HEre's one article, more to come later:

Tower to contain public parking
Clearwater will buy up to 100 spots in the planned Station Square to replace parking sacrificed for the project.
By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer
Published December 20, 2003

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CLEARWATER - The 10-story condominium, restaurant and retail tower planned downtown next to the city's historic post office will include 100 public parking spaces on Cleveland Street.

Pegged by city officials as a catalyst for downtown redevelopment, the $25-million Station Square project would remake a parking lot next to Station Square Park and include a restaurant and retail space on the ground floor.

Designed to complement the post office's Mediterranean Revival architecture, the proposal features masked parking on the first five floors, topped by 146 condominiums with one and two bedrooms.

Developers hope to begin construction in June and finish in 12 to 14 months.

Ray Cassano, a downtown property owner and health food distributor, who also is prominent in local Scientology circles, is heading a group of local investors backing the project.

Designed by Beck Development LLC, a Dallas builder, the complex marks the first high-rise, mixed use redevelopment project downtown in 15 years.

Nick Pavonetti, director of development management for Beck, said his firm sees opportunity in the struggling downtown.

"We believe that Clearwater has the opportunity to become another Sarasota," he said. "It's our modus operandi to be the first one in."

According to plans on file with the city, the project includes outside seating for a 9,904-square-foot restaurant. Pavonetti said a market study will help determine which restaurant and retailers will be involved in the project.

"There's no names that we can discuss," he said. "We expect to have a major restaurant. I can't really tell you any more at this point."

City commissioners, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, sought requests from developers for the project. The plans are scheduled for review Jan. 20 by the city's Community Development Board and approval is contingent on a development deal with the CRA, according to city planning director Cyndi Tarapani.

As part of the deal, Clearwater Custom Floors, the two-story building at 628 Cleveland St. owned by Cassano, 51, and his wife, Kim Bright Cassano, will be demolished.

City officials have said they are prepared to spend up to $1.25-million to buy back the 72 public parking spaces on the existing lot and then some, up to 100. Most of the money would come from the sale of the property, which has been appraised at $720,000.

The remainder would come from money that has been set aside for the CRA, according to Assistant City Manager Ralph Stone.

Under the proposal, developers are seeking 85 units from a density pool set up in the downtown redevelopment plan as well as an increase in the building height limit to 158 feet.

"We're very excited about it," Stone said Friday. "It brings two things that we really value downtown. One is additional residential and the other is ground-level retail and restaurant space right in the heart of Cleveland Street."

- Jennifer Farrell can be reached at 445-4160 or farrell@sptimes.com

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/12/20/Northpinellas/Tower_to_contain_publ.shtml

This project is practically a gaurentee to go through, the developer and city are working very closely together on this. Heres another news link on this that was just posted on MSNBC.

http://famulus.msnbc.com/famuluscom/bizjournal12-20-010527.asp?bizj=TAM

Also the City is pushing hard to open a new movie theater complex downtown since there isn't one first run theater in town (Oldsmar is the closest one I can think of) Expect more news on that in the coming months.

This sounds awsome! :)


Be sure to keep us updated on this project! More great things happening in Florida!

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
Clearwater's plan has it all
Commercial, retail and residential make up project
Ken Salgat
Staff Writer
CLEARWATER -- The City of Clearwater has teamed up with construction firm The Beck Group to develop a $40-million mixed-use project on the site of the Station Square Parking Lot downtown.

The approximately 1-acre project will include an 11-story building with two floors of commercial and retail. The top floors will be reserved for residential.

The first floor will consist of 15,000 square feet of retail and one large restaurant. Major components of the project include a restaurant fronting on Cleveland Street and potential for office space.

The residential component will have 146 condominium units over several floors of structured parking.

Construction is expected to commence in the early summer, said Reg Owens, the city's economic development director.

"We selected The Beck Group and have been meeting with them on a regular basis to finalize the development agreement," said Owens, who added he expects the final agreement to be approved in early February.

The Beck Group is scheduled for community board approval on Jan. 20.

"After that approval, we will consummate the development agreement with them," said Owens.

The partnership has been more than seven months in the making.

On May 12, the Clearwater Redevelopment Agency authorized the issuance of a bid proposal to select a development team to redevelop the Station Square Parking Lot site as a mixed-use infill development.

The agency made the site available for redevelopment as a catalyst for new urban housing and professional office use in the downtown core.

Owens said the original infill site contained approximately 36,000 square feet. The Beck Group proposed to enlarge the site by acquiring an additional 6,500 square feet, and the city agreed.

Once both sides agreed on development specifics the process took off.

"We (the city) have a process in place where we put together a quick-response team to meet with the developer on an immediate basis," said Owens.

In addition, the city will start up a $5-million streetscaping program as an incentive to development.

The program will begin in November on Cleveland Street between Myrtle Avenue and the bayfront. Cleveland Street will be made more pedestrian friendly, said Owens.

The city will be buying back into the project 100 public parking spaces, he said.

To reach Ken Salgat, call (813) 342-2477 or send your e-mail to ksalgat@bizjournals.com.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2003/12/22/story3.html?t=printable

EXCLUSIVE REPORTS
Condo towers depend on city's plan
Ken Salgat
Staff Writer
CLEARWATER -- The face of downtown Clearwater will get a significant lift if three towers and 150 condominiums are added.

Glendale, Calif.-based Mainstreet Clearwater Development LLC recently purchased the AmSouth building at 400 Cleveland St. On Dec. 12 the company closed on the $1.6-million purchase of Cleveland Street storefront property formerly owned by Calvary Baptist Church.

The latter purchase constitutes approximately 28,000 square feet stretching from 401 to 428 Cleveland St.

The owners have consolidated the AmSouth and Calvary properties and could be planning a large redevelopment project, said Bill Horne, city manager.

A Clearwater developer familiar with principals at Mainstreet said Mainstreet has preliminary plans to build as many as three mixed-use towers. The towers could house more than 150 luxury condominiums and ground-level retail.

However, Mainstreet will not release any concrete plans for the site until the city finalizes its downtown redevelopment plan, said Tom Wright, spokesman for Mainstreet.

"The plan is contingent upon the City of Clearwater completing its downtown redevelopment policy," said Wright. "They were to have it done by November, but I understand its been pushed back to next year. Overall, we are not bothered much by the length of time it's taken the city to get this done. But now that we own it, it's back on the tax roll so the city's happy."

Mainstreet may not have to wait as long as it anticipated for the redevelopment plan.

Horne said that the city commission has approved a redevelopment plan, but it needs to clear a two-step county approval process to become effective.

The first step was taken Dec. 16 when the county approved the plan. In doing so, it also gave the city the authority to develop a tax increment plan to help fund redevelopment projects, said Horne.

"The next step is for the county to approve the tax-increment trust fund, which probably won't be approved until February," said Horne. "That will give us a new plan that will allow developers to move forward with their projects. Future development is really contingent upon the plan being approved."

Until the redevelopment plan is approved, the new owners are allowing the church's hardship and singles ministries to continue to occupy the properties for at least six months, said Wright.

Depending on the church's needs and the release of the downtown redevelopment plan, this arrangement may be extended on a month-to-month basis, he said.

To reach Ken Salgat, call (813) 342-2477 or send your e-mail to ksalgat@bizjournals.com.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2003/12/22/story6.html?t=printable

City's designs to draw people
Clearwater's principles for its downtown revitalization aim to attract people who stroll the sidewalks, sip coffee in courtyards and chat in plazas.
By KELLY VIRELLA
Published December 22, 2003

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CLEARWATER - Before Starbucks opened on Cleveland Street at S Fort Harrison Avenue, the intersection was just a plain set of crosswalks.

People walked by on their way to lunch at Cajun Grill Express, the buffet at 421 Cleveland St., barely stopping to notice the 77-year-old Wiseman Building.

Then the coffee shop added a patio to the building and installed an arcade of windows along its facade.

"The corner came alive," said Gina Clayton, Clearwater's long-range planning manager. "Pedestrians are drawn to it because people are sitting on the patio people-watching. You can look inside the store and see people."

Lively is what Clearwater's planning department and commissioners would like to see the rest of downtown become. And, those officials say, one way to achieve that is through close attention to the design of buildings and streets.

The planning department, in conjunction with a committee of residents, will soon begin formulating a list of the features that they believe downtown streets and buildings must have to draw people. On Thursday, the City Commission approved a set of 20 or so principles from which the features will be derived.

The principles offer a preview of the city's design priorities. For example:

New buildings should be "compatible" with surrounding structures in terms of height, width and depth.

Blocks in the downtown core should be small.

Parking lots and garages should be unobtrusive.

Courtyards, plazas and other public spaces are encouraged.

The final list of features will be called design guidelines. They won't require the remodeling of existing buildings, but will apply to all new construction.

"You have to make it an interesting place to walk," said Cyndi Tarapani, the city's planning director. "You have to give people a reason to want to be there."

Clayton declined last week to give examples of buildings whose designs drive people away. "Our philosophy is that we don't put any property owners on the spot," she said. "If we have a development proposal in front of us and it isn't working out, we deal with it then."

The look and feel of a building or street is crucial to the success of downtown revitalization projects, said Trent Green, an associate professor of architecture and urban design at the University of South Florida.

People complain that downtown Tampa and other cities are dead, as if it were an accident, he said. "Guess what?" he said. "It's designed that way."

Before pedestrians will use a particular street, the windows and doors of the buildings on it must open to the street, Green said. Dead streets are often lined with buildings that turn their backs to pedestrians.

"We can design a building in such a way that it repels life," he said. "If you walk along a full city block and there are no windows and no way to go into a building, generally people will avoid that street."

Parking lots located in front of buildings isolate pedestrians on sidewalks from the people inside of the building, he said. Courtyards and plazas unite pedestrians.

The height, width, and depth of buildings also affect pedestrian's affinity for a particular neighborhood, he said. The proportions of the buildings in a neighborhood establish its identity, or character, he said.

"The first thing you encounter is the character of a place," he said. "Either you like it and it makes you want to come back or you don't."

Green and other experts tout Orlando as an example of a Florida city that has leveraged design guidelines to stimulate downtown growth.

For years the north side of the city's downtown was a sea of parking lots, said Kristin Larsen, associate professor in the University of Florida's department of urban and regional planning.

Adopting design guidelines brought people and housing back downtown, Larsen said. "They had a very strong vision of what they wanted their city to look like and they stuck to it," she said.

Yet, their guidelines were flexible enough to accommodate reasonable variation, she said. "I have seen guidelines that get down to architectural details on buildings, that require a porch that is 5 feet deep and 20 feet wide" she said.

"There should be certain unifying elements, but to overdo it so that you hamstring people makes all buildings look the same."

Flexibility also keeps costs low, said Robert Stroh, director of the Shimberg Center for Affordable Housing, a University of Florida research center. "A tile roof or a certain selection of exterior materials may really contribute to the design of a building," he said. "But on the other hand, the developer might not be able to control the cost."

With the help of Clearwater's planning department, a committee of 15 residents will steer the development of the city's design guidelines. Keeping them flexible is one of their primary objectives, Clayton said.

"We've got a good process in place with the steering committee," she said. "We've got a good cross section of people from architects to contractors to residents."

The committee's schedule of meetings and its agenda will be posted on the city's Web site, www.myclearwater.com Clayton said. Every draft that the committee produces also will appear on the city's Web site, Clayton said.

People living in the affected areas will get letters about the new guidelines, she said.

Clearwater developers Ben Harrill and Jerry Figurski said they have faith that the city will adopt reasonable guidelines.

But the men, whose proposal to build 150-foot-tall condo towers near the Old Bay neighborhood was rejected earlier this year, questioned whether the planners who review development projects will also be reasonable.

"The devil is in the details," Harrill said.

"The devil will lie in the hands of people who review proposals," Figurski said.

http://www.sptimes.com/2003/12/22/Northpinellas/City_s_designs_to_dra.shtml

I find it funny that they want to be like Sarasota

Anyway, here's something about Largo sort of getting its head out of its ass (these are actually much more like real townhouses than the suburaban two story apartment that is so often called a townhouse).

Townhouses catch on with home buyers
Builders launch two townhome projects and an apartment complex to meet demand.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published December 22, 2003

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LARGO - The trend to multifamily living, such as townhouses and apartments, is gaining momentum in Pinellas's third-largest city.

Two townhome projects, each with more than 100 units, are under way on Starkey and Ulmerton roads.

Downtown, the 54 townhomes in the West Bay Village complex, anticipated for their new urbanism flavor and the urban renewal they might inspire, are nearing completion.

And in the northern sector, 180 apartments will be built next year near Ponce de Leon and Clearwater-Largo Road.

It's a pattern of new home construction seen throughout Pinellas. With few pieces of easy-to-develop land remaining in Largo, many builders are erecting townhomes and apartments rather than single-family homes, said Largo's Community Development Director Mike Staffopoulos.

Townhomes also seem to be popular for residents wanting to break out of apartment living.

"A lot of people renting apartments don't want to be renting anymore," said Mary Latuszek, a representative at the 112-unit Seminole Palms townhomes project being built by Atlanta-based Beazer Homes.

That's one reason Jaime and Brenda Castro moved there. They were looking for an investment without having to pay much more than they did as a renters.

At Seminole Palms, which is off Starkey Road, two- and three-bedroom homes cost about $122,000 and $141,000 before upgrades.

"We were looking for houses in a budget range of what they have here," said Castro, 29, who works in airport security.

About 70 units have been sold at Seminole Palms. Beazer has completed about 16. More than 60 are in construction.

The units will have 1,205 and 1,607 square feet, 21/2 baths, vaulted ceilings and will be wired for security systems.

Around the corner, on the south side of Ulmerton Road, is the Cumberland Trace townhomes project bring built by Minneapolis-based Rottlund Homes.

Rottlund Homes broke ground on the 126-unit development two months ago. Sixteen homes are being built now. By spring, the first units should be completed.

The two-bedroom, 11/2 bath units, range from about $126,000 to $130,000 and feature lofts, one-car garages and security systems. Thirty four have been sold, according to Bud Levell, representative for Cumberland Trace. Buyers "have been across the board," he said. "Some people from up North who want a summer home, and some young professionals."

Cumberland Trace and Seminole Palms each will have a swimming pool and cabana room.

In February, the Richman Group of Florida plans to break ground on the apartment complex along the Clearwater-Largo Road corridor.

The new construction has caught the attention of city leaders, some of whom predict a spike in Largo's population, which is just less than 75,000.

"The area is on fire," said City Commissioner Charlie Harper. "It's growing by leaps and bounds. I fully expect to be at 80,000 in a couple of years."

Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com
http://www.sptimes.com/2003/12/22/Northpinellas/Townhouses_catch_on_w.shtml

form the Jacksonville Business Journal- 22 Dec. 2003

Ken Salgat
Staff Writer

CLEARWATER -- Developer Clearwater Village LC plans to redevelop an entire city block into two-story townhomes.


The $10-million, 3.5-acre project called New York Lofts will face Laura Street and Grove Street and will be fully encompassed by Booth Avenue and Martin L. King Avenue. Pre-construction prices for the 46 units range from $192,000 to $222,000, but those numbers will change.

"Our prices are too low, and we're reviewing price increases," said Bud Reichel, Clearwater Village principal. "Our intention is to sell half before construction and then increase the price by a minimum of $10,000 after that. If we can get $20,000 more, we will."

Reichel and city officials said new residential is wanted and needed in the area. He hopes New York Lofts will bring young professionals Downtown.

Ralph Stone, assistant city manager overseeing economic development, echoed Reichel's sentiments.

"We have really good residential development opportunities wrapping around Cleveland Street," Stone said.

The loft project is not the first for Reichel in Clearwater, but it is expected to have a much faster approval process.

Reichel's company is in the final stages of developing Clearwater Village at Kings Highway and State Street. Clearwater Village has 129 single-

family and multifamily units on more than 12 acres, which took Reichel years to acquire and receive approval to develop.

Reichel said he expects to receive the the final permit to build New York Lofts by mid-January. Groundbreaking is scheduled for March.

"It is definitely the type of project we want to see Downtown, and we're actively promoting Downtown residential," Stone said.

Ken Salgat is a staff writer with The Business Journal of Tampa Bay, a sister publication.

link: http://jacksonville.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/stories/2003/12/22/focus4.html

Clearwater will never be Sarasota.

NOt as long as you-kow-who runs the place.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/01/21/images/large/CT_1_ctstation_175976_0121.jpg
[Urban Studio Architects]
The Station Square proposal, shown in this rendering, would include a restaurant and retail space on the ground floor topped by 146 condominium units. Developers hope to begin construction on July 1 and finish in 12 to 14 months.

Downtown tower okayed
A city board approves the $30-million residential-retail project.
By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer
Published January 21, 2004

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CLEARWATER - A city board on Tuesday approved plans for a 14-story condominium, restaurant and retail tower planned downtown next to the city's historic post office.

Pegged by city officials as a catalyst for downtown redevelopment, the $30-million Station Square proposal includes 100 public parking spaces on Cleveland Street.

The project, designed to complement the post office's Mediterranean revival architecture, would remake a parking lot next to Station Square Park and include a restaurant and retail space on the ground floor, topped by up to 146 condominium units with one and two bedrooms.

Developers hope to begin construction July 1 and finish in 12 to 14 months.

Ray Cassano, a downtown property owner and health food distributor prominent in Scientology circles, is heading a group of local investors backing the project.

Designed by Beck Development LLC, a Dallas builder, the complex marks the first high-rise, mixed-use redevelopment project downtown in 15 years.

On Tuesday, the city's Community Development Board unanimously approved the plans, which include a reduction in parking requirements and an extra 85 units granted from the city's downtown incentive pool for public amenities.

According to plans on file with the city, the project includes outside seating for a 9,904-square-foot restaurant.

City commissioners, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, sought requests from developers for the project. Tuesday's approval is contingent on a development deal with the CRA.

As part of the deal, Clearwater Custom Floors, the two-story building at 628 Cleveland St. owned by Cassano and his wife, Kim Bright Cassano, will be demolished.

^That looks like it will be a nice fit in downtown Clearwater. Its about time downtown Clearwater has started to grow vertically.

I like it a lot. Downtown Tampa could use a few buildings that scale and look.

I like that building alot too.

I agree that DT Tampa could use about 5-6 of those kinds of projects scattered around northern DT. However, I also hope that Tampa manages to build a few buildings in a more modern style. Perhaps something a little South American (modernist) in influence.

That does look like a great project for downtown. Do most of the buildings in downtown resemble something like that? Or is it just a nice blend? :)

There are a number of smaller buildings 2-5 stories that have a similar type of facade, but nothing bigger. The taller stuff is all newer.

Jasonhouse - patience. :cool:

Trying to get some info on this thing (see bold section)

December 2003 Issue
Clearwater Building Boom
by Joe O'Neill

Clearwater wants to be known for more than a great beach, awesome sunsets and a drive-though downtown. To that end, city officials are aggressively marketing downtown to developers, getting creative with incentive packages and investing in infrastructure amenities while putting out the word that there are prime parcels — public and private — for redevelopment. This includes City Hall itself, which overlooks the harbor.


According to Reg Owens, the city’s director of economic development and housing, the campaign has generated about 65 face-to-face meetings with developers — predominately residential — over the last year.


“What’s really driving us is the national trend for urban living,” Owens says. “Clearwater is safe and clean. Properties can be assembled, and there’s a water view. And now that so much is built out, developers are looking at infill projects. We qualify.”


Owens would get no argument from Nick Pavonetti, director of development for Beck Development LLC, which is set to begin the 140-condominum Station Square by the end of the first quarter of 2004. “Clearwater is ripe for downtown residential,” Pavonetti says. “The support of everyone from Mayor Aungst down is the reason we’re here.”


[B]Among other planned downtown projects is the 20-story, $80-million Clearwater Bay Club, a hotel-condo-retail hybrid. “If you’re putting something into the ground, this is the place,” says Lee Arnold, CEO and chairman of Colliers Arnold, the developer of Clearwater Bay Club. “We see pent-up demand.”

Ralph Stone, Clearwater’s assistant city manager, put the prospects in perspective. “Clearwater doesn’t enjoy position on the transportation network, but we do enjoy a unique piece of geography,” points out Stone. “We can bring the waterfront into downtown. This could be Dunedin on steroids.”


Clearwater city officials and developers alike have done double takes when they looked west and glimpsed their pristine beach through the filter of reality. It saw world-class sand and water — but many second-class properties. And so they’re doing something about it.


The $350-million Bluewater Isle Resort was one of the most prominent proposals for development when it was announced last year, but uncertain financing has left its prospects a question. On the other hand, it’s nothing but clear sailing for JMC Communities, which opened the Mandalay Beach Club luxury condominums last year. Now, JMC is building Belle Harbor Condominiums on Mandalay Avenue, which will total 200 residences when it opens next spring. Some condos are priced at more than $1 million.


“We looked at the beach market and saw a lack of recent quality development,” says Lee Allen, JMC’s vice president of finance, “and a lack of supply of quality second homes.”


It’s the same story for hotels, according to Richard Gehring, a partner in the ownership group developing the Seashell Hotel near mid-beach. Seashell Resort LLD hopes to break ground by the end of next year on its 250-unit, $85-million project.


“We’ve had a lot of city support on issues such as density,” Gehring says. “There’s been no new resort development here for some time. And there’s still strong visitation.”


It’s all enough to get Mike Meidel gushing like the Clearwater Regional Chamber of Commerce president that he is. “I’d call it a self-feeding catalyst,” Meidel says. “The city’s doing streetscapes and public amenities pools. We’re recruiting retail and restaurants. A number of residential properties are going through the permitting process. All the parts are coming together.”
http://www.tampabayillustrated.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=display_article&whicharticle=343

March 19, 2003
Clearwater downtown condos could start next summer
Colliers Arnold Commercial Real Estate Services Inc. reported Wednesday that it plans to start work as early as next summer on an $80-million redevelopment project in downtown Clearwater that will include approximately 100 condominium units.

The Clearwater-based company hopes to close on the acquisition of the redevelopment site this summer, said Lee Arnold, chairman of Colliers Arnold. The 1.7-acre site includes the building currently being used as the city's main public library, along with adjacent parking lots and an office building owned by the Church of Scientology.

