already been detailed in the teams’ formal submissions, which have been covered previously.

The more revealing portion of the event came during the Q&A, where developers addressed topics ranging from affordability and economic opportunity to phasing, infrastructure, and long-term community impact.

Mayor Ken Welch is expected to select one or more teams to move forward with in June, even as the St. Petersburg City Council recently voted 6-2 to pause the process.

The entire two hour event can be seen on YouTube. The City is requesting resident’s feedback on the presentations here.

Below is the Q&A session, which has been edited for clarity and length.

The City of St. Petersburg is stepping in to lead the long-awaited redevelopment of the century-old, 640-slip municipal marina along the downtown waterfront just south of the St. Pete Pier.

The redevelopment is a large, multi-phased project focused on rebuilding aging infrastructure, improving operations, and opening up more of the waterfront to the public.

City staff are currently negotiating a contract for pre-construction services with a team led by Skanska and Cummins Cederberg.

The city has worked with both firms before, partnering with Skanska on the St. Pete Pier and with Cummins Cederberg on the Citywide Seawall Master Plan.

The team responded to a city-issued request for qualifications in late 2025, shortly after the city ended negotiations with Safe Harbor Marinas, which had previously been selected to take on the project.

Under the revised approach, the city will retain full ownership and control of the marina, rather than leasing it out.