"Altogether we will have assembled a site that has frontage on Drew Street, Osceola Street and Fort Harrison," Arnold stated in a release.

A sophisticated site planning process now under way could include between 92 and 110 condos, many with premium water views, priced from the $500,000 range, he said. The 250,000-square-foot development may also include upscale retail space and luxury hotel rooms, he said.

Architect Richard Gillette developed initial plans for the project, Arnold said.
http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2003/03/17/daily18.html?t=printable

I really hope that DT Clearwater takes off alot more. I would rather see Clearwater beach not get built up too much more, just because of the disaster potential.

A few buildings 15-20 stories tall would be a nice start.

Some stuff is already happening...



Belle Harbor... 2 x 14 story condo towers, as well as 2 x12 story condo towers. The towers are surrounded by two blocks of townhouses.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8clearwater_belle_harbor_from_cwbcwy_b.jpg

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8clearwater_belle_harbor_from_mandalay_park.jpg




Bella Rosa... 10 stories... 32 units.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8clearwater_bella_rosa.jpg


Utopia... 9 stories... 29 units.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8clearwater_utopia_2.jpg

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8clearwater_utopia.jpg

Bayview... 6 stories (And I think a 2nd 5 story?)... 28 units.

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8clearwater_bayview.jpg

http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8clearwater_bayview_2.jpg


There were two other projects along the intercoastal further up towards Dunedin... I couldn't get a pic of either, because of traffic.


One was Del Mar Vista, which was 5 stories and almost topped out. I don't know how many units.

The last one was Dunedin Arms, which was 28 units and 7 stories. It was undergoing siteprep (and sales I imagine).




I still think that even with the new Causeway, that the DT Clearwater/Clearwater Beach/Sand Key area suffers from very poor connectivity. I really hope that they do build something like a monorail on a dedicated ROW to serve DT clearwater and the two keys of Clearwater. Hell, they could rake in the cash by charging "event" fares during Spring Break and peaks in the tourist season. Couple this with tolls on visiting autos going out to the keys and the city could wind up paying very little to run a well ridden and effective transit line.

Downtown condo tower gains city's final approval
Station Square will rise 14 stories with up to 146 condo units, as well as restaurant, retail and parking space.
By RICHARD DANIELSON, Times Staff Writer
Published February 20, 2004

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CLEARWATER - City commissioners Thursday night gave final approval to a development agreement meant to bring a 14-story condominium, restaurant and retail tower to downtown Clearwater.

The Station Square building will be downtown's first high-rise, mixed use redevelopment project in 15 years.

The vote was 4-1, with Commissioner Bill Jonson voting no. He worried that, at 158 feet, the Station Square building would be inconsistent with the historic character and scale of development on Cleveland Street.

The contrast might be especially stark, Jonson said, because the tower would be next to the city's post office, which is on the National Register of Historic Places for its Mediterranean revival architecture.

"I love the project," he said. "I just wish the front side had a different feel to it."

Other commissioners, however, welcomed the $42-million project with no such misgivings.

Interim City Commissioner J.B. Johnson said he thought the Station Square project would be a catalyst for other new development downtown.

"I think this is a project that's beautiful," he said. "It is something that the city of Clearwater has needed for years. It's going to bring people downtown."

Now that it has the city's approval, the developer will work on completing the project's design, said Nick Pavonetti, director of development management with Beck Development, which is designing the project.

Once the design is finished and the exact cost of the project is known, developers will line up financing for the project. Pavonetti expected construction will begin this summer and take 12 to 14 months to complete.

When finished, the building will have up to 146 condominium units, 15,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space and 326 parking spaces. Under the terms of the development agreement, the city will pay the developer $1.25-million to buy 100 of those parking spaces, which will be made available to the public.

The high-rise is planned for slightly less than an acre on Cleveland Street. Currently, the property consists mostly of a parking lot next to Station Square Park.

Ray Cassano, a downtown property owner and health food distributor, who also is prominent in local Scientology circles, is heading a group of local investors backing the project.

As part of the work, Clearwater Custom Floors, the two-story building at 628 Cleveland St., would be torn down and the business would move, developers have said.

In an unrelated matter, commissioners briefly discussed this week's announcement that cracks have been discovered in four columns supporting the new $69.3-million Memorial Causeway Bridge.

Mayor Brian Aungst thanked city Public Works Administrator Mahshid Arasteh for warning city officials long ago not to try managing the bridge's construction themselves.

As a result, the city and the state agreed to have the Florida Department of Transportation manage the project. Clearwater officials plan to work with DOT as it determines what can be done to repair the bridge and will not let it open until it's safe.

"We're as frustrated as anyone else out there," Aungst said. But he said experts have told him the design of the bridge is sound. "It's not sinking, and it's not a flawed design. . . . To blame anyone in the city of Clearwater for the mishaps of the bridge is inaccurate and unfair."

[Last modified February 20, 2004, 01:31:57]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/02/20/Northpinellas/Downtown_condo_tower_.shtml

Originally posted by smiley

I find it funny that they want to be like Sarasota



Why is that funny? Sarasota is the perfect model for Clearwater, it has the most vibrant downtown of all the Gulf Coast cities.

It's funny because one woudl generally think of Clearwater as the older, much larger, more established city. But instead, the diminutive upstart south of the bay has it all over the Bay Area's 3rd largest city.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/03/03/images/large/CT_1_cthotel_180979_0303.jpg
New plans filed for luxury beach resort
City officials are cautious but hopeful that Tony Markopoulos' $100-million plan can anchor a new Clearwater Beach.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published March 3, 2004




CLEARWATER - A beach hotelier has filed plans to build a $100-million luxury condo and hotel resort after nine months of sometimes contentious negotiations with the city.

Tony Markopoulos's Clearwater Beach project would include 350 hotel rooms, 75 condominiums and 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The project, which also would feature retail, restaurants, banquet rooms and night clubs, would replace Markopoulos' Day's Inn, Beach Towers, Spy Glass and Golden Beach motels south of the roundabout.

While Markopoulos has pressed for concessions like street closures in the past, now he's chiefly asking for more units than current rules allow. Such a concession has already been granted to the developers of the Marriott Seashell resort planned next door.

City officials, who rejected Markopoulos' plans for an even bigger beach development nearly three years ago, expressed caution. But clearly they are keeping their fingers crossed.

Mayor Brian Aungst said that if an agreement can be ironed out, the development would be a tremendous boost to the city's Beach By Design redevelopment program and Beach Walk, an ambitious transformation of the aging south end of the beach into a gleaming public promenade.

"It will get a us a kick-start in Beach by Design and Beach Walk, and that's what we really need," Aungst said. "If we can get this going, it will be a catalyst to the remarkable transformation of that block."

Some disagreement about management and traffic control, however, remain.

Commissioners hoped the hotel would bear the name of a national chain, or at least be run by an independent management company with experience operating and marketing high-end properties.

But Markopoulos has firmly refused those options and said they could be a waste of money.

"I don't think I need management after 40 years in this business," said Markopoulos."It's a better use of money to market your property yourself."

Assistant City Manager Ralph Stone said the city's key concern revolves around maintaining the quality of the resort. That could could be accomplished by providing the same type of amenities and services provided by hotels such as Ritz-Carlton or Marriott, Stone said.

Ed Hooper, a consultant and spokesman for the project, described the project as a three-star resort with some of the amenities of a four- or five-star hotel. The development would have features such as concierge service, a spa and a landscaped pool deck, with a splash pool and morning pool, he said. It would also have classical grand architecture with punched window openings, accented with balcony treatments and trim.

Markopoulos previously requested that the city limit traffic on Gulfview Boulevard surrounding his resort to one-way, and to close Gulfview Boulevard from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. daily.

Both proposals met resistance from officials and were dropped.

Hooper said one of the most recent challenges was accommodating new federal flood zone maps that changed what can be built along the coastline. Markopoulos revised original plans to raise the bottom floor to 14 feet above ground level to better clear the new rules, Hooper said.

Stone said city officials hope to iron out an agreement with Markopoulos by Thursday. If no agreement can be reached, the City Commission will make the final decision.

Markopoulos and officials say getting to this point meant give-and-take on both sides. Officials would contribute 250 units from the city's density pool on the beach if Markopoulos would help pay for the construction of Beach Walk on the north and west side of the resort.

If both parties can make the project a reality it has the potential to revitalize an aging resort market on the beach, Stone said.

"This would be the kind of project that could really reposition Clearwater Beach and the tourist market," he said.

Markopoulos said that challenge attracted him to the project.

"It comes to a point where money doesn't mean anything. It's a challenge. If it was just money, I could renovate," Markopoulos said. "The city wins, the public wins and we accomplish our dreams."

- Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 3, 2004, 01:45:07]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/03/03/Northpinellas/New_plans_filed_for_l.shtml

Found these posted by a forumer here a while ago. ;)




Mirror Lake
http://www.stpete.org/images/100199.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/022800.jpg
Fire Station
http://www.stpete.org/images/100799.jpg

Snell Arcade Building
http://www.stpete.org/images/101199.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/0915002.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/100600.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/091201.jpg

Kress Building
http://www.stpete.org/images/101399.jpg

Bank of America
http://www.stpete.org/images/101599.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/022500.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/032100.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/062000.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/120800.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/072700.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/080100.jpg
St Pete Skyline
http://www.stpete.org/images/1103992.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/112499.jpg

Fountain
http://www.stpete.org/images/110599.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/110999.jpg

Post Office
http://www.stpete.org/images/111599.jpg

Coliseum
http://www.stpete.org/images/111699.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/083100.jpg
City Hall
http://www.stpete.org/images/111799.jpg

The Pier
http://www.stpete.org/images/1118993.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/012400.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/030100.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/082300.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/071700.jpg
Vinoy
http://www.stpete.org/images/122799.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/121000.jpg
Port
http://www.stpete.org/images/122899.jpg

Tropicana Field
http://www.stpete.org/images/dome.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/082200.jpg
Museum of Fine Art
http://www.stpete.org/images/123099.jpg

Garage
http://www.stpete.org/images/010500.jpg

Aerial View of Downtown
http://www.stpete.org/images/010700.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/011800.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/020200.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/021700.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/080900.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/081100.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/062300.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/081700.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/082100.jpg
Theatre
http://www.stpete.org/images/011300.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/010201.jpg

Downtown Construction
http://www.stpete.org/images/0114002.jpg

Arena

http://www.stpete.org/images/031500.jpg

Bankers Insurance Building
http://www.stpete.org/images/071900.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/011201b.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/011401.jpg
Bayfront Center
http://www.stpete.org/images/082900.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/090600.jpg

Central Station
http://www.stpete.org/images/101600.jpg

Baywalk
http://www.stpete.org/images/122700.jpg

SouthTrust
http://www.stpete.org/images/122800.jpg

The Florencia Condo
http://www.stpete.org/images/010901.jpg
http://www.stpete.org/images/011001.jpg

Sunshine Skyway Bridge
http://www.stpete.org/images/011801.jpg

Northen Trust Building
http://www.stpete.org/images/011101.jpg

Welcome
http://www.stpete.org/images/012501b.jpg

The Cloisters
http://www.stpete.org/images/012601b.jpg

First Methodist
http://www.stpete.org/images/012901b.jpg

Sunrise over Pier
http://www.stpete.org/images/020101.jpg

http://www.stpete.org/images/030702.jpg
Kress Building
http://www.stpete.org/images/020301.jpg

St Pete 1st Avenue
http://www.stpete.org/images/031701.jpg

Pioneer Park
http://www.stpete.org/images/032201.jpg

Spa Beach
http://www.stpete.org/images/051901.jpg

St Pete Beach
http://www.utdallas.edu/~navzer/beach1.jpg

Location of St PEte
http://home.att.net/~frankpat/gif/mapspb.gif

Thats Hot Stuff, thanks:)

http://www.stpete.org/images/010500.jpg

This garage was built to house an office building on top of it. that changed and now they are building 6 or 7 stories of lofts on the top.

http://www.stpete.org/images/082200.jpg


I would still like to hear the city officials from back then explain(with a straight face) how the layout of the Trop's site is conducive to encouraging downtown to develop away from the water, and to reinvigorate Central Ave towards Midtown. The dome should have been in the opposite corner diagonal from where it is, with the crappy surface lots (if they MUST have them, istead of space efficient garages and shuttle busses from other lots) facing the interstates.

I am quite excited to see what Clearwater beach becomes after this and the Marriott are built in the next few years.(hopefully)

It could actually become a decent place to go to the beach again.

Originally posted by Jasonhouse

I am quite excited to see what Clearwater beach becomes after this and the Marriott are built in the next few years.(hopefully)

It could actually become a decent place to go to the beach again.

What's wrong with the beaches now?

I've been there a couple of years ago, and I thought the beaches were amazing there. The water was so warm!

How can an areana that faces a freeway promote any type of growth that the city could want? If a new "Park-Rite" is what they have in mind...they got it.

It faces the parking lot, that entrance in the pic is the back (I had no clue there was an entrance there)
Its a shame the city got stuck with one of the last 70's/80's style stadium's to be built, instead of the better more "urban" style stadiums of the 90's. I can't wait for it to be replaced, hopefully with something like Camden Yards in Baltimore will replace it (by far the best sports stadium I've been to) but thats far off if ever (assuming the D-Rays survive and another stadium ever gets built DT)

The promenade and entrance shown have always been the main entrance to the stadium.

This is a big reason why the team spent $58 million on renovations several years ago. It simply made no sense whatsoever to have folks park on the backside of the stadium, and walk several hundred yards around to the front, out in the heat. So, they greatly expanded what was the "outfield seats entrance", altered the concourses and concessions inside, and effectively reversed the flow of people in the stadium.

Of course, there's still nothing that they could do for how the stadium is seemingly built to AVOID interacting with the rest of the city. The only way to improve that issue would be to develop the parking lots, and build garages, offices, hotels and residential above the street level retail and entertainment. But that would cost serious $$$$ at this point.


BTW, without a new collective bargaining agreement and a REAL salary cap (like that of the NFL or at least NBA), then the Rays will fold within 5 years at most. If there is a new agreement, then we'll likely see a new stadium (somewhere in the metro, probably more like Tampa or Gateway IMO) within 10 years at most.

Luxury resort eyed for beach
The $130-million project would include a hotel, spa and condos on the current site of the Clearwater Beach Hotel.
By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer
Published April 2, 2004

CLEARWATER - St. Petersburg developer Mike Cheezem plans to build a $130-million luxury beachfront resort on Clearwater Beach that would rival such tony hotels as Tradewinds Island Grand and the Don Cesar.
In a deal with the Hunter Hotel Company, Cheezem's JMC Communities would tear down the landmark Clearwater Beach Hotel to make way for the new resort, planned on a 5.5-acre tract with700 feet of prime beachfront along the Gulf of Mexico.
The resort, with a 224-room, four-diamond hotel and spa with shops, restaurants and 120 condos, would be the first ever upscale resort development on Clearwater Beach.
"Our goal," Cheezem said, "is to create a classic beachfront resort."
The city would have to approve the development plans, which have not yet been submitted. Cheezem said he hopes to complete the project by early 2007.
City officials, who heard about the conceptual plans early Thursday, said they were universally pleased - and relieved - to learn that a hotel is part of the deal. Skyrocketing land prices have fueled a hot condo market on the beach, and a resulting loss of hundreds of motel units.
A resort project like Cheezem's, if successful, could spark similar redevelopment on other parts of the beach, Mayor Brian Aungst said.
"It's something that we desperately need," he said.
City Councilman Frank Hibbard said the resort would complement two other upscale condo projects Cheezem has developed north of the roundabout: Mandalay Beach Club, which is immediately to the south of the new site, and Belle Harbor, which is still under construction directly across Mandalay Avenue.
"Conceptually, it's what we have been searching for," Hibbard said. "It's starting to get a critical mass of luxury."
Early plans call for meeting space, a fitness center and a private beach club with a limited number of memberships for sale to the public, Cheezem said.
Hotel rooms would run $200 a night and guests and condo owners would have access to valet and concierge service as well as room service.
"It is a destination resort," said Ed Armstrong, the Clearwater attorney representing Cheezem.
For nearly 50 years, the 137-room Clearwater Beach Hotel has been owned and operated by the Hunter family, and its company will retain a partnership interest in the property.
Designs have not been completed, but Cheezem said the project will retain the intimate character of the Clearwater Beach Hotel, which opened in 1915.
The deal between JMC and Hunter does not include a series of storefronts on Mandalay Avenue, that are adjacent to the project land and are anchored by co-owner Tom Gionis Waterfront Restaurant.
Gionis has said he is not interested in selling, and Cheezem said he is prepared to move forward without the property. Gionis declined to comment Thursday.
In Clearwater, strapped with aging hotels and a stagnant redevelopment market, city officials set up a density "pool" three years ago to allow hotel developers to add more rooms to their projects. Rights to hundreds of resort hotel units were made available as a carrot to lure developers.
The city also tweaked its land use code and invested millions on streetscape improvements. So far, not a single resort project has broken ground.
But two other luxury resort hotels are proposed south of the beach roundabout. Both have been in negotiations for years and neither are directly on the beach.
Like those proposals, Cheezem's project would request units from the density pool. But to accommodate him, the city would have to amend its Beach By Design plan, the blueprint for beach redevelopment. That move, in turn, would require approval from the state Department of Community Affairs in Tallahassee.
Cheezem said he also will ask the city to vacate Beach Drive, which runs north-south through a portion of the property. Armstrong said there will be no request to vacate Baymont Street, which divides the property roughly in half and provides public access to the beach from Mandalay.
On Thursday, city officials said they are willing to consider Cheezem's requests.
"Two hundred twenty-four first-class resort units directly on the sand. That is an opportunity that is begging us to look at Beach By Design," said City Councilman Hoyt Hamilton. "I think it screams for it."
Elected officials also cited Cheezem's proven track record. In less than a decade, he has been involved in the development of about 500 condo units on Clearwater Beach and Sand Key, as well as projects in St. Petersburg, including Dolphin Cay and Florencia in downtown.
Cheezem, 50, also is working with Connecticut developer David Mack to redevelop the Holiday Inn Sunspree at the south end of Clearwater beach into condominiums.
"He's the real deal," Aungst said. "He's not a guy that will try to cut corners. When he says he's going to do something, he does it."
City Councilman Bill Jonson, likewise, was thrilled with the proposal.
"The only thing that would be better," Jonson said, "would be if it was in a really ratty area."
[Last modified April 2, 2004, 01:20:42] http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/02/Northpinellas/Luxury_resort_eyed_fo.shtml

The promenade and entrance shown have always been the main entrance to the stadium.

This is a big reason why the team spent $58 million on renovations several years ago. It simply made no sense whatsoever to have folks park on the backside of the stadium, and walk several hundred yards around to the front, out in the heat. So, they greatly expanded what was the "outfield seats entrance", altered the concourses and concessions inside, and effectively reversed the flow of people in the stadium.

Of course, there's still nothing that they could do for how the stadium is seemingly built to AVOID interacting with the rest of the city. The only way to improve that issue would be to develop the parking lots, and build garages, offices, hotels and residential above the street level retail and entertainment. But that would cost serious $$$$ at this point.


BTW, without a new collective bargaining agreement and a REAL salary cap (like that of the NFL or at least NBA), then the Rays will fold within 5 years at most. If there is a new agreement, then we'll likely see a new stadium (somewhere in the metro, probably more like Tampa or Gateway IMO) within 10 years at most.

I thought I was the only one that was predicting a new stadium in Gateway or across the bridge in Tampa coming soon. Now that the Bucs are building their new training facility on the Tampa Bay Center site, that rules out my theory of a new baseball stadium there, but there's still room in Gateway. I think the City of St. Petersburg will fight hard to keep the team in the city.

I really don't care for the dome, even with the renovations. I really don't like all the surface parking. I agree that the lots should've been developed as parking garages. I would've created some type of shopping/entertainment district with a large hotel leading from the 3rd Ave parking entrance all the way down to the bridge accross the creek that runs through the property. I'd tie it into a complete redevelopment of that entire area of downtown from surface parking and a strip center into a new, large-scale urban development-- a new Webb Plaza/Dome District. (We'd have to get U-haul outta there, too.) With all that land over there, there's a nice opportunity for the city to do something really nice, and perhaps build some affordable housing to balance the ritzy stuff along Beach Drive. (I'm all for the ritzy stuff, too.) Part of the site could even become a transportation hub for buses and a future light rail system.

I was looking at what they're doing across the country in LA around the Staples Center. Something similar to that should be happenning around the dome. Some public-private partnerships can get it done, with the city, housing authority, private developer(s) and maybe the universities (SPC and USF) working together.

My radical thinking sees that dome demolished and the entire dome site redeveloped, though. :)

Something else the city should consider moving: the Police Department Headquarters. It is absolutely killing any opportunity for the development of Central Avenue into the entertainment oriented strip (with some shopping, office and definately housing) it should be. Who wants to party right in front of the police? They should build a new complex close to the Fire Department Headquarters on the other side of downtown. I believe there are some surface parking lots over there.

I'm also interested, among other things, to see what gets done with the land the Bayfront Arena sits on, with it's eminant demolition. That's another outdated sports venue that needs to go. I hope they reconsider a partnership with the USF to build a conference center. Perhaps making it a hotel/conference center might make it more worth it for the city.

Thanks for sharing all of those. I like the close-ups of the B of A. I always thought that was an odd building with that brown "cap" on top. But, your pictures show it really is not a bad-looking building at all. Back in 1990, my family took a vacation to the St. Petersburgh area and we had a blast. We stated on a small island called "Terre Verde" nearby.

One of these days, I want to cross the state and explore Tampa and St. Petersburgh. I have no good personal pics of that town, and I want to get some more postcards.

Grid,

If you get over there, make some time for Sarasota, its my personal favorite Gulf coast city..in many ways its more urban than both St. Pete and Tampa.

I forgot to add a long time ago that in the future, it may be advisable to not necessarily post 73 pictures in one thread, even if they're very small file sizes, as it takes a LONG time for this thread to load most of the time. The sheer number of pictures impacts load time almost as much as thier total size.

I don't know about this new software and server, but on the old one, there was a reasonable limit on the number of pictures the page of a thread could have that was around a 110 pics or so (depending upon file size) whereas after that point, there was a reasonable chance that multiple simulteneous hits on such a thread could overload and crash or crash/roboot the server during peak load times. I'm sure it's much better than that now though, and is probably only a practical concern in terms of the time it takes for the enduser.

What's wrong with the beaches now?

I've been there a couple of years ago, and I thought the beaches were amazing there. The water was so warm!



To me, Clearwater Beach is mostly old, run-down, and very "low budget", if you know what I mean. There's a couple decent hotels, and a couple decent ones on Sand Key. But most of it is 3 star or less crap.

I'm eager to see things be redeveloped extensively, and I am especially eager to see some sort of rail connection that would run from Sand Key up to Clearwater Key, and then in the Causeway to Dt Clearwater, with the line ending on the eastern side of DT, with a sizable park and ride facility... lol... It would be great just to see the basic connection from the beach to DT that they're mulling.




BtW, I wonder if some things will actually start getting built in DT Clearwater? It's such a shame to see one of Florida's few coastal cities not really thriving.

And does anyone else agree that the new Causeway bridge to the beach isn't really going to do much for traffic? I think that they need another bridge, either at the south end of Clearwater Key (preferable), or at the north end (ha!)... An even better solution would be rail, so hopefully the city will actually find a way to do that.

I would not hold my breath for any train or monrail, unless the Scientologist pay for it. As for projects in Clearwater, I think some will get built - which can only help. What theyerally need is a good road to the Courtney Campbell Causeway so getting to Clearwater from Tampa does not take as long as getting to St. Pete Beach.

As for the beach, it is getting there, though I hope they keep some of the old stuff, which is pretty cool and oddly urban.

Dali museum may get new digs
Under a proposed plan, the Salvador Dali Museum would move closer to the downtown shopping district.
By JENNIFER LIBERTO, Times Staff Writer
Published April 20, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TALLAHASSEE - A team of local officials is working on a plan to build a 50,000-square-foot Salvador Dali Museum on the Bayfront Center property and to sell the current museum to the University of South Florida.

The Dali would get a three-story facility closer to the downtown shopping district. It would get a more secure location for its extensive collection, now at greater risk of storm surge in a one-story building on 1000 Third St. S.

USF would get much-needed space for expansion, possibly a new student center within a renovated museum building, and a new graduate arts program housed inside the new Dali building.

The estimated $20-million plan, in the works for four months, involves officials with the Dali Museum, USF, the city of St. Petersburg and Sen. Jim Sebesta, R-St. Petersburg.

"However fond people are of Dali, this is the best collection of one of the most important artists of this era," said Hank Hine, executive director of the nonprofit museum. "The ball is rolling, and the board is excited about it."

The next hurdle is money.

The plan hinges on state funding that the city and museum would apply for next year. More immediately, the plan needs several hundred-thousand dollars this year for detailed engineering, architectural and survey studies.

Rep. Leslie Waters, R-Seminole, said a joint House-Senate committee working out differences in economic development spending has not agreed to fund the necessary engineering and architectural studies, though the issue "is still in play."

Waters put $4-million in the joint budget for various economic development projects, and lawmakers are scrambling over how to divvy it up.

"I think it would be great," Waters said of the idea to move the museum.

Sebesta has led the charge for the museum-university swap but declined to comment Monday for fear of endangering the project.

Because the money for the study has not been recommended by a state agency, it is subject to rejection by Gov. Jeb Bush.

He has said such projects should come with a state agency's stamp of approval. The Dali money is not included on any list.

This year differs from past years because so much money for local projects has been sprinkled throughout the budget by lawmakers trying to protect projects from veto.

That means Bush would have to veto all projects under a lump sum line item if he wanted to veto any one of them.

The museum has considered expansion or relocation for some time.

The museum owns the building but leases land from the city of St. Petersburg.

Only recently did museum and university officials begin talking about the project.

The University of South Florida St. Petersburg, which wants a new student union and more classrooms, would have the option of renovating or tearing down the museum building.

The 35-year-old downtown waterfront campus is amid a massive expansion and plans to more than double student enrollment to 10,000.

At a time when many universities are struggling with layoffs and hiring freezes, USF St. Petersburg is bursting at the seams with new faculty members and administrators.

"There's been discussions ongoing, and we made sure to say that we have an interest in the property," said Jeff Muir, a USF associate vice president following the project. "We're benefiting from the deal more than we are a major player."

The museum attracts 200,000 people a year and has contributed an estimated $600-million to Florida's economy since it opened in 1982, according to state documents.

The new museum would include classrooms and a research library to house a graduate art program for USF that would focus on the 20th century avant garde era.

"We decided it would be really useful to put our collection together with the academic power to create a study center," Hine said.

The museum's board has made the relocation project its top priority. Once funded, the museum could move into its new location in about two to three years, he said.

"If people's will to make this happen is in indicator, it seems really likely," Hine said. "I can only hope that the Dali will find state money, federal money and private money to make this commitment."

- Times staff writers Alisa Ulferts and Anita Kumar contributed to this report.

[Last modified April 20, 2004, 01:20:37]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/04/20/Southpinellas/Dali_museum_may_get_n.shtml

A move to the heart of downtown would benefit all parties involved. It would also pull more foot traffic into the downtown scene.

I don't know where the St. PEte development thread went - having a hard time finding it - it looks to have sunk quite far since all teh Miami stuff gets listed individually - and there is so much of it, but I found this nice view of Parkshore Plaza (u/c) at the street. St. Pete raelly ahs come a long way on this issue. Almost everything they build has a nice street level
http://www.opuscorp.com/images/p_Parkshore%20Plaza%20shops%20web%20site.jpg

http://www.parkshoreplaza.com/images/home_rendering.jpg

I am surprised that we haven't seen other proposals pop up for St Pete, since the two tower projects currently active are mostly sold. I guess Tampa really is the epicenter of the "condo boom" right now. I have to wonder if St Pete wouldn't be doing just as well asTampa if city leaders were half as gung-ho as Tampa's leaders are about reshaping DT. Afterall, St Pete has an infinitely more livable DT right now, and likely will for at least another 7-10 years.

St. Petersburg really looks like a nice city. Great photos of St. Pete. Really gives you a good over view of the city and its buildings.

I am not surprised that St. PEte is slower. I mean, don't get me wrong - St. Pete is nice and they are doing a lot of good things, but 1) the complain about overcrowding where Tampa is now dying to get crowding and 2) the place has alwys been slower. I want it to pick up, but I think it will take time, for instance if people really did complain about Bayaway lofts - it is 500+ feet, ok. a bit tall for St. PEte. Tampa is fast tracking the two 600 or so footers and barely even discussing the 30 story ones. Thus, developers will put money in Tampa faster. It is pretty simple.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/12/images/sopin-dalimuseum.jpg
REINVENTING THE DALI
THE SPACE: The proposal calls for a three-story, 50,000-square-foot museum on the Times Arena at Bayfront Center site.
WHAT MUST HAPPEN: The City Council must approve two referendum questions for the Nov. 9 ballot.
DALI IN ST. PETERSBURG: Valued at more than $500-million, the art collection draws 200,000 visitors annually.

Salvador Dali Museum names its site in St. Petersburg
Officials say land now occupied by the Times Arena at Bayfront Center is the best choice.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published May 12, 2004
ST. PETERSBURG - Salvador Dali, long considered the greatest artist of the surrealist movement, was born 100 years ago Tuesday.

So representatives from the museum that houses the largest collection of Dali's work used the historic occasion to ask the City Council to give them a new home on St. Petersburg's waterfront.

After months of speculation about the future of the Dali, Tuesday's presentation offered the first concrete evidence that museum leaders plan to move into the site now occupied by the Times Arena at Bayfront Center.

The arena is scheduled for demolition in early 2005.

"Out of all of the sites we have considered, this one fits our needs best," said Tom James, president of the museum's board of directors.

James and Hank Hine, the museum's executive director, asked council members to consider a proposal that would let them build a 50,000-square-foot museum south of the Mahaffey Theater. The museum and the theater would be connected by a pedestrian plaza overlooking Tampa Bay.

The three-story museum would be 20,000 square feet larger than the current museum and would include space for classrooms and a research library.

The city owns the property where the Dali Museum is now. The Dali's lease expires in 2072.

As part of the plan, the city would sell that property to the state so the University of South Florida St. Petersburg could use the valuable waterfront site for expansion.

To achieve this, the council would have to approve two referendum questions for the Nov. 9 ballot. The ballot questions are necessary because the city can't sell or lease waterfront property without voter approval.

The need for the move comes from the Dali Museum's location in a one-story building on 1000 Third St. S, where it is at constant risk of damage from high winds or hurricanes, said James.

"It's not just risk of wind damage to the building," he said. "It's the danger of projectiles, large yachts, being thrown through the building."

The museum's collection is valued at more than $500-million, and the threat of a storm would close the building for three days as workers placed paintings in a secure vault, Hine added.

Also, the museum is difficult for some tourists to find. A site closer to downtown could attract more visitors and encourage people to visit other local museums, as well as restaurants and shops, Hine said.

The museum attracts 200,000 people a year and has contributed about $600-million to Florida's economy since it opened in 1982, according to documents provided by the museum.

Members of the museum's board have considered dozens of other sites, but none of them fit their needs. Then, in June 2003, the city proposed tearing down the aging Times Arena and several city leaders began a movement to steer the museum to the site.

This spring, state lawmakers sought several hundred thousand dollars for detailed engineering, architectural and survey studies. The museum received $25,000 for a planning study.

In addition to voter approval, the deal needs about $6-million in state funding so the state can buy the current Dali site from the city. Lawmakers plan to ask for the money during the 2005 legislative session.

Most of the City Council enthusiastically embraced the plan.

"I think this is a real no-brainer," said council member Virginia Littrell.

Council member John Bryan said the move would create "the most significant change in the waterfront of St. Pete in the last four decades."

But a couple of members balked at the idea of selling valuable waterfront property without getting to keep the proceeds. Under the proposal, the $6-million from the state for the current Dali property would be applied to the cost of the new museum.

"I'm just wondering if university use of that land is really its highest and best use," asked council member Bill Foster.

Council chairman James Bennett expressed concern about the Albert Whitted Airport Advisory Task Force, which is working to create a new plan for the airport property. Part of the Bayfront Center sits on land that was designated for Albert Whitted.

"I just do not want to have another battle," Bennett said. "We need progress down there."

The council will have to hold public hearings and a formal vote before putting the referendum questions on the ballot.

Karen White, USF St. Petersburg's vice president and chief executive officer, said the proposal offers a tremendous opportunity for the rapidly growing campus.

"I see this as building on the tradition of the city caring for the university," she said, "and giving USF an option for expansion that we would not have in any other manner."

- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

SALVADOR DALI MUSEUM
An architect's rendering shows the plan for the new 50,000-square-foot Salvador Dali Museum. It would be three stories tall. The art collection, valued at more than $500-million, draws 200,000 visitors annually.

REINVENTING THE DALI
THE SPACE: The proposal calls for a three-story, 50,000-square-foot museum on the Times Arena at Bayfront Center site.

WHAT MUST HAPPEN: The City Council must approve two referendum questions for the Nov. 9 ballot.

DALI IN ST. PETERSBURG: Valued at more than $500-million, the art collection draws 200,000 visitors annually.

[Last modified May 12, 2004, 01:54:10]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/12/Southpinellas/Salvador_Dali_Museum_.shtml

Are the Pier's days numbered?
St. Petersburg explores what to do about the declining Pier approach and base. One option is to start over.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published May 13, 2004

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[Times file photo]
The Pier opened in 1973, but its approach and base were built in the 1920s. It attracts more than 2-million visitors every year.
Photo gallery


ST. PETERSBURG - In the 31 years since it opened, the inverted pyramid at the end of the Pier has become a city icon.

It graces postcards. ESPN used it as a broadcast studio during the 1999 Final Four. Thousands of spectators crowd onto it every year to watch offshore boat racing.

Now the landmark's days may be numbered.

The Pier's approach and base, built in the 1920s, are badly deteriorating and must be replaced within the next 10 years at a cost of $25-million to $40-million. One option the city is considering involves tearing down the structure and building an approach half the length of the existing one.

A new building probably would not resemble the current one.

The City Council is waiting for a consultant to study the options and hasn't begun a serious discussion. But council chairman James Bennett said he's keeping an open mind.

"The pyramid hasn't been there since the beginning," he said. "If you go back in history, you'll find it used to be something else. And I think that was a beautiful pier."

A pier has graced St. Petersburg's downtown waterfront since 1889, when Peter Demens connected the Orange Belt Railroad to a half-mile wharf.

Several piers were constructed through the years to charm locals and draw tourists. But it was the Million Dollar Pier, built in 1926, that won the most acclaim.

The popular Mediterranean-revival building that crowned this pier featured a central atrium, a rooftop ballroom with terrazzo floors and an observation deck.

The building was demolished in 1967 and replaced with the space-age inverted pyramid. It attracts more than 2-million visitors each year and is the second-most popular destination in downtown St. Petersburg, after BayWalk, the shopping and entertainment complex.

A recent study showed the annual maintenance on the Pier was no longer cost-effective, said Mike Connors, the city's engineer. The heavy, reinforced steel beams that support the structure are badly corroded by saltwater and the concrete pillars that encase the beams have cracked, Connors said.

"The Pier is safe," he said. "There's no concern with the pedestrian or the vehicle traffic, but we won't be able to say that in 10 years. It's just nearing the end of its useful life."

The city likely would borrow the money to build a new pier, Connors said.

The city's plan is to keep the Pier open during construction. Connors gave the City Council three preliminary scenarios.

In the first, and most expensive, the Pier approach and base would be replaced, which would take six or more phases of construction.

Cost for this plan is estimated at $40-million.

The second plan involves building two approaches to the Pier, one on either side of the existing approach. Then the middle approach would be demolished, Connors said.

This proposal would allow workers to rebuild half the Pier's base at a time and is the least expensive option, estimated at $25-million. But it doesn't address some of the problems associated with the inverted pyramid building.

"The inverted pyramid has some limitations in the vertical movement of patrons," Connors said. "If you were to start from scratch, you probably wouldn't build an inverted pyramid with the number of elevator banks we have now."

The third option is similar to the second, but the approach would be shortened to 600 feet from its current length of 1,200 feet. Also, the inverted pyramid would be demolished and a new building constructed.

Cost for that is estimated at $30-million. A shorter pier would reduce maintenance costs, which are estimated at about $250,000 per year, Connors said.

Among the factors still to be considered include the effect on the flight path from nearby Albert Whitted Airport and the mooring of boats next to the Pier.

The city has solicited bids for a consultant and is developing a plan to gather input from the public. Connors estimates it will be at least six years before construction begins.

Meanwhile, the Pier's tenants are experiencing the highest sales levels in recent history. Susan Robertson, the Pier's marketing manager, said April sales were up 19 percent from a year ago.

Pier tenants credit a rebound in tourism after 9/11 and a flood of visitors from the Chihuly exhibit at the St. Petersburg Museum of Fine Arts.

But many of the small shopkeepers fear construction will end the boom.

"It will be bad for business," said Colleen Ford, manager of Just Hats, a store on the ground floor of the Pier. "A lot of people won't want to deal with the mess and the noise."

The Pier underwent a major renovation in 2001, when the city repaired the approach's three expansion joints.

Tenants said sales dropped to record lows.

But store owners interviewed Wednesday said they wouldn't object if the city decided to do away with the familiar inverted pyramid.

"The water is the attraction," said Dave Dahms, who owns DD Collectibles and Peppers on the Pier. "Not the shape of the building."

- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 13, 2004, 02:20:18]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/13/Southpinellas/Are_the_Pier_s_days_n.shtml

I am not surprised that St. PEte is slower. I mean, don't get me wrong - St. Pete is nice and they are doing a lot of good things, but 1) the complain about overcrowding where Tampa is now dying to get crowding and 2) the place has alwys been slower. I want it to pick up, but I think it will take time, for instance if people really did complain about Bayaway lofts - it is 500+ feet, ok. a bit tall for St. PEte. Tampa is fast tracking the two 600 or so footers and barely even discussing the 30 story ones. Thus, developers will put money in Tampa faster. It is pretty simple.

Lack of progressive thinking -- as long as it persists with the city leadership, St. Pete will never realize it's fullest potential. It's a city of "almosts". St. Pete, due to it's geography, could be the showpiece for innovative urban development in this state, but it's almost like our leaders (and many citizens) are scared to let go of the "old St. Pete".

Anyway, the new Dali Museum should be a nice replacement to the old Bayfront Arena. I hope USF does something nice with the land where the current museum is located -- perhaps a hotel/conference center.

They need to start over with the pier. Aside from the failing structure, it's just too cramped, and the atmosphere needs an upgrade.

I agree with the lack of pregressive thinking. I think part of that is never quite dealing with Tampa properly. Instead of worrying about Tampa (which they do even if they won't admit it - Like tampa worries about Orlando or Miami) they should jsut be themselves. They have a good thing going, they should push it. They also need to neutralize this Uhuru thing. Those people don't do anyone any good. They attack their own neighborhood while complaining about a lack of economic dvelopment, they jsut bitch. There are good leaders, they need to be pushed too.

Beleive it or not, I think a key here is to build a new, nice, retractable roof baseball stadium on the other half of the tropicanan field lot (where the original should have been). I know it costs money, but especailly with baseball and all the games, it will actually really boost the area away from the water. The present stadium just adds the impression of St. PEte as a perpetually half-assed place, even if it has good things going.

As for the Pier, they are crazy if they shroten it. Repalce the building - fine, but do not shorten it.

I agree with the lack of pregressive thinking. I think part of that is never quite dealing with Tampa properly. Instead of worrying about Tampa (which they do even if they won't admit it - Like tampa worries about Orlando or Miami) they should jsut be themselves. They have a good thing going, they should push it. They also need to neutralize this Uhuru thing. Those people don't do anyone any good. They attack their own neighborhood while complaining about a lack of economic dvelopment, they jsut bitch. There are good leaders, they need to be pushed too.

Beleive it or not, I think a key here is to build a new, nice, retractable roof baseball stadium on the other half of the tropicanan field lot (where the original should have been). I know it costs money, but especailly with baseball and all the games, it will actually really boost the area away from the water. The present stadium just adds the impression of St. PEte as a perpetually half-assed place, even if it has good things going.

As for the Pier, they are crazy if they shroten it. Repalce the building - fine, but do not shorten it.

St. Pete will never be Tampa. The sooner we realize it, the faster we can progress.

I agree with the Uhurus. As an African-American resident of the city, I see them as a big distraction. Their intentions are good. However, I don't agree with most of their ideologies and their way of doing things. IMO, it's time out in (south) St. Petersburg for all the marching and passing out of flyers with rediculous caricatures and comics. It's time for some true economic development, which is what people like Goliath Davis are working for.

I also agree with you on the stadium. They should build a new, retactable-roof stadium on the eastern portion of the property. Then on the west part of the property build a nice, open-air pedestrian mall with 5 or 6 restaurants/sports bars, a night club and 2 or 3 of sports and/or music-related retail outlets. Basically, do what they attempted to do on Central Avenue, which needs to be remodeled again and redeveloped (it looks like it belongs out on the beach somewhere). Put the parking in garages and have a transit station on-site. Now you have a winner. The Rays have a new owner now. Although he says the focus will be on building a winning team, I hope that new facilities are in the plans.

And, the pier...yeah...they shouldn't shorten the approach, but the building needs to be replaced with something bigger and flashier.

I doubt St. Petersburg will foot the bill for another stadium....

I see the Rays relocating to anothe rpart fo the Bay area or even out of Tampa Bay at this rate.

There was talk of building a hotel near the stadium - never happened. If the Rays did vacate, St. Pete would be smart in keeping the arena and converting it into a Convention Center that trumps Tampa's in available and ammemnities.

And as for Progressive thinking -- Some in St. Pete have it but it's odd the citizens elected a staunchly conservative mayor.

St Pete likely couldn't support a convention center without massive investment, simply because there is little business climate like that in St Pete to support it. One can only have so many boat shows and garage sales.

If St Pete ever rebuilds the stadium DT, I would strongly suggest that it be built several blocks closer to the present "core", or they had damn well better build a monorail or trolley or something connecting it. (God, the Rays need a new stadium to compete and I pray they get it, even if it's in another city. These poor guys really helped this area out by fronting for a team, and they've done nothing but lose thier asses for thier effort. I personally refuse to see significant public money get spent on another stadium, but I DO feel for them)

Speaking of monorails in St. Pete, does anyone know the status of Pinellas' monorail intiative?

Basically dead in the water, as always. It isn't on the ballot, doesn't have any funding, and doesn't even really have a schematic design SFAIK. That's about as dead as something can be IMO.

I doubt St. Petersburg will foot the bill for another stadium....

I see the Rays relocating to anothe rpart fo the Bay area or even out of Tampa Bay at this rate.

There was talk of building a hotel near the stadium - never happened. If the Rays did vacate, St. Pete would be smart in keeping the arena and converting it into a Convention Center that trumps Tampa's in available and ammemnities.

And as for Progressive thinking -- Some in St. Pete have it but it's odd the citizens elected a staunchly conservative mayor.

If the Rays build a new stadium outside of DT, I'd rather see the dome demolished and the entire site converted to a nice, large-scale urban infill development that might include a hotel w/ meeting space, not a major convention center. In the grand scheme of things, St. Pete is not the place for Tampa Bay's major business convention center. That's not where St. Pete fits into the picture.

I always saw them building a new stadium in the Gateway area or in Tampa on the old Tampa Bay Center site. Well, the Bucs have that land now for their new training facility, and most of the land in Gateway is pretty much bought up with plans for new office or "mixed-use" developments. There is that strip of land between I-275 and Carillon, but I don't know what's up with that. Right now, I think DT St. Pete is their best option if they want to stay in Tampa Bay. However, they desperately need a new stadium. I hope they get it within the next 5 to 7 years. If done right, it could really work to expand the "core", and spur redevepment in that activity gap between the stadium and the current "core" (the area between 4th and MLK Streets).

As for the monorail, it never made it past the sketchpad. I think it will be another decade before any type of rail is built in any part of St. Pete or Pinellas County. Outside of Gateway, traffic really isn't much of a headache in St. Pete, unlike Tampa, and I don't think there's enough "critical mass" in DT St. Pete to warrant a monorail yet. A nice light rail line from DT St.Pete to Gateway to DT Clearwater would greatly benefit St. Pete and Pinellas County as a whole, but I don't think people really see the value of it yet.

You're right, John F. Our mayor, although somewhat pro-development, is very conservative, but I think he does represent the prevailing attitude of many of the city's residents. There are definately some progressive thinkers in our city government. I know of one city planner that is very progressive in thinking. However, you will find that a conservative attitude still persists in the city among residents and elected officials. They are trying desperately to hold on to the "old St. Pete", but that's going to start to stunt growth and development in the city.

Costs squeeze condo tower designers
Construction of the Station Square in downtown Clearwater will be delayed, as will sale of a city parking lot.
By JENNIFER FARRELL, Times Staff Writer
Published May 19, 2004

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CLEARWATER - Plans for a high-rise condominium, restaurant and retail tower downtown have been sidetracked as developers scramble to contend with the skyrocketing price of building materials.

Approved in February, the Station Square project was supposed to begin construction next month, next to the city's historic downtown post office on Cleveland Street.

But after the recent spike in concrete and steel prices, developers retooled the plans to make them more efficient, said Nick Pavonetti, director of development management for Beck Development LLC.

"We've squeezed out a bunch of wasted space," he said Tuesday.

Instead of a U-shaped high-rise, the tower is now centered in the middle, with indentations on the east and west sides.

"It's sort of an H with a fat middle bar," Pavonetti said.

The changes are minor and should only delay construction by 30 days, according to Pavonetti.

"We don't consider there's anything negative going on," he said.

But the pending sale of a city parking lot that would accommodate the deal is on hold until the new plans receive final approval.

Developers had inked a deal with the city to remake the public parking lot next to Station Square Park and include a restaurant and retail space on the ground floor. Under the agreement, the developer would buy the lot, while the city would put up $1.25-million in exchange for 100 public spaces in the complex's garage.

A closing that had been scheduled last month has been postponed, according to Assistant City Manager Ralph Stone.

"It would have closed had they decided to go forward with original designs," he said. "We're waiting for them to make the adjustments on the design and then we'll close."

Pavonetti said he expects to file the new plans this week.

Depending on how much the plans change, Beck will need staff approval and perhaps another nod from the city's Community Development Board, Stone said.

Designers have shifted the pool from the east side of the building to the south side, above the parking garage, according to Pavonetti. Also, he said, the condos have been made larger, reducing the total from 146 to 128.

The $42-million project is still planned for a height of 158 feet.

Ray Cassano, a downtown property owner and health food distributor, who also is prominent in local Scientology circles, is heading a group of local investors backing the project.

Designed by Beck, a Dallas builder, the complex would be the first high-rise, mixed-use redevelopment project downtown in 15 years.

- Jennifer Farrell can be reached at 445-4160 or farrell@sptimes.com

[Last modified May 19, 2004, 01:00:42]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/05/19/Northpinellas/Costs_squeeze_condo_t.shtml

It's always something with Clearwater projects. Little seems to get without sdoe sort of unexpected drama. It's almost as if the city has been stigmatized or cursed or something.

(like the bridge repairs, which will delay things almost a year!)

They are cursed. IF the city wasn't dominated by Scientology (regardless fothe merit or lack thereof of that particular philosophy) it would be booming now. They kill the tax base and scare people away - you have to admit many people think they are freaks - regardless of whether they are or not.

Hi folks

Im new here and i want to share my photos/screenies here.
So here is my first one. What do you guys think about this, my virtual St Pete(MS Flight Simulator 2004 COF).
http://pics.xs.to/pics/spt.jpg

Looks pretty good!

Sports hall plan hailed as catalyst
An $80-million downtown development could swivel on the arrival of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame.
By SHARON L. BOND and CARRIE JOHNSON
Published June 2, 2004

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http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/02/images/xlarge/B_1_1bhof_188323_0602.jpg
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http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/02/photos/sportshalloffame.gif



ST. PETERSBURG - The Florida Sports Hall of Fame would move to a new building near Tropicana Field as part of a larger development that would include 320 condominiums, restaurants and offices.

Grady Pridgen is the developer of the $80-million project, which would cover more than 3 acres on Central Avenue east of 16th Street S. He said it is the largest contiguous piece of available property in downtown St. Petersburg.

If the project is completed, it would re-energize an area that has not benefited as much from baseball as city officials once predicted. It also would provide new life to the hall of fame, which closed its Lake City site in 2001 and has kept memorabilia in storage from such sports stars as tennis' Chris Evert, drag racing's Don Garlits and football's Bobby Bowden.

The unnamed project is still in its preliminary stages. Pridgen said he has purchased one small parcel at the northeast corner of 16th Street and First Ave. S, where a restaurant now stands. He is scheduled to close on the remainder of the property in July.

Pridgen, who has announced several residential developments in the Tampa Bay area recently, is planning to build three interconnected five-story buildings. The first floor of each would be retail and office space.

The development also would include 40,000-square-feet of retail space featuring two or three restaurants and an art gallery. A pedestrian plaza would overlook Booker Creek, Pridgen said.

The condominiums would be priced between $150,000 and $250,000, considerably less expensive than other recent residential developments in downtown.

The Florida Sports Hall of Fame, which announced last year that it wanted to move to St. Petersburg, has a signed letter of intent from Pridgen and plans to build a new 20,000-30,000 square-foot facility on the site, said Darrell Brandimore, the hall's development director.

The hall's building will be paid for through a $4-million capital fund-raising campaign. Details will be discussed at the 2004 induction ceremony Sunday at Tropicana Field.

The building probably will be shaped like a cylinder to complement Tropicana Field and provide more natural light, Brandimore said.

Inside, he said, there will be an emphasis on educational information and interactive materials for children.

The project is planned for the Dome District, which connects downtown to the economically struggling area known as Midtown. City officials hoped the arrival of Major League Baseball in 1998 would encourage development, but it did not do as well as they had hoped.

Pridgen's project would sit next to Ferg's Sports Bar, which has built a good business while others trying to take advantage of the crowds from Tampa Bay Devil Rays games have not been as successful. Many restaurants and clubs have opened and closed.

"We're hoping this project will spur additional development in Midtown," Pridgen said.

Kevin Dunn, managing director of development for St. Petersburg, said a project of the magnitude Pridgen is considering for Central Avenue would be a shot in the arm for the area.

"We certainly would be delighted to see some new project evolving out there," he said.

Mayor Rick Baker said he has not seen final plans for the project but was cautiously optimistic.

"It's still fairly preliminary," Baker said. "But obviously there are a lot of good things going on in downtown right now."

Pridgen was known primarily for commercial development in the Tampa Bay area until recently, when he announced several residential projects. One is Bayway Lofts, a $50-million project that would be 42 stories high, downtown St. Petersburg's tallest building. The project now is being redesigned.

Pridgen also plans to build a $350-million mixed-used development on the Imperial Yacht Basin off Gandy Boulevard in Hillsborough County.

Two years ago, he bought land in mid-Pinellas from the city of St. Petersburg for just under $5-million and plans to build businesses and homes there. Pridgen also owns a vacant former church and parish hall in downtown St. Petersburg, where he lived for a while and planned to develop a restaurant.

Last year, he bought baseball star Dwight Gooden's custom home in Pinellas Point for $1-million and moved his family there.

Pridgen is buying the biggest chunk of the Central Avenue land from Low Investments, a group of about 35 investors. Some of those investors are connected with Derby Lane, the greyhound track on Gandy Boulevard.

Closing on that land is set for July, according to a spokesman for the investment company. The land now is used for a parking lot.

Some City Council members expressed concern Tuesday that Pridgen may be overextending his reach.

"I think what he's doing is acquiring more and more projects and he's not going to complete them," said council member Virginia Littrell, who has been critical of Pridgen in the past. "He's just trying to leverage them."

Pridgen dismissed those fears and said he will complete the development.

Council member Earnest Williams, whose district includes the proposed project as well as portions of Midtown, said he's waited a long time to see investment in the area.

"People sometimes want to see things happen right away," Williams said. "But you've got to wait for the right project. I think this is going to be a positive step for the city."

When I read the headline, I was prepared to read that it was another project for Tampa. I was pleasantly suprised to see this was St. Petersburg, and it was just the type of project needed for that section of Central Avenue. In fact, that whole stretch from MLK to 16th Street should be filled with similar projects. Although it's yet another Grady Pridgen venture, I believe that this one probably has one of the greater chances, if the the greatest chance, of being built.

HEre's a couple more St. PEte things I ran across. The first looks like the the people who are doing Franklin residences in Tampa brought their concept of no street action to St. PEte.

http://images1.e-net.com/smith/Development/full/170.jpg

As I have no info on this I will put the realtor's propaganda:

Description:
Casablanca Towers, an awe-inspired Mediterranean concept offering a host of amenities that brings the feel of old world living and blends it into the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. Traditional by nature but contemporary be design, this extraordinary condominium offers incredible views, outdoor living facilities for your leisure and/or entertaining pleasure around the shimmering pool with whirlpool and deck. Just outside the doors awaits all that downtown St. Petersburg has to offer and beyond. Shopping, leisure activities, parks and recreation areas, museums, performing arts, restaurants, professional sports venues and much more are close by. Casablanca Towers is among one of the best values in the downtown.

Location is a couple of blocks east fo Tropocana Field's parking lot.

HEre is a little loft job near Mirror Lake, an area with much more potential than present reality:

http://images1.e-net.com/smith/Development/full/169.jpg

Nothing overwhelming, but decent filler.
Here is the propaganda (I guess Dr. Goebels was out when this was posted):
Development Type: Townhomes
Priced from $129,900

I thought it was st petersburg in russia but this st petersburg looks kinda tropical :laugh: anyway the skyline is bad but it looks romantic in some way , walking there when the sun sets ;) sounds nice

Didn't know about Casablanca Towers.

Also, $129,000 is an excellent price.

Utility aims to replace museum with tower

The company wants to build downtown St. Petersburg's first new office tower since 1990 - and on land where Florida International Museum now sits.

By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published June 5, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - Progress Energy wants to build the first new downtown office tower in more than a decade on the site of the Florida International Museum.

According to its letter of intent, Progress Energy is seeking a developer to build a multistory building on the prime piece of city-owned property near the BayWalk entertainment complex. The city would be paid $1.5-million for the property, and the new building would have more than 200,000 square feet of office space and include room for retail and parking.

It would be the first office tower constructed in downtown St. Petersburg since the Bank of America tower in 1990.

Progress Energy would anchor the tower and sign a long-term lease. The project would take up a little less than half the block where the museum sits, between Central and First Avenue N., and 2nd and 3rd streets N. The remaining 50,000 square feet of the block would be available for another development.

"Progress Energy Florida has and will continue to play a role in the ongoing cultural and economic resurgence of downtown St. Petersburg," said Bill Habermeyer, president of Progress Energy Florida. "As this renaissance continues, we have tremendous confidence in the vitality of downtown St. Petersburg as both a business and residential center."

Progress Energy officials want the city to tear down the former Maas Brothers department store building that now houses the museum.

The deal is still in the preliminary stages. Mayor Rick Baker will ask the City Council for permission to run an advertisement giving 30-day notice of the transaction, which would allow others to bid for the property. The city also will conduct a study to ensure Progress Energy's price is in line with the current real estate market.

"If we are able to accept this," Baker said, "I think it will be a very, very positive sign for the future of downtown and the future of our city."

The City Council is expected to listen to a presentation about the proposal on June 10.

Progress Energy has about 600 employees and five locations in Pinellas County, including two floors of the Central Station building at 100 Central Ave.

All those employees would be consolidated at the new building, said Aaron Perlut, a company spokesman.

Company officials have searched for years for a new location to demonstrate the corporation's commitment to the area. In late 2003, they announced they were exercising an early exit option on the lease on the Central Station building, which was originally built by a developer hoping to lure a department store downtown.

Perlut said Progress Energy scouted dozens of locations for a new home and concluded the museum property was the best fit.

"We wanted to make an impression in downtown St. Petersburg," he said. "We can accomplish that with this site."

Progress Energy wants to close on the property by December, according to the letter of intent. Construction of the new building would begin three months after closing, with the completion date scheduled for 16 months after building permits are issued.

Accommodating that schedule would be challenging but not impossible, said Ron Barton, the city's director of economic development.

First, the museum would need to find a new home.

In January, the City Council approved a deal that would allow the financially struggling museum to move out of its oversized home and into an annex building it would share with St. Petersburg College.

But the move wasn't expected until 2007 because St. Petersburg College needs time to prepare the annex building for classrooms.

The museum has been in financial trouble for years and has received more than $6-million from the city. As part of the deal to move the museum out of the Maas Brothers building, the city also agreed to forgive $1-million in unpaid rent.

Barton said the city will help the museum explore options, including finding a temporary home.

"There could be a very low-cost scenario out there," he said. "It depends on the space and the location."

David Punzak, the museum's chairman, said the museum is willing to look at any proposals suggested by the city.

The quick move also would leave Central Station, in the heart of downtown, without a primary tenant.

Perlut said Progress Energy would work with the city to find other companies to fill that space.

Don Shea, president of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, said he didn't foresee problems finding new tenants.

"It's a good location," Shea said. "It should appeal to a number of different companies."

City Council member Jay Lasita said there are a number of details to review but his initial impression was favorable. He said he was pleased to see Progress Energy make a commitment to remain in downtown St. Petersburg.

"I'm also glad that there will be some commercial development there," Lasita said. "Residential development is good, too, but it's nice to see something else at that location."

So I guess 200,000 sq feet will be 12-20 depending on parking and other things

Progress Unveils St. Pete Plan
By CARLOS MONCADA cmoncada@tampatrib.com
Published: Jun 5, 2004




ST. PETERSBURG - Progress Energy has proposed constructing a 200,000- square-foot corporate headquarters and moving up to 650 employees to a prime city- owned site downtown.
In a letter Tuesday to the city, the utility offered to buy at least 30,000 square feet of land occupied by the Florida International Museum for $1.5 million. Progress Energy, which disclosed the letter Friday, leases its headquarters, at 100 Central Ave.

The company proposes a mixed-use development that would include street-level retail and a 200-space parking complex. Progress Energy wants to close the deal by Dec. 31. Construction would begin by March and take about 16 months.

City administrators will ask the city council Thursday for authorization to open negotiations with the company and to advertise for other offers.

The museum would have to relocate temporarily to make the site available for development. The museum eventually plans to move in with St. Petersburg College, which intends to build a 31,000-square- foot downtown campus.

Mayor Rick Baker said the project would stimulate downtown's revitalization and demonstrate the loyalty of Progress Energy, created when Carolina Power & Light Co. bought Florida Progress in 2000 for $5.3 billion.

``If we're able to successfully make this happen, then it would be a great statement by Progress Energy,'' Baker said.

http://www.tampatrib.com/Business/MGB275823VD.html

Condos sought at SunSpree site
A pair of busy developers want to add to their Clearwater Beach portfolio. But some council members aren't buying their latest idea quite yet.
By ROBERT FARLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published June 11, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


CLEARWATER BEACH - The same men who plan to bring a landmark four-star resort to the heart of Clearwater Beach now have unveiled plans to replace an aging beachfront hotel at the southern end of the island with two 14-story condominium towers.

The $80-million project from developers Mike Cheezem and David Mack would feature 150 condos and 12 townhouses priced from $600,000 to $1.2-million.

Conceptual drawings shared with Clearwater City Council members on Thursday show two towers with a contemporary, "Pacific islands style" architecture, with condo units of 1,700 to 2,600 square feet.

Cheezem said he and his partners considered, but then rejected, plans to upgrade the 40-year-old, 218-room Holiday Inn SunSpree hotel, or to redevelop the 5.5-acre property with a resort.

It would cost $20-million to make the necessary upgrades to the hotel, he said, and it still would be obsolete. The location away from the hub of Clearwater Beach is just not conducive for a resort, he said. Because it is located right next to the swift-moving water of Clearwater Pass, which separates Clearwater Beach from Sand Key Beach, it isn't a very good swimming beach.

"Our conclusion was that it is just an inferior resort site," Cheezem said.

Conversely, he said, the site provides a private setting that likely would be attractive to condo buyers.

Together, Mack and Cheezem are bringing hundreds of condominium units to Clearwater Beach.

They are partners in a plan to tear down the Clearwater Beach Hotel and build a $140-million luxury beachfront resort that would feature 260 hotel rooms and a 120-unit condominium section. The two are also partners on the 200-unit Belle Harbor project, now under construction. And Cheezem's JMC Communities built the 156-unit Mandalay Beach Club, which is immediately to the south of the proposed resort site.

While the resort plan is drawing praise from city council members, the plan to redevelop the Holiday Inn SunSpree with condos may be a tougher sell.

"I'm not quite as excited about converting that to condos," said Councilman Bill Jonson. "I'm somewhat disappointed in that change."

Councilman Hoyt Hamilton also tempered his assessment of the condo plan unveiled to him Thursday afternoon.

"I like what they're proposing and the direction they're heading as far as the Clearwater Beach Hotel," Hamilton said. "The Holiday Inn SunSpree is a different animal. Obviously I'm not excited about losing hotel units. But I understand the logistics of that location."

Ed Armstrong, attorney for the developers, said he plans to present a report to counter city leaders' perception that condominiums create less of an economic impact than hotels.

Another issue the developers will have to address is the proposed building height.

In order to build the condo towers to the proposed 140 feet, the developers either will have to transfer density from another property in Clearwater Beach or negotiate with City Council to buy an extension, Armstrong said.

"I am not one of those who has the heartburn other people have regarding height, so long as there is ample separation (between the buildings)," said Hamilton. "You don't want to build two towers where you can reach across and exchange cocktails."

The buildings would be about 250 feet apart, Armstrong said.

The developers plan to submit plans for the SunSpree project in a couple of months, Cheezem said. They don't plan to begin construction until 2006 and construction is expected to take about three years.

[Last modified June 11, 2004, 00:02:45]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/11/Northpinellas/Condos_sought_at_SunS.shtml

Good for them $1.5 mil is a joke

St. Petersburg Council Delays Sale Of Downtown Tract

Published: Jun 12, 2004




ST. PETERSBURG - If Progress Energy wants to build a downtown headquarters on prime city property, it will have to come up with more than the $1.5 million it has offered.
That was the sentiment of most city council members Thursday evening as they considered a proposal from the utility to buy part of the block occupied by the Florida International Museum, at 100 Second St. N.

Progress Energy, which leases its headquarters at 100 Central Ave., has told the city it would build a 200,000- square-foot tower to consolidate as many as 650 employees.

The mixed-use development would include retail shops and parking. The utility wanted to close the deal by Dec. 31, with construction to begin by March and take 16 months.

While council members liked the idea of Progress Energy's making a long-term commitment to downtown, they suggested it must offer more than $50 per square foot - especially since the city would have to pay to demolish the museum building, a former Maas Bros. department store.

Carlos Moncada <
http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGB4ZTO8DVD.html

I think this article overstates its point a bit - St. Pete is 1/3 the size of Tampa in office space, not 2/3, but it is making good progress.

IN DEPTH: COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE
From the June 11, 2004 print edition
St. Pete's downtown boom
All eyes focus on hot new residential and commercial development
Carl Cronan
Senior Staff Writer
On any given weekday, downtown streets bustle with activity as office workers make their way to and from a wide variety of restaurants and shops.

After work, plenty of places are open for happy hour, and younger employees are even compelled to go back downtown on weekends to check out the local entertainment scene. Some of them even live a few blocks away.

It's the type of vision Tampa leaders have had of their central business district for years, even visiting major metropolitan markets to see how they made it work. Yet, taking a short car trip across the Howard Frankland Bridge might have saved travel time and expense.

Downtown St. Petersburg has become one of the nation's leading examples of successful redevelopment, and office vacancy rates certainly bear that out. The Bay area's second-largest central business district has consistently maintained a direct vacancy rate below 10 percent over the past year and a half, ending this year's first quarter at 8 percent.

A number of companies have moved their headquarters into downtown St. Petersburg in recent years, including Republic Bank (now BB&T), First Advantage Corp. and American Collegiate Financial Services.

Other companies plan their own moves into the city core, with Certegy Inc. leasing 25,000 square feet in the City Center building this summer. Just last week, Progress Energy Florida announced plans to build more than 200,000 square feet of offices in the next three years on city-owned property that it will share with the Florida International Museum.

City leaders are unable to give specific reasons for the success of downtown St. Petersburg's office market, apart from referring to the old adage that it's better sometimes to be lucky than good.

"Good data is good to have, but luck is a big part of it," observed Don Shea, president and CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership.

Timing might also be a factor. Plans for residential and retail development downtown that had been in the works for several years finally came to fruition over the past few, creating a cultural and economic renaissance that other cities -- including Tampa, its largest neighbor -- are now marveling as much as envying.

But the city's office buildings have been around all along, with no major construction since the 1990 opening of the 27-story Bank of America Tower. Shea said the lack of office building construction, combined with business diversification, has allowed downtown to withstand the most recent economic downturn.

"We've had the blessing of not being overbuilt," he said, noting that downtown St. Petersburg's office inventory of 2.5 million square feet is roughly two-thirds that of downtown Tampa.

While downtown St. Petersburg has been succeeded as Pinellas County's largest office market by the Gateway business district, with nearly 4 million square feet, it looks beyond the Tampa Bay area for competition in business relocations.

"We like to think in global terms because it is a global marketplace," said Shea, who hails from Boston which has a similar waterfront office market. His partnership's real challenge is getting the downtown message to everyone else around the world, he said.

Help in that effort has come from a variety of sources, including a recent award recognizing St. Petersburg as one of "America's Most Livable Communities." It is also being seen as a bargain among national commercial real estate brokerages, with leasing rates for premium or Class A office space averaging at least $17 a square foot.

"The St. Petersburg downtown submarket continues to be one of the most economical downtowns in the nation," said Rick Siems, senior research associate with Cushman & Wakefield in Tampa. He said concessions such as free rent and tenant improvement allowances are prevalent, though some landlords are cutting back on those perks as vacancy rates continue to decline and available space options become scarce.

Office space in downtown St. Petersburg is almost split evenly between Class A and Class B, with barely a dollar's difference in rent per square foot between both types, Cushman & Wakefield statistics show. Direct vacancy of Class B space is as low as 2.6 percent, while Class A availability is almost 14 percent with sublease space included.

Those figures are still better than the areawide direct vacancy rate of 16.3 percent at the end of the first quarter, which includes 16.6 percent in downtown Tampa and 19.6 percent in Gateway, according to Cushman & Wakefield.

Lately, the emphasis in downtown St. Petersburg has been on retaining tenants more than attracting new ones. Newer retail and residential development has helped in that regard, as has the district's avoidance of exposure to consolidation like that seen in the banking industry.

"There are some good reasons for the businesses down here to stay here," said Julio Maggi, vice president of Echelon Development LLC in St. Petersburg and Bay area president of the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties.

While the downtown area hasn't had the same opportunities for new office development as Gateway, its limited inventory has also shielded it from lagging nationwide demand for office space, he said.

"St. Pete has opportunity," Maggi said. "There is some land that can be assembled and some great locations for office development. It's just in pretty good shape."

Apart from a few setbacks such as Progress Energy moving out of five prime floors in the Bank of America Tower a few years ago, St. Petersburg office landlords have been successful in holding vacancy and rental rates steady compared to other local submarkets.

"Their tenant base has been consistent," said Hank Brenner, president of Taylor & Mathis in Tampa, which manages the 12-story City Center building in downtown St. Petersburg. "They haven't had the moveouts that downtown Tampa has had."

ccronan@bizjournals.com | 813.342.2468

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2004/06/14/focus1.html

I don't understand the hieght fetish out on Clearwater beach... Sand Key goes up to what, 250-300ft? Yet nothing on Clearwater Key goes over like 175ft. Frankly, I would prefer that they build fewer taller towers, instead of numerous stubby towers. Clearwater beach is quite clearly going down the path of DT Sarasota, where the Draconian hieght and density limits are FORCING developers to build oversized and upscale units, whose prices are clearly inflated. They wonder why hotels won't build, but the truth is that the numbers simply aren't there for hotels on most parcels, especially with the terrible access due to the congestion people have to deal with the minute they hit Pinellas County. Access to Clearwater Beach from the airports and mid-state tourist attractions simply SUCKS these days, because of the local traffic... I don't think building dense residential projects on the beach is the brightest thing to do in a hurricane prone area, but until they clue in and actually encourage DT development and provide a rail link between DT and the beach, then this is basically the only way the city can grow its tax base to prevent from going broke.

Good for them $1.5 mil is a joke

St. Petersburg Council Delays Sale Of Downtown Tract

Published: Jun 12, 2004




ST. PETERSBURG - If Progress Energy wants to build a downtown headquarters on prime city property, it will have to come up with more than the $1.5 million it has offered.
That was the sentiment of most city council members Thursday evening as they considered a proposal from the utility to buy part of the block occupied by the Florida International Museum, at 100 Second St. N.

Progress Energy, which leases its headquarters at 100 Central Ave., has told the city it would build a 200,000- square-foot tower to consolidate as many as 650 employees.

The mixed-use development would include retail shops and parking. The utility wanted to close the deal by Dec. 31, with construction to begin by March and take 16 months.

While council members liked the idea of Progress Energy's making a long-term commitment to downtown, they suggested it must offer more than $50 per square foot - especially since the city would have to pay to demolish the museum building, a former Maas Bros. department store.

Carlos Moncada <
http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGB4ZTO8DVD.html

$1.5 million is a bit low for a prime lot of that size downtown. I guess they want the city to reward them for their commitment to downtown. I hope they come with a better offer, since it seems they're ready to move fast on this project. If not, I'd like to see how many other proposals come in, and how intensely they use the land.

I drove through Carillon on Wednesday, and the 9 story Hilton is now U/C, with some utility work and basic layout/formwork looking to be underway.

The condo at 180 Carillon looks like its site is being prepped, but I wouldn't call it U/C yet. There are also 2 other sites getting prepped or perhaps just graded. I noticed that a couple empty lots have been converted to surface parking, I guess as an interim use? The Publix is open and is quite nice, though very small. It was basically dead when I was there midday.


One thing I really noticed driving around is that I don't think the same of the Gateway area, as I did 4-5 years ago. Especially Carillon. Time is proving it be a VERY auto-dependent, suburbanized and "Disneyfied" development. I used to think that the Gateway area would eventually be rather walkable and wholly enjoyable place to live, sort of like a Westshore with housing. But I don't feel that way any longer. I hate the windy roads and minimized access points that define the entire area. The connectivity in the area is among the worst I have ever seen locally for a district with such intense development. For instance, Carillon now has over 10k workers and residents, yet only 3 underbuilt roads, which access the development from only two compass directions. It sucks even more than the Westchase/West Park Villiage development.

Lastly, the way the land is being wasted within Carillon and along Roosevelt, 4th and 9th is a real shame. HUGE setbacks and surface parking are the primary culprits. The city is costing itself millions in lost property tax revenues later on down the line. Afterall, once the Gateway area is built out (which won't take long with the rampant suburbanized developments), the city of St Pete will literally have nothing left to grow revenues with but costly infill and redevelopment. And as we all know, infill developments typically gobble up significant tax revenues with offsetting "incentives" doled out to developers to get them to build in the first place.

I agree. I am hugely disappointed with Grady Pridgen's proposal for his new development on the last large parcel of land left in the city. It's just a big suburban business park, instead of something more intense. I think the Carillon Town Center will be nice once it's totally built. It's a bit pricey, but it has potential. There's still a good amount of land left in Carillon that hasn't been developed but is slated for more office and/or residential use. My only criticism of the housing is that it is all high end. There's nothing affordable to the entry-level worker, or the "back office" worker. I think if some of the townhomes and condos in Carillon were going for $150,000 to $300,000, they'd sell a lot quicker. They'd probably have enough sales to begin construction of the first building in earnest and open sales of the second building.

You made a good point about connectivity, though. I think it was talked about earlier. The entire Gateway area has poor interconnectivity. At least two bridges need to be built over I-275: one between Gandy and Roosevely, and another between Roosevely and MLK. I also agree that the most intense developments possible need to be encouraged. The city is really going to feel the crunch in the coming years if it doesn't encourage more intense developments now while land values are still fairly reasonable.

The developments have to be all high end, to account for the huge tracts of pricey land being gobbled up. Also, the Carillon Town Center is going to be pretty small, covering perhaps like 10-15% of Carillon's land.

I mean, I don't expect "downtown" type densities and connectivity, but I sure as heck expected alot more than what reality is becoming. I am SHOCKED that basically no new roads gave been built (or are scheduled to be), save for the U/C access between Ulmerton and 9th, and the 118th to I-275 connector. Niether of these really have anything to do with local traffic, but are instead designed to facilitate E-W regionalized flow in central Pinellas, as well as helping move cars from Gateway over to Tampa. Sure, Roosevelt's western terminus at Ulmerton will eventually dive south to connect with 118th and thus I-275, but this again will be an expressway meant to rush people through the area, with the hope that Roosevelt and 49th commuters will no longer endure the murderous rush hour traffic they now agonize through. Leaders have done nothing, nor do they intend to do anything to facilitate localized 'nieghborhood' flow in this district.

I don't think they ALL have to be high end. Is Carillon land worth that much more than downtown land, where some units are going for less than $300,000? I just think it should be more of a mix -- maybe not in the townhome complexes, but the town center could sell some units below $300,000. I think that location could be very attractive for the 25-34 age cohort that would like a more urban type lifestyle, but not necessarily want to live downtown. It's in a fast growing regional employment center, it's close to the major airports, its equadistant to downtown Tampa, downtown St. Pete, and the beaches. However, most people in that age group don't have the incomes to afford $400,000 condos and townhomes. If the area wants to draw employers and residents, it should offer the wide range of housing types with a wider range of prices.

The town center is pretty small in the grand scheme of things, but it will be a nice little center once it's built.

I'd like to see some "out of the box" thinking (at least by Tampa Bay standards) and see some 15-20 story apartment or condo towers built in Carillon or Grady Pridgen's new development down the street instead of these typical suburban-style complexes. Perhaps then a wider price spectrum could be offered, and also give people a choice to have their views without having to pay that downtown/waterfront premium price. I mean, $800,000 for a ninth-floor view on an inland site is just not worth it to me. Now, you might be able to sell me on $800,000 for an 18th floor view.

I'm really ready to see some more modern architecture in downtown, but I'll take this. It appears that this project is going to be built. It looks like around 70% of the units are reserved. www.orioncondos.com

http://www.orioncondos.com/graphics/mainbuilding.jpg


It's in a good location, on 8th Street and 4th Ave S. Now if only the owners of Webb Plaza would redevelop their shopping center into an urban, mixed-use project...that whole area has a lot of potential from Tropicana Field all the way to 4th Street. I can see a lot of projects of this scale or slightly larger or slightly smaller being built in those southern downtown blocks.

HEre's a couple more St. PEte things I ran across. The first looks like the the people who are doing Franklin residences in Tampa brought their concept of no street action to St. PEte.

http://images1.e-net.com/smith/Development/full/170.jpg

As I have no info on this I will put the realtor's propaganda:

Description:
Casablanca Towers, an awe-inspired Mediterranean concept offering a host of amenities that brings the feel of old world living and blends it into the heart of downtown St. Petersburg. Traditional by nature but contemporary be design, this extraordinary condominium offers incredible views, outdoor living facilities for your leisure and/or entertaining pleasure around the shimmering pool with whirlpool and deck. Just outside the doors awaits all that downtown St. Petersburg has to offer and beyond. Shopping, leisure activities, parks and recreation areas, museums, performing arts, restaurants, professional sports venues and much more are close by. Casablanca Towers is among one of the best values in the downtown.

Location is a couple of blocks east fo Tropocana Field's parking lot.

HEre is a little loft job near Mirror Lake, an area with much more potential than present reality:

http://images1.e-net.com/smith/Development/full/169.jpg

Nothing overwhelming, but decent filler.
Here is the propaganda (I guess Dr. Goebels was out when this was posted):
Development Type: Townhomes
Priced from $129,900

What are the links to these projects?

Well, forget teh 15-20 story deal - there is a runway just north of there and northing that tall we be built.

As for that Orion thing. wow - bland and a weird location. I can't beleive people are paying for that, but so be it. Let the area grow, even if there is absolutely no concept of urbanness (though the building sort of has some). Check the "views" on the website. Crazy stuff. Go for it.

Also Carillon was suburban before anyone came up with the urban ideas. It will take time to fill in the mistakes from 1992. The first buildings had huge parking lots. I think that stuff will eventually be filled in as the owners of the land realise they can cash in with a garage and more space. But htat will take time.

Filling in lots won't help Carillon much. That's not the core issue. In fact, it would probably make bad congestion worse.

Also, office towers up to perhaps 13 stories and residential structures up to perhaps 16 stories are reasonable, as I'm pretty sure that the hieght limit is an FAA imposed 175ft.

Yeah, I'm sure the height limit is rather low, especially taking into account the proximity to the SP/Clwtr International (Canadian, in other words) airport.

If you add systems and a decent hieght lobby you are at about 10 or 11, like Westshore (the Embassy Suties being the one exception)

As for infill, if done properly - it can be done properly - it would enhance the area - just like Westshore. Carillon still has not reached maturity - it can be changed. Will it? Well, probably not - but it can be.

Yeah, the Orion looks more like something on one of the beaches as opposed to DT, IMO. I just really don't care for the design at all. It's sort of odd to see something that tall go up on that corner. There are a lot of smaller townhome projects going up nearby. Hopefully, the success of this one will spark the interest of other developers to build projects of this scale -- but, please, can we get some more modern architecture?

As for Carillon, I totally forgot about the airport sitting out there. In that case, the limit is probably around 15 stories for a residential structure. I still think the town center units are a bit overpriced for that location.

Ofcourse, Carillon was designed as a suburban park before the urbanist bug caught on. The town center was probably an afterthought. I think infill will happen, but it will take many years before we see the first infill-type proposal there. The increase in congestion is inevitable, especially since there are only a few access roads in and out. At least future developments could use the land more efficiently.

People, there won't be much infill within Carillon, unless they go back and resize just about all of the infrastructure therein. From what I inderstand, the park is already near the "build out" initially expected by the developer. Meaning that to go much beyond the things already on the drawing board (town center, hotel, the couple office campuses planned), roads would have to be reworked, as well a the utilities themselves. You can only pump so much water through a pipe, and you can only run so much current through conduit. The primary issue is still acess. How do you move thousands of people around on roads built to emulate windy golf cart paths, which only have 3 connection points with the outside world? Answer: you don't.

I think there will be infill or the areas around it will fill in - either way. Sure the roads are bad, but that never stopped anyone - have you ever driven through Tyson's Corner in Va?

The logic of the location is inescapable.

I've been through Tyson's Corner dozens of times, my grandpa lives down RT123, about 3 miles away. (in Vienna). Tyson's Corner also has like 34 million sqft of office space, millions of sqft of retail, and thousands of residential units surrounding it. It also has 3 interstates serving it from 6 different directions, and numerous roads also connecting from all directions. The problem is overbuilding of a completely auto dependent district. The zoning in Gateway will never allow anything even remotely close to Tyson's Corner to exist (or Westshore either, for that matter).

I am not talking about size, I am talking about people still building when the roads are already too full. I was there last week - lots of cranes, even with high vacancies and crowded (jammed, really) roads.

You haven't been paying close attention to the details though, my friend...:)

They're building alot of buildings all right, but they are mostly residential. Fairfax County Commision decided that the best thing to do at this point is to flood most remaining lots with dense, walkable residential, with the hope that many TC workers would elect to live very close to work, and avoid the crushing to commute to and fro. Also, if residential projects gobble up land, then more offices can't be built, worsening the commuter problem. Once the residential densities go up to a level which will clearly support mass transit, they are going to run a LRT through there in some fashion, and will also expand the shuttles which run to the Metro over by 66, and other places like Dulles and such. This is a big issue there, with even some Loudon County NIMBYs supporting the plan, since it should mean less new home construction way the hell out west and southwest of there.

The core problem in TC remains the same though. It's not that they overbuilt around underbuilt roads, it is that they have basically reached what they feel is the maximum theoretical limit of roads possible in the area. They literally couldn't build any denser, because there isn't anywhere to add lanes or build new roads, without knocking down hundreds of millions worth of property. They MUST do things to shorten the commute, and get people out of thier cars. And that's what they're desperately trying to do now.



btw, I would LOVE to live in Ballston, Rosslyn or Alington. I absolutely go apeshit over the greenery, rolling hills, waterways and architecture of the DC area.

That may be the case, but all I saw were office buildings and a few hotels going up on windy office park roads.

Unfortunately, I can't find a rendering of the project on the internet. If I remember it right, though, this project actually didn't have a Mediterranean Revival design, but had more of that old Florida panhandle style, with the metal roofing and such -- just highrise. Anyway, looks like it hit a snag, but the developers are determined to get it built. If this project succeeds, it could spell change for all of the surrounding neighborhoods, particularly the 4th Street S corridor.



Condo project moves on after investor drops out
Harborage Marina Village developers are looking for a replacement investor and say the project is progressing.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published June 23, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ST. PETERSBURG - The group planning the $40-million Harborage Marina Village condominium project, one of the first large developments south of downtown, has lost one of its investors, which kept it from closing on the land for the project.

Even so, plans for the 14-story condo tower near the Salvador Dali museum on Third Street S are still on track, said William E. Barber, president of Harborage Marina Development Corp.

"We're looking for another investor," he said Monday. "We haven't stopped work on the project. We have other people; we just haven't finalized it."

Barber said he expects the additional investors to be lined up by week's end.

Kevin Bessolo, owner of Bessolo Design Group in St. Petersburg, is the investor who dropped out.

"The time frame was too tight to get all our resources together and close the deal," Bessolo said. He said he did not want to pay for an extension. Bessolo was not in the group when the project was announced late last year but joined later as the lead developer.

The development group was scheduled to close on the purchase of 3.7 acres at 1100 Third St. S on May 15, said Harborage Marina owner Stan Johnson of Dallas. His company, Marinas International, owns 11.5 acres in the area. He said the developers approached him late last year about buying a piece of the land for the project.

The 3.7-acre site is in two parcels, one on each side of the street.

"It came up to the May 15 closing date, and they chose not to close and forfeited the earnest money," said Johnson, who declined to specify how much except to describe it as a "substantial amount of money that they walked away from."

Bessolo said he still thinks the project is viable. Johnson agreed, saying his company could decide to develop the project, though its strength is in marina ownership and management.

"We've been active talking with real estate companies that could be our marketing arm. We had them making proposals to us about what to do," Johnson said.

Harborage Marina Village was announced as a mixed-use project with 55 condominiums, ranging in price from $430,000 to $1.3-million. Residents would have a chance to buy a boat slip.

If it is built, it will move the condominium development activity that has helped revitalize downtown St. Petersburg to the south.

Condominium towers with luxury units have become a common sight downtown. As residents filled them over the past few years, support services have come on line, including BayWalk, an entertainment-retail center, and University Village, a shopping center anchored by a Publix grocery store.

At $40-million, Harborage Marina Village is by no means the largest of the city's new developments. In fact, Parkshore Plaza, now under construction downtown on Beach Drive NE, is a $100-million project.

But Harborage Marina Village would sit south of the downtown core and on the edge of several areas where revitalization is not as hot as in other parts of the city. At the time it was announced, Mayor Rick Baker said he hoped it would spark redevelopment in the Old Southeast and Bartlett Park neighborhoods.

The city already has approved the project.

Its main building will be the 14-story condo tower. The site is near Albert Whitted Airport.

Former Mayor Randy Wedding, who is involved in the project, said the Federal Aviation Administration had approved the project, which he said was designed not to interfere with the air space. It will be 155 feet high, he said, and the FAA's limit is 158 feet.

Bessolo, whose company does architecture, engineering, developing and contracting, said he still would like to be involved in the group.

"Certainly we would like to be in the role of developer and be in the lead position," he said. "We also would very much be interested in being any part of it we could."

That may be the case, but all I saw were office buildings and a few hotels going up on windy office park roads.

No shit? When I was up there last year and the year before, there actually wasn't a whole lot going on, save for a few residential projects, and I think two office projects. I know that they had this huge battle in the county government. Cirrus' site "BeyondDC" surely has some info regarding this...

I have no idea where this came from, but I am curious

Condo project moves on after investor drops out
Harborage Marina Village developers are looking for a replacement investor and say the project is progressing.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published June 23, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - The group planning the $40-million Harborage Marina Village condominium project, one of the first large developments south of downtown, has lost one of its investors, which kept it from closing on the land for the project.

Even so, plans for the 14-story condo tower near the Salvador Dali museum on Third Street S are still on track, said William E. Barber, president of Harborage Marina Development Corp.

"We're looking for another investor," he said Monday. "We haven't stopped work on the project. We have other people; we just haven't finalized it."

Barber said he expects the additional investors to be lined up by week's end.

Kevin Bessolo, owner of Bessolo Design Group in St. Petersburg, is the investor who dropped out.

"The time frame was too tight to get all our resources together and close the deal," Bessolo said. He said he did not want to pay for an extension. Bessolo was not in the group when the project was announced late last year but joined later as the lead developer.

The development group was scheduled to close on the purchase of 3.7 acres at 1100 Third St. S on May 15, said Harborage Marina owner Stan Johnson of Dallas. His company, Marinas International, owns 11.5 acres in the area. He said the developers approached him late last year about buying a piece of the land for the project.

The 3.7-acre site is in two parcels, one on each side of the street.

"It came up to the May 15 closing date, and they chose not to close and forfeited the earnest money," said Johnson, who declined to specify how much except to describe it as a "substantial amount of money that they walked away from."

Bessolo said he still thinks the project is viable. Johnson agreed, saying his company could decide to develop the project, though its strength is in marina ownership and management.

"We've been active talking with real estate companies that could be our marketing arm. We had them making proposals to us about what to do," Johnson said.

Harborage Marina Village was announced as a mixed-use project with 55 condominiums, ranging in price from $430,000 to $1.3-million. Residents would have a chance to buy a boat slip.

If it is built, it will move the condominium development activity that has helped revitalize downtown St. Petersburg to the south.

Condominium towers with luxury units have become a common sight downtown. As residents filled them over the past few years, support services have come on line, including BayWalk, an entertainment-retail center, and University Village, a shopping center anchored by a Publix grocery store.

At $40-million, Harborage Marina Village is by no means the largest of the city's new developments. In fact, Parkshore Plaza, now under construction downtown on Beach Drive NE, is a $100-million project.

But Harborage Marina Village would sit south of the downtown core and on the edge of several areas where revitalization is not as hot as in other parts of the city. At the time it was announced, Mayor Rick Baker said he hoped it would spark redevelopment in the Old Southeast and Bartlett Park neighborhoods.

The city already has approved the project.

Its main building will be the 14-story condo tower. The site is near Albert Whitted Airport.

Former Mayor Randy Wedding, who is involved in the project, said the Federal Aviation Administration had approved the project, which he said was designed not to interfere with the air space. It will be 155 feet high, he said, and the FAA's limit is 158 feet.

Bessolo, whose company does architecture, engineering, developing and contracting, said he still would like to be involved in the group.

"Certainly we would like to be in the role of developer and be in the lead position," he said. "We also would very much be interested in being any part of it we could."

[Last modified June 23, 2004, 01:00:39]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/06/23/Neighbor...t_moves_o.shtml

This project was anounced a while back. It's going across the street from the old Great Explorations Museum. I tried unsuccessfully to find the rendering.

This has been hinted at for a while. I'm looking forward to seeing the final plans for this site. With this project, the Florida International Museum site, the two Opus towers and Grady Pridgen's tower (if they all get built), we could have a nice skyline going in DT St. Pete.

St. Petersburg lot pitched as downtown epicenter
Two towers would rise from a parking lot to house condos, upscale hotel rooms and shops, but the details are hazy.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published June 25, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - A parking lot south of BayWalk could soon be the site of two towers of 400 condominiums, 200 hotel rooms and stores such as the Gap, Banana Republic and Victoria's Secret.

"We are feverishly working on plans to submit to the city, hopefully next month," said Tibor Hollo, who owns the prime real estate at Central Avenue and First Street N with local developer Jimmy Aviram.

Hollo lives in Miami, where he developed the Omni International Mall. Aviram is involved in a number of downtown ventures, including the Parkshore Plaza condo tower and the Bank of America building.

The two bought the prime spot, called the Tropicana block, in 2001 for $4-million and have been working to develop it. At first, they negotiated with Florida Progress, now Progress Energy, as a tenant. But when that failed, Aviram and Hollo went back to their original concept of hotel rooms and retail, adding condominiums.

They have not signed contracts with stores. They have not set the height of the towers. They have not priced the condos. Nor have they submitted plans to the city. They are still talking with focus groups about what details might work.

But this much is known. Plans call for two towers rising from a base that has stores on one floor and probably two. Initial plans call for one tower to have 32 stories and the other to have more than 20, Hollo said.

Hollo said he thinks downtown needs another upscale hotel. The Renaissance Vinoy Resort, with 360 rooms, is rated three stars by Mobil and is given four diamonds from the American Automobile Association, high marks from both, though not the highest.

Hollo and Aviram are negotiating with two chains to put four-star rooms in part of one tower.

"One is talking 180 rooms; the other is talking 200 rooms," Hollow said. He would not disclose the identity of the chains.

Mayor Rick Baker agreed downtown needs more upscale hotel rooms. He said hotels of that caliber absorb customers not only from events such as boat races, the Miss Florida Pageant and First Night (the New Year's Eve celebration), but also bring in their own with conventions and conferences at the hotel itself.

"I believe it would be a very positive project for the city," Baker said.

He has been having conversations with Hollo for the past year and a half, he said, and has even visited Miami to learn more about him and his developments there.

"I've heard nothing but positive things about him," Baker said.

Plans for the condominiums are fluid. A market analysis, with focus groups, is under way. In a few months, when that is complete, the developers will set the size and price of the condos.

Although no retailers are signed, Hollo said he wants well-known names, which is why he is pursuing the Gap, Victoria's Secret and Banana Republic for the Tropicana block, which is bounded by First and Second streets N and Central and First avenues N.

He said he thinks chances are good for such popular retailers because of the growing residential population downtown. Six luxury condominium towers - one each at the Cloisters and Florencia and four at Vinoy Place - have been built in the past five years and are occupied.

Another, Parkshore Plaza, is under construction on Beach Drive and still another is planned there.

There are numerous smaller condo projects being built and several apartment buildings being converted to for-sale units.

Also, the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, just south of downtown, is expanding and bringing in residential students.

"One of the things retailers are afraid of is when downtown empties out at 5 o'clock. What they are looking for is 24-hour living conditions," Hollo said. "People are there (in downtown St. Petersburg) 24 hours a day."

- Times staff writer Kelly Virella contributed to this report.

Well, this guy is a real developer - not a fly by night type and he is correct that that is a crucial lot - without something there downtown still feels incomplete. - look at all the parking he already has. Something will fly there.

That will be nice to have a twin tower project where the towers aren't actually twins. 400 condos, 200 hotel rooms and what sounds like 40-60k sqft of retail are solid numbers.


The only question now, "what's the hold-up in DT Clearwater?"... Basically everyone else is booming, except them...

btw, I was out on the beaches the other day, and not counting Belle Harbor (with 4 towers), I saw 2 midrises U/C on Clearwater beach, 2 U/C on Sand Key, and two more U/C along Gulf Blvd south of there. And there's now 4 midrise towers U/C along the intracoastal, between DT Clearwater and DT Dunedin. Note that all of these buildings were between 6 and 9 stories.

The beaches are doing well, but not DT...:(

Oh, and one area of St Petersburg that really puzzles me is out around the St Pete Beach/Pasadena area. There are already several towers around 20 stories, so I assume that the zoning certainly allows for some good densities. I've driven through there and seen numerous lots that are either vacant or underdeveloped. I wonder why we haven't heard of any interest out that way? Clearly, the beaches and intracoastal areas are a big draw, why not down there too???

I don't even worry about Clearwater at this point. It can sit fallow as long as Tampa and St. PEte move ahead. Eventually it will do something.

Clearwater has the unsual combination of silly government, Scientologists, bad transportation links and the fact that teh city really faces teh bay economically and culturally - not the Gulf (except the beach). It is the ugly stepchild.

Does anyone remember the proposed project in Downtown Clearwater about four or five years ago that was similar to Baywalk. I believe it included a hotel and part of it was to be built on top of the Calvary Baptist church. I think if that project had been approved by voters (who stupidly voted it down) it would have jumpstarted construction there. But a problem in DT Clearwater is traffic and I think there's a lot of old people living there. That doesn't make for a lively urban center.

Well, I guess they will stay more closely linked culturally to Bradenton and Lakeland, as being those midsized cities that just don't "get it"... Such a shame, because I think that Clearwater's "core" (if you can call it that) has some real potential.

I suspect that the primary problem in Clearwater is the same primary problem throughout Pinellas County, save for DT St Pete and the Gateway area... A complete lack of "timely" access to the rest of the region, thanks to a HORRIBLE road network. My g/f works off of Hercules, almost next door to the Clearwater Executive airport, and even in the very ealry morning when traffic is still light, it still takes her at least 40 minutes to get there from Westshore, thanks to the endless traffic lights, which seem purposefully times to make you have to stop at every one of them...

I read in the times not so long ago that there were plans in the 60's or 70's to turn US 19 into a limited access freeway, but obvioiusly, that never materialized. I think that if that project had been completed, it would be a lot different now. Also, it would have been helpful if an east-west expressway had been built connecting 275 in the Gateway area to the beaches, somewhere between Ulmerton Rd and 118th Ave, and possibly another expressway from 275 in St. Pete, a little north of downtown, to the west side of the county. But there was extremely poor planning on the part of Pinellas officials. I mean in Hillsborough they had the sense to build the Crosstown and the Veterans expressways (oh and now that the Crosstown has been paid for in full, there's STILL a toll, greedy bastards.) but the Pinellas folks never did get it together.

Brian Dairy Rd/118th Ave was supposed to be built as a toll road with frontage, all the way to Alt 19, but it never happened. Since that failed, 118th was widened to six lanes, has been connected to I-275, and had a connector road link it to Bryan Dairy Rd, with a flyover over 66th St. A flyover will soon be built over US19, and I also think that they intend to build one over 49th St after that is done. Effectively, someone would then be able to go from I-275 to Belcher Rd without a single traffic light, though the road would not be limited access.

US 19 was supposed to be turned all limited access with frontage all the way up to SR 586 (I think), and eventually up to the county line (I think), as recently as the the 80's/early 90's. They started on the project, and built what we've got now until they ran out of money. The contractors working on the job blew money left and right, and the project was genuinely underbudgeted in the first place.


I think that the road network in Pinellas is so consitently crappy that they really, really need to build LRT or better yet, monorail. The difference in ROW costs alone between building new expressways and rail transit are starting to make the case for rail transit compelling. Give it another 10-15 years, and people will be begging for it IMO. Clearwater and its beaches are already in desperate need of a rail connection IMO. The core problem with any Pinellas rail network is that it will inherently have to geared towards park and ride users, due to the randomized zoning.

I am very happy that there is still a toll on the Crosstown, as nothing is better than a user fee based funding system. Remember, without those continued tolls, they could never be building the reversible crosstown project, or the I-4/Crosstown connector which will begin in about 1.5 years... Withn a few years, the expressway authority will very likely extend the crosstown to link up with the Gandy bridge, and that too could never be funded without the continued toll collections.


edit... I'm actually one of those people that wishes that ALL expressways were toll roads, and that those tolls collected would be used to fund further improvements, and perhaps even to help fund other transportation initiatives, like HOV lanes and other dedicated ROWs. We would have much more control over our own infrastructure destiny, and wouldn't have to always be "behind the 8 ball". What I mean is the known problem where ti takes so long to get major roads built that by the time they're done, they're already sorely outdated.

Oh, they are building the connector? I didn't know it had been approved. Well in that case, good point.

Actually, I was a bit hasty there. They are currently doing ROW aquisition. technically, the funding is not yet written into the 5yr DOT budget, but the general sentiment I've heard around town is that once the Selmon double deck thing is done, and one the improvements to I-4 and Malfunction Junction are done in a few years, that the connector will be right there on the table, ready to go.

There's alot of US19 construction going on or planned around Clearwater and St. Pete. You can follow along or just see whats planned at www.myus19.com

Yes, US 19 should've been upgraded to a limited access expressway back in the 60s or 70s before it was as developed as it is now. At the very least, the government should've bought the right-of-ways along there. Now, in some cases, they would have to pay for the relocation of entire businesses instead of, maybe, a few feet of land to turn that thing into a freeway. Eventually, most of it will be a freeway, at least through Clearwater. But, it's going to cost the government (really us) much more money now than it would have decades ago, proportionally speaking.

As for an east/west expressway, St. Pete has an "east/west expressway" in the 1st Avenues (one-way roads across the entire city), which works well. The 118th Avenue/Brian Dairy Corridor is supposed to be the "east/west expressway" accross mid-county, although all of the planned overpasses aren't built, and I believe residential roads will still have access to it (but eventually there won't be any traffic lights from Seminole to I-275). I don't know what could really be done in Clearwater other than light rail to ease the traffic up there.

Really, a countywide light rail or monorail system would do wonders for Pinellas traffic problems. The monorail would only need to go from DT St. Pete -->Gateway --> St. Pete/Clwtr Int'l Airport --> up US 19 to Westfield Shoppingtown Countryside (eventually extending to Tarpon Springs). Cities could develop their own light rail to spin off the monorail down the E/W routes -- Gandy/Park Blvd (Pinellas Park), Bay Dr (Largo), Gulf-to-Bay (Clearwater), Main Street (Dunedin), Nebraska Ave (Palm Harbor) and Tarpon Ave (Tarpon Springs). The Gateway or the Airport monorail stop could be the Pinellas inter-county hub (connect Pinellas and Hillsborough).

Hillsborough could use some rail, too. Instead of building those elevated span for cars, they should've built it for rail. A monorail system there would have a hub in DT Tampa, and would 3 offshoots from there: Westshore/TIA, USF, and the Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon. Perhaps, eventually, another suburban monorail could be built that encirles the city with the route Westfield Shoppingtown Brandon-->New Tampa/USF-->Westfield Shoppingtown Citrus Park-->TIA. Light rail would spin off these monorial corridors. TIA would be the Hillsborough inter-county hub.

The most expensive part might be the segment that crosses the bay.

Just a thought.

Back to the point, both DT Clearwater and DT St. Pete suffer due to access and/or location. DT St. Pete doesn't have a regional-friendly location, but it has decent access and it just has more history as one of the traditional urban centers of the region. DT Clearwater may have a slightly better location in relation to the region, but it has poor access (basically one main road in and out). Both spots would benefit from rail or better road access.

Another condo was announced in the paper yesterday. Just like the Tropicana Block, it still appears as if it's still pretty preliminary, but they have submitted plans to the city and want to commence construction by the first part of 2005. Anyway, this one would be almost as tall as the BofA Tower, would be on the opposite side of DT to most of the condo activity, and would have a more modern look (YAY!).

More condos may spear skyline
Another project, this one planned at 100 First Ave. S, would be only 26 feet shorter than the Bank of America tower.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published June 27, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - As vacant land for downtown development disappears, parking lots become prime candidates for condominium towers.

A 360-foot one is now planned for the L-shaped parking lot at BayView Tower, the former William C. Cramer federal office building at 100 First Ave. S.

According to designs submitted to the city late last week, BayView Tower would be only 26 feet shorter than the Bank of America tower, the city's tallest building.

The design calls for a 27-story complex of 103 condos, retail shops and restaurants and a parking garage. It would be a $75-million project, according to paperwork filed with the city.

Developers are in the process of getting clearance from the Federal Aviation Administration.

Though plans are not final and designs not set, the condominiums could start in the $250,000 range for a one-bedroom unit with approximately 1,000 square feet of space, according to architect Tim Clemmons. He is designing the project for Gulf Atlantic Real Estate Cos. of Tampa. Joel Cantor is part of that company and in 1999 bought the empty federal office building. He refurbished it and now has it fully occupied with businesses, Clemmons said.

"It would be a contemporary-style building with a lot of glass," Clemmons said of the tower. "It would be of a more modern and contemporary character" than other recently built condominium towers such as the Florencia, Cloisters or Vinoy Place, all of which have something of a Mediterranean look.

Cantor hopes to begin construction early next year, Clemmons said.

The existing office building, which is seven stories, leaves an L-shaped space on the block bounded by First and Second avenues S and First and Second streets.

The new complex would have the same L-shape, Clemmons said, and the tower would rise at the intersection of the L. Along Second Avenue S would be an eight-level garage above retail while the base along First Street S would have three stories of lofts above retail.

"The tower would be at the corner of the block and be very thin," Clemmons said. It would be oriented with its long axis in an east-west direction to avoid obstructing water views of the office building and structures farther west.

The plan for the tower would allow about 7,000 square feet per floor. That would be divided among four units, Clemmons said.

In the past five years, downtown has almost become synonymous with condominiums. In fact downtown owes a lot of its resurgence to the residents moving in. Their presence requires other services such as entertainment venues and shopping plazas, which have come on line.

The Cloisters and the Florencia on Beach Drive NE were the first new luxury towers to open and they had a total of 82 units. They were followed by Vinoy Place, which has four towers and 102 units. Parkshore Plaza is under construction in the 300 block of Beach Drive and will have 120 units. Plans for the 400 block of Beach Drive call for 145 units, though that project is not completely set.

McNulty Lofts has 85 units under construction. Others in the planning stage include a complex for the Tropicana block (at Central and First Street N) with 400 condominiums and Bayway Lofts at Third Avenue N between Second and Third streets, which could have 277 units in a building that would be the city's tallest. However, Bayway Lofts is back in the design stages.

St. Petersburg's downtown residential resurgence has come at a time when, nationally, people are returning to urban settings. Clemmons said he thought with the Tampa Bay area population of 2.5-million, it would take only a small percent who wanted to be condo buyers to keep the market from being saturated by the number of units now planned for downtown.

"I think the market in the very near term is deep," Clemmons said. "I think we could build several hundred units per year for years to come."

So i was in St. Pete recently and noticed a number of things. First McNulty Lofts is going along nicely. Second the Casablanca (or whatever - which is not white by the way) and the Orion are actually very close to each other and close teh Publix, which is cool. By the way, the small stip store part of the Publix plaza is a little weak near the parking but well done on the back where it is quite pedestrian friendly. It is about as much as I could ask for, reasonably.

Long overlooked Dome District now buzzing with projects
By KELLY VIRELLA
Published July 5, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - More than 100 new residences, plus offices and stores, are being planned in the once-neglected area of Midtown St. Petersburg where a blockbuster redevelopment project was announced earlier this month.

The first week of June, developer Grady Pridgen said he wants to build 320 new condominiums, some restaurants and offices and to relocate the Florida Sports Hall of Fame to 3 acres on Central Avenue east of 16th Street S.

Now three more developers say they are under contract to buy property near Tropicana Field between Eighth and 11th streets along Central Avenue. As envisioned, what are now vacant lots and abandoned buildings would become lofts, town homes, restaurants, shops and offices.

The infusion of new homes and businesses would be the first in an area that has lagged behind the bustling downtown waterfront.

"If these projects do come to fruition, it'll start closing up some of the gaps," said Kevin Dunn, managing director of development for the city. "Sandwiched in between the galleries on Central and the Grand Central area is a void."

Representatives of all three groups have talked to Dunn about their plans. In addition to Pridgen's proposal:

Housing, office or retail space may supplant the old Landmark Union Trust Bank building at 895 Central Ave., as part of the sale of the two blocks between First Avenue N and First Avenue S, between Eighth and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets.

Two five-story buildings containing stores, offices and 20 lofts may be built on the south side of Central Avenue between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 11th streets.

100 loft-style homes and townhomes may be built between Central and First Avenue S on the east side of 11th Street.

None of the developers has disclosed the sales prices for the properties, and so far none has filed plans or sought the necessary development approvals from the city. The site plan of each project would need to be approved before construction could begin.

"If all four of these go through, it will be very dramatic," said Tim Clemmons, a local architect representing one of the development groups, a St. Petersburg family who wishes to remain anonymous until it closes on the purchase of the property, possibly in August or September.

The projects in discussion are the kind of development the city had hoped would come to the area, known as the Dome District, when Major League Baseball came to Tropicana Field nearly six years ago. But it may be the arts as much as sports that has helped draw these developers' interest.

Evelyn Craft said some developers have told her the Arts Center at 719 Central Ave. and nearby galleries are a strong lure.

"They've told me that they see the Arts Center as critical to wanting to develop the area," said Craft, executive director of the center, which includes classroom and gallery space.

Nearly 30 to 40 percent of the lots in the Dome District are vacant or rarely used, Dunn said.

"It has a lot of large, single-ownership properties that are largely vacant and available for redevelopment," he said. "It's easy to put together the land."

Jason Perry, a partner in Miles Properties, an Atlanta developer that plans to build 100 new loft-style homes and townhomes in the area, said it was only a matter of time before the Dome District was discovered.

"We've been looking at St. Pete for a long time," Perry said. "We finally found the right property."

From east to west on Central, the first project is the 5 acres between First Avenue N and First Avenue S, Eighth and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets. That's the current site of a Bank of America building and the old Landmark Union Trust Bank building.

Developers Jimmy Aviram and Dean Kucera are under contract to buy the land and are scheduled to close in October or November. Aviram and Kucera intend to keep the Bank of America building.

There are many possibilities for the Landmark Union property. One could be demolition and construction of homes, stores and offices. Another could be restoring the building.

"We have no idea what we're going to do with it," said Kucera.

The second project, the one Clemmons is working on, would be on Central between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and 11th streets S. The anonymous developers are under contract to buy 11/2 mostly vacant acres of the two blocks and are scheduled to close on it in August or September.

Construction could begin in the first part of next year, Clemmons said. No prices have have been set for the offices and lofts.

The third project would be between Central Avenue and First Avenue S at 11th Street S. Miles Properties is under contract to buy the 1.7 vacant acres and is scheduled to close on it at the beginning of August. The company envisions building lofts and townhomes.

Perry said the project would be similar to the one that the company is set to complete in Tampa in early September. The company is building 42 units on the Hillsborough River at 1501 Doyle Carlton Drive, in a development it calls The Arts Center Lofts.

Prices for the St. Petersburg lofts would range from $160,000 to $250,000. The lofts would be in a seven-story building that faces First Avenue S. The townhomes would range from $315,000 to $330,000 and face Central Avenue.

About five blocks west of Miles Properties, Pridgen is planning to build three interconnected five-story buildings. The first floor of each would be retail and office space. The development also would include 40,000 square feet of retail space featuring two or three restaurants and an art gallery.

A pedestrian plaza would overlook Booker Creek, Pridgen said. The condominiums would be priced between $150,000 and $250,000.

Redevelopment of the Dome District is a key element of the city's plans to bring new housing and jobs to Midtown, the predominantly black area of the city where civil disturbances erupted last month and in 1996.

Lou Brown, an African-American Realtor and Midtown property owner, said he welcomes the growth but is concerned that as it expands it will make the area too expensive for longtime residents. As renters, many Midtown residents are vulnerable to the price hikes that attend real estate booms, he said.

"The money can be made," he said. "But God, what happens to the people?"

- Times staff writers Carrie Johnson and Sharon Bond contributed to this report.

[Last modified July 4, 2004, 23:46:09]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/05/Southpinellas/Long_overlooked_Dome_.shtml

That's great news for ST Pete....


I wonder which DT area has more vacant lots, DT Tampa, DT St Pete or DT Clearwater....:D

The prices on these units all but gaurantee that they wil be snapped up...


Now St Pete just needs to start investing some of this surging property tax receipts into infrastructure, instead of foolishly lowering the tax rate every damn year... Municipalities bust thier ass to grow and bring in more tax receipts, and then they just piss it away on overly conservative dogmas... And then they wonder later on why they're broke, and have a degraded quality of life...:bash:

Great projects with excellent prices. I hope they all get built as they will definately sell fast at those prices. That area needs some drastic redevelopment, and DT could certainly use some more affordable units to attract more young people. Central Avenue should aim to develop itself as the artsy, sophisticated alternative to the other night spots like Ybor City as well as be a good strip to foster entrepreneurship along, such as small clothing shops, cafes, bookstores, design firms, studios, etc.

Also, to respond to Lou Brown's statement, there is plenty of land in the heart of Midtown and to the west in Childs Park to be redeveloped for low to mid-income households -- plenty of land. There are several abandoned or underutilized properties in the area. The problem, I see, is that these areas seem to be against mixed-use, dense development (like the ones proposed for central) that could provide decent and affordable housing in that area as land values aren't that high in Midtown. For instance, the area across the street from the vacant land to be the Dome Industrial Park is screaming for a mixed use (but primarily residential) redevelopment with shops, apartments and townhomes. A development like that could make the Dome Industrial Park more attractive to perspective employers, as their employees could walk to work. But no one has that kind of vision for Midtown. They seem to like the suburban-style houses that GHD and others are building. Well, in the end, that's what is going to drive the cost of housing up in Midtown more than any development downtown.

I really like this city. It's small but very nice!

Clearwater, hotelier at odds on resort plan
City officials have said part of Tony Markopoulos' design does not match its vision. He submits revised plans, but no major design changes.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published July 16, 2004

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CLEARWATER - So far, the city and hotelier Tony Markopoulos aren't seeing eye to eye on his plan for a $100-million luxury condo and hotel resort.

The city says an element of the design doesn't match its vision for a rejuvenated beach community. He says it does.

Thursday, Markopoulos submitted revised architectural plans and responses to comments made by the development review committee on July 8. No major design changes were included.

One key issue brought up by the committee was the amount of open space on the development site.

City leaders did not like the idea of high-rise buildings blocking the view of the Gulf of Mexico.

That's why the city's Beach by Design guidelines say that structures higher than 100 feet cannot occupy more than 40 percent of the north-south vertical space parallel to Coronado Drive and N Mandalay Avenue.

The development review committee said Markopoulos' plans seem to exceed that limit.

Ed Hooper, a consultant and spokesman for the project, said the plan doesn't exceed the limit because the building has a flat V-shape and doesn't encompass more than 40 percent of the space.

"I think we have met every piece of Beach by Design," he said.

The committee also wondered whether the resort's entry area would be clogged with traffic during major events and conventions, and questioned whether the problem might be complicated by a unique feature in the entryway: car elevators that would be used by valets to transport vehicles to the second through fourth parking levels.

A number of other issues were raised by the committee, but most were minor, according to city planner Wayne Wells. They included such issues as incorrect street names or the wrong number of hotel rooms.

Markopoulos' Clearwater Beach project would include 350 hotel rooms, 75 condominiums and 30,000 square feet of meeting space. The project, which also would feature retail, restaurants, banquet rooms and nightclubs, would replace Markopoulos' Day's Inn, Beach Towers, Spy Glass and Golden Beach motels south of the roundabout.

City officials did not have a chance to review Markopoulos' revisions, which were submitted about 4 p.m. Thursday.

Wells said city staff members would evaluate Markopoulos' request and make a staff report and recommendation.

If all issues are addressed to their satisfaction, the project could go before the Community Development Board on Aug. 17.

Mayor Brian Aungst said he's reserving judgment until he reviews the plans and gets feedback from staffers.

"I'm keeping an open mind until I see the final product," he said.

- Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 16, 2004, 01:20:28]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/16/Northpinellas/Clearwater__hotelier_.shtml

And does anyone else agree that the new Causeway bridge to the beach isn't really going to do much for traffic? I think that they need another bridge, either at the south end of Clearwater Key (preferable), or at the north end (ha!)... An even better solution would be rail, so hopefully the city will actually find a way to do that.

I agree. Another connection between DT Clearwater and the Bellaire Causeway is needed. I think that traffic will flow better, as it will bypass going right through the heart of DT Clearwater, where the current path dwindles down all the way to a two-lane avenue. However, it will still be the only access point to Clearwater Beach, so traffic won't decrease. I guess the more effecient flow of traffic is most important.

Of all the major urban centers, Clearwater seems to be the only one that can't get it togeter. Tampa, St. Petersburg, Bradenton and Sarasota are all seeming booms (to varying degrees) in their DTs. It must be discouraging to developers interested in the area.

If it is too stupid to get organized, let Clearwater rot while Tampa and St. PEte fill up. Two real cities are better tahn three quazi-cities. Though three real cities would be nice, but I don't think it will happen any time soon.

Of course, you could just visit Sarasota, or even Lakeland - that's better than Clearwater.

Yes, I agree that even LAKELAND is outdoing Clearwater by a long shot these days.

Liek the thing with markopoulos now... They bitch about his project being too stubby, and monolithic. Well no shit Sherlock! As I just described above, the combination of inflated land prices, low zoning densities and LOW hieght limits is combining to FORCE developers to build like this, or they basically can't build at all.

Clearwater needs to pull its head out of its ass, and soon, ir it's going to become yet another "Redneck Riviera" in the area.

You know, I can't find the article now, but I found out why St Pete Beach development has been dead lately.

It's because they are in the process of changing thier zoning codes, to allow for densities at least 250% higher than now, and to make it easier for developers to build taller, so long as they meet certain stipulations... So basically, developers are surely sitting on land and projects, waiting for the new rules to take effect.

I expect to hear a wave of announcements for new development out there in about a year. :)

btw,there are some sweet paerials of DT Clearwater in today's ST Pete Times, as well as a huge article about how the Scientologists are basically taking over DT. They are the principles in just about every project coming up for DT, and already own like 200 businesses in and around DT Clearwater.

I will scan and post the pics this evening.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/18/images/xlarge/A_1_sci2_175529_0718.jpg

THERE IS AN EXCELLENT MAP, BUT IT IS FLASH SO HERE IS THE LINK
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/18/scientology/graphic.shtml

Scientology's town
As Scientologists launch unprecedented expansion, downtown Clearwater's identity is at stake. A two-part special report
By ROBERT FARLEY, Times Staff Writer
Published July 18, 2004
CLEARWATER - The room is packed with computer consultants, real estate agents, home financing professionals, Web site designers, accountants, hairstylists, artists, interior designers.

All based in Clearwater. All Scientologists.

Guest speaker Mark DeEulio bursts in.

"How are you doing?" he booms.

"Great!" comes an enthusiastic chorus.

"Who could use more money?" DeEulio teases.

Without pause, he launches into the basics of financial planning - as taught by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard.

It is the weekly meeting of the Clearwater chapter of the World Institute of Scientology Enterprises, business people using Hubbard's business techniques. Akin to a chamber of commerce for Scientologists, WISE members network, recruit employees, share business tips and hear lectures on topics such as marketing.

And they refine ideas for new businesses for downtown Clearwater.

For Scientologists, opening a business is "just as natural . . . as taking a shower and putting their shoes on," said WISE's Tampa Bay area president, Bud Reichel.

In Clearwater, the shoes fit especially well.

Scientologists now own more than 200 shops, restaurants, service outlets and small businesses in and around Clearwater's downtown. Many employ fellow Scientologists. WISE's Clearwater membership stands at 687, more than triple what it was five years ago.

More growth is coming. Scientologists will open twice as many businesses in the next five years, Reichel predicts. As many as 900 condos and townhouses are to be developed downtown, mostly by Scientologists.

A group of Scientologists from Mexico plans a project that could bring hundreds of condos to prime downtown property bought last year for $9.8-million.

Just two blocks away, a Scientologist will break ground this summer on a 146-unit, 15-story condo tower. Church members also will build dozens of townhomes downtown.

For Clearwater, it's an unprecedented wave of private-sector investment by entrepreneurial Scientologists. And it's taking root alongside the numerous high-profile properties of the expansion-minded Church of Scientology, which since 1976 has made Clearwater its worldwide spiritual headquarters.

Already the largest property owner downtown, the church next year will open its $50-million Flag Building, sitting on a full city block across from the church's Clearwater icon, the Fort Harrison Hotel.

About 6,850 Scientology followers have moved to the Clearwater area, joining the church's 1,400 uniformed employees. It's a community that has grown 20 percent per year in the past decade, according to church tallies.

Business expansion. New housing. Population growth. Scientologists have emerged as leading stakeholders in a tired downtown.

After 28 years, Scientologists are on the brink of creating what amounts to a Scientology city in Clearwater's downtown core.

'It's their town'
Church officials scoff at the suggestion that they have a formal plan to dominate Clearwater. They insist they want diversity.

"I don't see any shift in balance," said church spokesman Ben Shaw. He called the church's growth natural.

As for Scientology overwhelming the downtown mix, Shaw said, "I don't know that that will happen any time in the near future."

But Scientologists don't plan to slow down, Shaw said.

In a series of rare interviews, Scientologists spoke candidly, and excitedly, with the St. Petersburg Times about their business plans and how other church members, drawn by a new comfort level in Clearwater, will expand the Scientology community.

"You can't separate Salt Lake City and the Mormons, and you can't separate Clearwater and Scientology," said Ray Cassano, a Scientologist whose 146-unit downtown condo tower will rise next door to the historic post office. "We may be a bigger presence here because Clearwater is a smaller city."

Many agree.

"It's their town," said lawyer Lou Kwall, whose downtown office afforded a front row seat to watch the church evolve through the decades. "The reality is Scientology is much more in charge of downtown Clearwater than anyone ever anticipated it would be."

Here's the critical question, Kwall said: "Are people like me going to stay in downtown Clearwater or will they be run off by an overwhelming number of Scientologists?" Kwall, for one, says he's staying.

Also critical is Clearwater's bridge to the beach. Once the new Memorial Causeway is finished, it will divert traffic from the commercial core. Many see downtown heading in one of two directions. It could ride the wave of New Urbanism and become another Hyde Park, or it could become a Scientology campus.

"We'll have Clearwater Beach, Scientology City and Countryside," said Pinellas County Commissioner Susan Latvala. She is one of a growing number of politicians who are friendly to the church, but a one-dimensional downtown, she says, is "not a good mix."

A Scientology identity would dismay many in Clearwater, where a crush of uniformed church staffers walk the streets and often are targets of whispers and jokes. The church's own research last year determined that many in Pinellas consider Scientology a cult, mysterious and secretive. Most also said they know little about the church, other than John Travolta is a member.

In Clearwater, branding someone a Scientologist is "how people in the old guard of the city slander you," says Clearwater Mayor Brian Aungst. He and his wife at times have needed to fend off rumors that they are Scientologists.

Aungst, a public supporter of many church programs and efforts, thinks talk of a Scientology-dominated downtown is overblown.

"If the church wanted to be dominant, they could buy the whole city up right now," Aungst said. "They're not that stupid. If they try to make this L. Ron Hubbard Town with some kind of a big theme, it'll be a disaster. And they know that, because people will not accept that."

An architect signs on
Clearwater architect Steve Klar doesn't know how they got his name, but a few years ago church officials called to see if he was interested in designing an expansion of Scientology's waterfront Sandcastle retreat, which offers advanced church counseling.

What would people think if he took the job?

At the first meeting with church officials, he took the direct approach.

"I'm nervous about this," he told them. "Quite frankly, your PR sucks. If I believe everything I read in the newspaper, I shouldn't be here."

He ran through a list of questions. They patiently answered.

Then they had questions for him.

"Any of your employees have a DUI? Any of them have a drug habit? Can I have your driver's license number to run a background check on you?"

Klar took the job, and has since developed a good working relationship. He is the architect of record for the massive new Flag Building.

Having lived and worked in downtown Clearwater for 20 years, Klar says it comes down to this: "Today, if you are downtown, who else are you going to work for?"

1,000 a year follow Flag
Aside from the few shops selling Hubbard texts and those with his likeness on the walls, businesses owned by Scientologists look like any other.

But in the heart of downtown - the four blocks of Cleveland Street, between Osceola and Myrtle avenues - 25 percent of the 106 licensed businesses are owned by Scientologists, according to WISE. Dozens of other Scientologist-owned (and property tax-paying) businesses are within walking distance.

That roster of commercial activity, along with the church's many properties and functions, creates an economic engine producing financial opportunities for Scientologists and non-Scientologists alike.

Scientologist Dwight Matheny's ArtGlass Studios on Missouri Avenue has eight employees; half are Scientologists. He moved to Clearwater from Atlanta eight years ago to be closer to Flag, shorthand for "Flag Service Organization," the church's official name in Clearwater.

Every year, almost 1,000 Scientologists make the same decision. They find a community with Scientology schools, business groups and charities, Boy Scout troops and running clubs.

"People are more comfortable associating with people who have similar interests," said Matheny, 50. "There's a whole (Scientology) community here."

Matheny took a pioneering step for Scientology when downtown property owners elected him to the Downtown Development Board, which promotes a more vibrant and active downtown. He is now chairman of the seven-member board.

Scientologists are members of 98 civic organizations and clubs, church representatives proudly point out.

Matheny grew his business using Hubbard's business principles, which address everything from employee relations to customer service and management. Hubbard preached exhaustive market research, and Scientologists constantly survey customers about wants and needs. A Scientologist business owner also will display charts of staffer performance. On a wall of Matheny's shop is a Hubbard-conceived business organizational chart - complete with titles, responsibilities, department and overall goals.

He echoes the call for a diverse business mix downtown. But if non-Scientologists don't step forward, Matheny said, downtown surely will become more Scientology-influenced by default.

The business environment for Scientologists has improved, Matheny said, because the city government and civic leaders softened their attitudes toward the church.

Not long ago, he said, "the city wanted nothing to do with the church, and the church wanted nothing to do with the city."

From the beginning, Clearwater had a strained relationship with the mysterious and sometimes feared Scientologists. In late 1975, the church covertly bought the then-vacant Fort Harrison Hotel under an assumed name. Then, in 1977, church documents seized by the FBI in Washington and Los Angeles revealed a plan to "take control" of Clearwater.

Scientology officials also had plotted, the documents showed, to discredit their Clearwater "enemies" - political figures, local police and newspaper editors and reporters.

In 1982, the city government held hearings to explore allegations that the church was a cult. The church cried "witch hunt."

The hearings led to a city ordinance regulating solicitations by charities, but the courts later tossed it out, saying it showed "a widespread political movement . . . intent on driving Scientology from Clearwater."

The 1995 death of Scientologist Lisa McPherson, who in her last 17 days was cared for by church staffers, again put the church on the defensive. Criminal charges were pursued against the church but were later dropped. A much-publicized wrongful-death suit made headlines for seven years until it was settled in May.

Until just a few years ago, city police routinely gave new city officials two-hour briefings summarizing its 14-year investigation into the church, which resulted in no charges.

The healing power of time, plus many community efforts by Scientologists, have made relationships with City Hall and numerous politicians comfortable.

But that feeling has not carried through to the general population.

"They don't know that (the stereotype) has been burst," Matheny said. "The question is: When does the public find out, now or 10 years from now?"

One of the fruits of the church's working relationship with the city sits at Fort Harrison Avenue and Cleveland Street: Starbucks.

One of the few national chains with an outlet downtown, Starbucks was recruited by a tag team of church and city officials. The deal was sealed once the church agreed that Starbucks could sell coffee at the Fort Harrison Hotel. Starbucks opened, to much fanfare, in a building owned by a Scientologist.

Increasingly, downtown business people appreciate Scientology's catalytic efforts.

"If they moved out, this place would be a ghost town," said Traci Walters, owner of Oceans Funding.

Instead of ignoring Scientologists, as many tried to do for decades, Walters courted them. She advertised in a shopper popular with believers. And she made a point to hire a Scientologist. At one point, most of her business consisted of Scientologists who were getting mortgages or refinancing them.

Walters has this message: "Get on the bandwagon!"

Many have.

Parachute into some Scientologist-owned companies - from health stores to call centers to computer software firms - and you will find non-Scientologists working for Scientologists.

Richard Ghazarian's New Port Richey neighbors gasped when he took a job at Event Management Services, a downtown Clearwater ad agency owned by Scientologists and run according to Hubbard business principles.

Working according to Hubbard's teachings has its quirks. Office walls are lined with graphs and charts tracking daily and weekly progress.

No one, he said, has tried to convert him.

"What's the big deal?" Ghazarian told his neighbors. "They put on their clothes the same way I do. There are no secret meetings with hoods."

The housing juggernaut
Elias Jafif made a fortune in Mexico developing shopping centers and upscale golf communities. His Casa Club Bosquereal is a small city - 10,000 homes and, he boasts, the biggest clubhouse in the world.

The grandson of a Lebanese Jew, Jafif was born into one of Mexico City's industrial families, manufacturers of textiles, shoes and lingerie. He became a Scientologist as a young man after hearing about it from his then-girlfriend.

His first trip to Clearwater was in 1977. Downtown seemed in decline. Spooky even. His most lasting memory is of mannequins without wigs in aging downtown store windows.

Now, Jafif, 50, views it as a place to spend millions. Last year, he and his investment partners, all Scientologists, snapped up downtown Clearwater's nine-story AmSouth Bank building and 3 surrounding acres.

A part-time Clearwater resident, he bought the property to build condos. While still on the drawing board, his project could be the biggest in Clearwater history.

It is one of six substantial housing projects proposed for downtown by entrepreneurial Scientologists.

This club of developers will create hundreds of dwelling units in a range of prices. Many of their buyers, most of them acknowledge, will be Scientologists.

Jafif said his condos, with first floor retail, will be high end with Mediterranean Revival architecture.

Less pricey will be the condos being built just down Cleveland Street by Ray Cassano and partners. It will be the first major development in years to bring residents with disposable income to downtown. Units will go for $200,000 to $499,000.

In an ironic twist, the same city government that years ago was cold to Scientologists now is assisting Cassano. The city is selling him a parking lot and agreeing to pay him a higher price later in exchange for Cassano building public parking.

"It used to be we just got along," Cassano said of the city and Scientologists. "Now we're friends."

So far, Scientologists have reserved about a quarter of his units, he said.

On downtown's eastern flank, Bud Reichel, the WISE president, is part of a development group building 47 lofts. Price tag: $229,000 to $251,000. Scientologists are a prime target market, Reichel said.

Next door, Scientologist William Lazarony recently opened his 18-unit Laura Street Townhomes, the first townhouse complex downtown. He said it is "irrelevant" how many were purchased by Scientologists.

On downtown's northern edge, Scientologists plan two more projects. Ben Kugler has filed plans for 24 units immediately north of Scientology's Osceola Inn, a cushy lodge for visiting Scientologists. Gerald Ellenburg, the Starbucks landlord, talks of building a $20-million condominium tower with 25 units just north of the church's Sandcastle religious retreat.

Only one downtown housing project is being built by a non-Scientologist. Sarasota developer Bruce Balk completed 15 of 100 planned units before encountering delays.

Clearwater power broker Lee Arnold, chief executive of Colliers Arnold real estate, says he intends to build a high-rise on land he owns next to Jafif's project, but has submitted no plans to the city.

The impending housing boom, certain to attract more Scientologists, likely translates into more dollars for church coffers, and the community as a whole.

Scientologists do not tithe, but they pay for services. "Donations" for some introductory courses start at $35, but a two-year training program can cost $22,000. "Auditing" services range from $200 for a week of beginning Dianetics to thousands for the most advanced sessions.

In their daily lives, Scientologists often seek out other Scientologists, whether shopping for a haircut or a house. But they also spend money with non-Scientologists.

A St. Louis consultant estimated that Scientologists spend $80.5-million locally each year. Scientologists' median household income was found to be $58,000, 64 percent higher than the Clearwater area.

One handsome portfolio
The church owns 21 buildings and about a dozen vacant lots in Clearwater, a portfolio valued for tax purposes at $46-million. It's in the midst of an unprecedented $160-million spending spree downtown.

The crown jewel will be its Mediterranean Revival Flag Building, nearly finished on the outside but still raw inside and more than a year away from occupancy.

It will feature a ground-floor Scientology museum open to the public. On upper floors will be 300 rooms for Scientology's core practice of auditing. A dining hall with seating for 1,140 and two full kitchens will be in the basement.

To staff it, the church will bring to Clearwater 1,200 more members of its loyal Sea Org, the group who dedicate their lives to church service, wear uniforms and live in church housing.

Some of that extra staff will move into the 13-story Oak Cove apartments, just a few steps west of the Fort Harrison Hotel. The church bought it in late 2001 for $5-million and will spend $1.5-million renovating it this year.

Most Sea Org members live in the Hacienda Gardens apartments on N Saturn Avenue about 3 miles from downtown. They are shuttled to the church's downtown properties daily by full-sized buses emblazoned in big letters: Flag.

Scientology's 10 Flag buses and eight cargo-sized vans circle downtown streets daily. The busy fleet achieves an overwhelming presence.

But soon, Scientology will have an even larger profile.

This year, the church says, it will begin building a $3.5-million, three-level parking garage southeast of the Flag Building. It will sit just north of the church's $4-million power plant, built in the same Mediterranean Revival style.

Major renovations also are to begin on the Fort Harrison, which will get two redecorated restaurants and a conference center available to the public.

Then another major project will launch: a $40-million auditorium seating 3,600 on church-owned land immediately south of the Flag Building.

That cluster - the Flag Building, Fort Harrison, auditorium, staff high-rise and parking garage - if it's all built, will give Scientology a multiblock campus immediately north and east of the Pinellas County Courthouse.

The church paid property taxes of $605,488 last year, making it downtown's largest taxpayer, even with about two-thirds of its holdings tax exempt. Church property used for religious purposes, such as counseling, is tax exempt. Properties or portions of properties not used for religious purposes, such as restaurants and hotel rooms, are taxed.

When Scientology opens its immense Flag Building, it largely will be off the tax rolls. But the Fort Harrison then will be converted fully to a hotel and will be taxed.

William Miller, a professor at the University of Utah College of Architecture & Planning, has seen the psychological impact of Mormon buildings in Salt Lake City.

Massive buildings awe and intimidate, he said. Religions build them to convey power and impact.

Scientology's Flag Building "is a direct reflection of where the church is now and where it sees itself going," he said. "It's a reflection of their growing position in the world."

Many other sight lines in downtown Clearwater already are filled by properties and ventures owned by Scientologists.

Consider downtown's prime intersection, Fort Harrison Avenue and Cleveland Street.

It's Scientology on nearly every corner.

The two-story Weisman building, built in 1926 and renovated in 2000 by Scientologist Gerald Ellenburg, is home to Starbucks.

Across the street are two church properties, both former Clearwater institutions. The five-story Coachman building, dating from 1917, is a Scientology training center. The venerable Bank of Clearwater, the city's oldest bank, is church meeting rooms and a cafeteria. Screens cover street-level windows of both buildings, preventing passers-by from seeing inside.

The Scientology brand also is associated with a dozen downtown church offshoots such as Criminon, for former criminals, and the activist Citizens Commission on Human Rights. A handful of private schools using Hubbard educational techniques are near downtown, offering preschool through 12th grade.

"Architecturally, if you look down the hill onto the downtown from Court Street at Greenwood Avenue west," said Mike Sanders, Clearwater's leading historian, "today's skyline is dominated by Scientology buildings."

Some feel squeezed.

"As time goes on, I feel more and more surrounded," said the Rev. Max Sigman of Peace Memorial Presbyterian Church, next door to the Fort Harrison.

Leaders of Calvary Baptist Church say Scientology's purchases boxed them in.

"I am concerned that Clearwater, Fla., has become synonymous with being a mecca for Scientologists," said Jim Underwood, a deacon at Calvary Baptist, which is moving after more than 100 years from its downtown home to eastern Clearwater.

"Salt Lake City is the center of the universe for Mormons. That's what Clearwater has become for Scientologists," Underwood said. "As far as overall impact, I don't think it provides a healthy environment for businesses or tourists or the community at large."

A Scientology publication once listed a church goal for 2000 as: "Clearwater known as the first Scientology city in the world."

Church members and officials interviewed for this story insist they never heard of such a goal, or any plans to achieve it.

Flag's aim has never been to develop a large community of believers in Clearwater, said Shaw, the church spokesman, but rather to act as the spiritual mecca where visitors can receive the highest levels of Scientology training. In fact, unlike in Tampa, where church staffers try to recruit strangers on the street, Flag has tried very little recruiting in Clearwater.

As a result, few locals have become members.

Randy Poletz is an exception.

Poletz is a Clearwater boy. Belcher Elementary. Clearwater High. He never knew what to make of the uniformed church employees who showed up in his hometown. Odd, for sure, he said.

His opinion changed when he served with Scientologist Bennetta Slaughter as a board member for the city's annual Jazz Holiday.

"She was a bright, shining light," Poletz said. "She was cool. She was real and true with her emotions. She was not phony. She spoke of getting things done."

He approached her after a board meeting.

"I hear you're a Scientologist," he began. "I want to go to lunch sometime with you to talk about it."

They did lunch. And, in time, Poletz converted.

Poletz, 49, manager of a custom flooring store downtown, now spends lunch breaks taking Scientology courses and says they have improved his life.

Some of his longtime friends were afraid for him. But more and more, he finds, people no longer have a problem with it. In turn, he said, Clearwater is becoming a more attractive place for Scientologists to move to.

"In five years, I think you're going to see triple the amount of Scientologists here," Poletz said.

Downtown will sport more Scientology offshoots, he predicts, such as the Narconon drug program and the literacy effort Applied Scholastics.

"Scientology is going to be huge here."

Cold war thaws
The IRS's 1993 ruling that granted Scientology tax-exempt status was a turning point both for the church and for Clearwater. Scientology embarked on an ambitious capital campaign here.

"The late 1990s is when I really felt a change," said spokesman Shaw. "There was a willingness on the part of city people to talk with us about planning issues and to accept our contributions."

City attorney Pam Akin credits the thawing to a series of meetings between Los Angeles-based church leader David Miscavige and former City Manager Mike Roberto.

"We really had a very hostile kind of environment," Akin said, describing it this way: "How can we ignore them and make them go away?"

Roberto, who declined to be interviewed, enlisted the church as a partner in downtown improvement efforts.

"I think it was an airing that needed to happen," Akin said. "To me it's just the gradual normalizing of relationships over time."

Lips are sealed
It doesn't happen often anymore: someone with power speaking out against Scientology.

Former City Council member Whitney Gray tried it last year and learned a difficult lesson.

The Times quoted Gray, who disapproved of the church sending brochures promoting downtown to national retailers. "If it looks to the public like the Church of Scientology is building downtown, people won't come," she said.

Soon, her phone started ringing.

Most callers, she said, were longtime residents who said, "Thank you for bringing up the subject."

But Scientologists called too. They told her: "You hurt my feelings. You set us back."

At the city's next meeting, Gray took the floor, her voice cracking. Her earlier comments, she said, were not her sentiments, but a summary of what she had heard from others.

When a reporter approached her afterward, Gray dissolved into tears.

Pressed for an explanation days later, Gray said only: "The situation is dicey enough. Comments like that don't help."

Watching, worrying
City Council members are in a bind.

They want to save a downtown that has circled the drain for decades. But voters have thwarted them in recent years and, perhaps unknowingly, made it easier for Scientologists to press forward.

The city's plan, sometimes indelicately called "solution by dilution," goes like this: Get voters to approve public improvements. Private development then will follow, making Scientology less defining.

But twice in three years, voters rejected city proposals.

City leaders are frustrated. And worried.

Council member Frank Hibbard, who hopes to be the next mayor, says he knows that many residents don't want to spend tax dollars downtown because it would benefit Scientologists. But, he adds, Clearwater can't afford to give up.

"The city's got to be the leader," he said. "The question is, where do our citizens want to go?"

Ironically, the voters' refusals appear to have created back-door opportunities for Scientologists.

Matheny, the owner of the stained glass shop, explains: "People who opposed the (2000 downtown improvement) referendum, they thought it would make it so Scientology was less in the downtown. The truth is, the opposite took place. It left the door open for anyone else who wanted to come into the downtown."

The door for Scientology could open even wider when the new Memorial Causeway Bridge to Clearwater Beach is completed.

It will route away from downtown the thousands of beachgoers who have idled along Cleveland for three-quarters of a century.

Will new developers be lured in after the traffic clears out?

Or will even more businesses give up and move out, leaving only Scientologists?

"The timing we have right now is probably the best opportunity we've had in 25 years for downtown redevelopment," Council member Hoyt Hamilton said. "The opportunity was probably available years ago but was not seized, so I think the window has presented itself again.

"If we miss the window this time, it may not come back."

Hibbard's view is just as urgent: "There's a good chance it will turn around. But there's also a chance it won't."

Into the vacuum
WISE's Reichel has lived in Korea, Japan, Russia, Saudi Arabia and Italy.

He moved to Clearwater five years ago to be near Flag. He decided it would be the last stop on his life's world tour, even though he thought it a "sad" place.

Now, he sees opportunity. He's a man on a mission: to see Clearwater become the envy of other cities.

Right now, it's a "vacuum of serious magnitude," Reichel said. Soon, investors will capitalize. Many will be Scientologists.

Following Hubbard's business formula, they will conceive ideas, survey to confirm the market, then pull the trigger.

"We are impelled to do it," Reichel said. "We know how."

Staff writer Jennifer Farrell contributed to this report. Robert Farley can be reached at 727 445-4159 or farley@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 18, 2004, 08:45:32]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/18/Tampabay/Scientology_s_town.shtml

I'm going to post the big DT Aerial, which is on page 11 of the paper. I don't know if they have a copy of it on their server somewhere that we could post.

I see no big aerial on the net.

You just can't contain Grady Pridgen:
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/20/images/large/B_3_3b1render_191902_0720.jpg
City gets six bids for museum site
Proposals from companies including Progress Energy run from an office tower to a mixed-use complex to a luxury hotel for the Florida International Museum property.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published July 20, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Handout photo]
Grady Pridgen's plan has 200,000 square feet of office space, 250 residences and 150 hotel rooms.

ST. PETERSBURG - The Florida International Museum site has become a hot property, with developers proposing to convert it into everything from a luxury hotel to a colossal office building.

Monday was the deadline to submit proposals for the prime piece of city-owned property. The city received six offers but kept the details private under a Florida statute that allows sealed bids to be exempt from public records for 10 days.

"We need time to disseminate the information and make a recommendation," said Ron Barton, the city's economic development director.

Still, a few developers made their offers public, including Grady Pridgen and Liberty Group of Companies, based in St. Pete Beach.

The push to develop the block bounded by First and Second avenues N and Second and Third streets began last month after Progress Energy submitted a letter of intent to the city, outlining its plan to build the city's first new office tower in more than a decade.

The company offered to pay $1.5-million for less than half of the property, leaving the remainder open for other development. The building would have more than 200,000 square feet of office space and would house more than 600 Progress Energy employees.

After receiving the offer, the city gave 30 days' notice of the transaction, giving others the opportunity to bid on the property.

Progress Energy was one of the bidders Monday, offering a new proposal that would use the entire block. Spokesman Aaron Perlut said he could not release details.

"We've very, very excited about it," he said. "Progress Energy is very committed to being a part of the renaissance of downtown St. Petersburg."

Also submitting a bid was Pridgen, one of the area's busiest developers. He proposed a $100-million mixed-use project that would include 200,000 square feet of office space, 250 residential units and 150 hotel rooms overlooking Williams Park.

Pridgen said he offered to pay $6-million for the entire block, or $75 per square foot.

The St. Petersburg developer already has several other projects in the works, including a mixed-use development along Central Avenue, a 42-story residential tower on Third Avenue N and a $350-million project at the Imperial Yacht Basin off Gandy Boulevard.

Liberty Group of Companies also offered a mix of hotel rooms and condominiums.

Its proposal included a 120-room hotel, 86 residential lofts, a restaurant and retail space, with a 280-space parking facility.

"We have been looking for a place for a hotel in St. Petersburg for two years," said Punit R. Shah, the company's director of new development. "This seemed like the perfect site."

The company moved its headquarters from Youngstown, Ohio, two years ago and is building a Holiday Inn Express & Suites in Sebring. Liberty Group also plans to build waterfront condominiums in Tierra Verde, according to its Web site.

Shah would not disclose how much the company offered for the Maas Brothers site but said it was higher price per square foot than Progress Energy's initial bid.

One company may have been too late to have its proposal reviewed by the city. Joel Cantor, chief executive of Gulf Atlantic Real Estate Inc., submitted his bid at 2 p.m., one hour after the deadline.

He said city officials were undecided whether they would consider his offer, which included a multistory office building, three levels of lofts and space for an arts facility, such as the Salvador Dali Museum.

Cantor's company, which renovated the former William C. Cramer federal office building and turned it into the BayView Tower in 1999, offered $9-million for the block, with a $500,000 deposit.

Once the bids have been reviewed by the city's economic development staff, Barton will give a summary or a recommendation to the City Council. The council isn't expected to vote until late August.

Council member James Bennett said he was encouraged by the interest.

"We had an obligation to the public to put that property out for bid," he said. "We need to get as good a deal as we can for the land."


* * *

- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or at cjohnson@sptimes.com

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/20/Southpinellas/City_gets_six_bids_fo.shtml

I got the chance to walk around downtown St. Pete yesterday. It was very rainy, so I didn't bring along my camera. But the downtown area is really coming along. Between Baywalk and Central Ave, I'm very impressed with everything already in place. These new developments will only enhance what is fast becoming a very nice and walkable downtown.

Now if the city could only do something about all the vegrants along 4th St.

lol, I'm staying over in St Pete today too, and intended to go take pics... However, my dumb ass forgot my camera at home. Oh well, it's very cloudy and rainy today anyways. :(

Hey, we should do a Tampa Bay forum meet. I hear about all these people getting together around other cities and have heard some talk of doing one here. What do you all think? How do you set something like that up? :cheers:

From the July 16, 2004 print edition
City of St. Petersburg requests proposals for two downtown sites
Jane Meinhardt
Staff writer

ST. PETERSBURG -- One of the few remaining complete blocks available in downtown St. Petersburg is for sale for mixed-use development.

The City of St. Petersburg issued a request for proposals for the purchase and redevelopment of property known as the former Maas Brothers department store, now occupied by the Florida International Museum.

Ron Barton, the city's economic development director, would not speculate on a purchase price because an appraisal has not been completed.

However, Progress Energy proposed a deal with the city in June to pay $1.5 million for part of the block and wants to construct an office tower. The building would have more than 200,000 square feet of office space, some retail space and parking.

The utility's Pinellas County operations would be consolidated in the building. Progress Energy projected the consolidation would add 200 employees to downtown, Barton said.

"They would be increasing employment and would obviously have a long-term presence in downtown," he said. "All these factors weigh into the evaluation of proposals. We're juggling Progress Energy's proposal and trying to see what the market wants."

The city has agreed to assist the financially ailing museum's attempt to find a temporary location. The attraction has been unable to keep up with rent payments.

The city issued its request for proposals for the museum property in June. Proposals must be submitted by Monday.

The property includes 30,000 square feet on the northwest corner of First Avenue North and Second Street and about 50,000 square feet on the northeast corner of First Avenue North and Third Street.

Proposals for redevelopment of either parcel or both are being sought.

The city prefers that a minimum of 180,000 square feet of Class A office space be included as a component of a development proposal for the northwest corner site.

A "successful" proposal for the property must be for a development that will provide -- at a minimum -- first floor pedestrian retail, at least 180,000 square feet of new development in addition to the first floor retail, and a commitment to complete the project within 30 months from the date of city council approval, according to the request.

For the northeast corner, the city wants a facility with first floor retail space, a minimum of 200,000 square feet of mixed-use development in addition to the first floor, parking integrated into the building and a commitment to complete the project within 48 months from the date of council approval.

"The location of the property is critical," Barton said. "It is a significant link on the east side of the city to investment already occurring and brings private investment to the area of Williams Park. It really represents almost ground zero downtown."

Christopher Leonard, office and industrial specialist at Colliers Arnold, predicted the request for proposals would "get some action," particularly because the city wants a mixed-use development.

"That's a trend that's been successful elsewhere," he said. "Mixed-use can be very creative and flexible. It draws from a large group (of developers) and caters to diversity."

Many mixed-use developments are incorporating a residential component, Leonard said. Reasonably priced units -- in the $175,000 to $250,000 range -- would be viable as part of such a St. Petersburg project, Leonard said.

He would not suggest a potential price for the property because of numerous variables, such as the density that would be allowed. Also, land prices continue to escalate so it is difficult to base price on previous sales history, he said.

"This is not just a straight sale," Leonard said. "It's a package. If the city wants to work with developers, that makes it more valuable."

jmeinhardt@bizjournals.com | 727.224.2299http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2004/07/19/story7.html

Grady Pridgen needs to get at least one of his downtown projects into construction. With 200,000 sf of office space, it looks like he's definately tayloring his project to fit the needs of Progress. It looks like he's going for something that has the look of mixing "old" and "new" -- like something you would see in older cities. It could use some work in the color scheme and curb appeal. Other than that, it's ok. It's unlike anything else going up in St. Pete.

I wonder what the other proposals look like.

It would certainly dominate downtown with that footprint and massing. I have nothing agaisnt the guy, but, like you, I am waiting for some results rather than more renderings. He truly is an idea guy, though.

Sounds like the kind of guy I would genuinely like to work for. I'm an idea guy myself. :)

A prime example of the problem with Clearwater - will 16 feet really change anything?

59-foot condos get go-ahead
The developer wins approval to replace two aging motels on Edgewater Drive despite neighbors' opposition.
By MEGAN SCOTT, Times Staff Writer
Published July 21, 2004

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CLEARWATER - The developers addressed nearly every concern Edgewater residents had.

They knocked off two floors, increased parking by three spaces and reduced the number of units from 77 to 62.

It was good enough for the Community Development Board. But not for many of the neighbors in the Edgewater Drive neighborhood.

In a 4-2 vote, the Community Development Board on Tuesday approved a proposed condominium complex at the site of the existing Bay Queen and Edgewater motels.

"I feel ecstatic. I think everyone who supports us is very happy that we got this," said motel owner Dan Dennehy, who is also a principal in Top Flight Development, the group building the condos.

"What we will bring to the community at large will be a major improvement to what we have there now."

Tuesday was the third time Top Flight has appeared before the board seeking permission to build a condominium complex taller than the allowable 50 feet. The developer had originally proposed 75 feet but reduced that number to 59 after several residents and board members voiced their concerns. Now the new building will be the tallest in the Edgewater neighborhood.

The approval was the last step the developer needed before beginning construction.

"I think it's a fine project," said board member Shirley Moran. "I think they have gone that extra length to make it so."

Dennehy wants to replace the motels with an L-shaped building of condo units and a couple of townhomes that would start at $450,000. The condos would be three-bedroom, 21/2-bath units with balconies and gourmet kitchens.
The decision spelled defeat for the Edgewater Preservation Project, which has spent the past few months battling the proposed complex. Members even held a rally Saturday opposing the project.

Their main complaint: The building is still too tall.

On Tuesday, opponents packed council chambers for the third time. They wore their "No Tall Condos!" T-shirts. They had drawings showing a small house next to the proposed complex. One woman even showed a picture of her house on the overhead screen.

"If you approve this proposal, I will have neighbors who can join me in my hot tub without invitation," said Angelica Vrondos. "All they have to do is look out their windows directly into my back yard."

Another resident wanted to know why the developer couldn't build at 50 feet.

"None of us really object to the building of tall condos," said Linda Brown. "The question is not condos vs. old motels. Why is that extra 9 feet necessary?"

Kathy Milam, a member of the board, agreed with the residents. She said the bulk and height of the building was not compatible with the neighborhood.

While the developers could have designed the building to be wider and lower, that would have moved the complex closer to adjoining property lines. They also were working to save two large oak trees that are each estimated to be more than 100 years old.

"The redesign is sensitive to the trees," said Robert Aude, the architect. "The parking ratio was brought up to almost two per unit. Not only do we increase the parking ratio, we provide for disabled parking in the garage."

Although many residents opposed the project, it was not without its supporters.

Some neighbors said they would rather see a condominium there than some aging motels. Edgewater Drive, they pointed out, is a gateway to Clearwater.

"I would like to see this," said William Gray. "I'd rather see full-time residents there than an ongoing business. I think they made a good effort, so I support this."

The members of the Edgewater Preservation Project gathered outside City Hall once the hearing was over.

One said he wanted to appeal the decision. Another said he was not sure if it was worth the effort.

"I don't know what we're going to do," said Mary Kate Belniak, who was instrumental in the opposition. "I'm disappointed. We're going to look at what happened today and take it from there."

[Last modified July 20, 2004, 23:13:25]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/21/Northpinellas/59_foot_condos_get_go.shtml

I see no big aerial on the net.


You hopefully wiil later tonight. I dumbly left the paper at work on Sunday, so that my buddy could read it. I'm taking my g/f's mom's paper today. :)




Regarding Edgewater, I would have personally demanded a bigger, possibly even taller tower, knowing that Clearwater's density pool is finite. I would rather have a few big projects gobble up the allowance,thus leaving much of the island untouched, or only rebuildable at a scale much closer to what it is currently. Their NIMBY method will result in nickel and diming themselves to death with smaller projects, but still larger projects, making the prospect of most everything on the island being redeveloped at a larger scale, a stark reality.

Developer will scale back condo tower plan
Bayway Lofts was to be St. Petersburg's tallest building at 42 stories. But concerns mean it will shrink to 29 stories.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published July 22, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - Bayway Lofts, which would have been the tallest building in downtown St. Petersburg if built as planned, has shrunk.

Redrawn plans filed with the city this week call for this newest project by developer Grady Pridgen to be 371 feet high instead of a record 510. It would rise 29 stories instead of 42.

Pridgen redesigned it after the initial height drew protests.

A rooftop restaurant remains, and the project would have more condominiums: 350 units instead of 277. Prices would be $200,000 to $500,000, a range that is lower than many of the luxury condominium towers built in the downtown in the past five years. Sizes are not set yet but probably would range from 1,200 to 2,400 square feet.

"We think there is a great demand for residential housing in downtown," Pridgen said Wednesday.

The price tag has changed. Instead of a $50-million project, Bayway Lofts will now cost $100-million even though it would be shorter.

"Construction costs have skyrocketed in the last 18 months because of the scarcity of steel and concrete," Pridgen said.

The site is the same: a little more than an acre that makes up four lots on Third Avenue N and two lots on Second Street, within sight of BayWalk, the multimillion-dollar entertainment complex.

Pridgen filed initial plans for Bayway Lofts a little more than a year ago. But St. Petersburg officials rejected them because of the size and height of the project.

Pridgen said he hopes to start construction on the new design in about a year.

Pridgen has announced projects totaling more than half a billion dollars in the Tampa Bay area in recent years, and Bayway Lofts is among the most visible. At 510 feet, Bayway Lofts would have been 124 feet higher than the city's tallest building, the Bank of America tower. At its new height, 371 feet, it still would be one of downtown's tallest buildings.

Neighbors complained about the height in initial plans, saying the building would cast a shadow over their smaller homes.

Martha Haile lives in the Huntington Townhomes, which are three stories high and behind the Bayway site. She said last year she did not want to look out her window at a garage. On Wednesday, she said she needed to know more about the revised plans before commenting.

The revision calls for 353 parking spaces in the first six stories of the tower.

City Council member Virginia Littrell said 29 stories is better than 42. "I know the staff had real heartburn about 42 stories," Littrell said.

The Bayway Lofts site is sort of a dividing line between the Old Northeast neighborhood and downtown, Littrell said.

"It would have to have pedestrian amenities on the first floor. It shouldn't block off people from moving around that area," she said.

Pridgen said the stores planned for the first floor would attract pedestrians.

Pridgen's name is attached to numerous projects in the Tampa Bay area, most of them in Pinellas County. The majority of them are still in the planning or permitting stages.

[Last modified July 21, 2004, 23:20:22]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/22/Southpinellas/Developer_will_scale_.shtml

Finally got the pic scanned and all. It was so big in the paper that I had to scan it in 3 segments, then stitch it together...
The numbering coincides with the map and project list Smiley linked above.


http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8Clearwater_DT_aerial_2.jpg

What a mess of a town.

I am reminded of Dante, I think it is:

"Abandon all hope those who enter."

It's not all bad. It's just AMAZINGLY underdeveloped, and is in desperate need of a redevelopment plan, likely to be spurred by some real connectivity upgrades, beautification and maybe even some incentives.

I am reminded of Dante, I think it is:

"Abandon all hope those who enter."

City by the sea


Clearwater could benefit from Scientology's energy and investment, but residents should not let the controversial organization take over downtown.

A Times Editorial
Published July 25, 2004

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/25/Opinion/City_by_the_sea.shtml

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


Church of Scientology documents twice have revealed to outsiders a plan to make Clearwater, Pinellas' county seat, a Scientology stronghold. Documents seized by the FBI in 1977 laid out a church plan to take over the city and discredit enemies. And a church pamphlet stated a goal to make Clearwater the world's first "Scientology city" by 2000.

A recent two-part series by Times staff writer Robert Farley revealed that Scientology is well on its way to achieving domination in Clearwater's core, where there has been little investment by others. The story also detailed how a city government that once branded Scientology as a cult and a hostile interloper now finds it needs to partner with the only real player downtown.

The Church of Scientology and individual Scientologists have stepped into the vacuum downtown with enthusiasm, purpose and millions of dollars, and the impact has been stunning. The church now owns 21 buildings and a dozen empty lots downtown and is in the process of spending $160-million on projects ranging from a block-sized headquarters building to a planned 3,600-seat auditorium bigger than Ruth Eckerd Hall. That is just the church-owned properties. Many individual Scientologists own small businesses or other properties downtown, and now emerging are Scientologists who claim the financial wherewithal to develop condominium towers, townhouses, retail shops and restaurants.

The number of church members living in Clearwater is growing by about a thousand a year. Members are stitching themselves into the city's civic and cultural fabric with volunteer work and memberships in non-Scientology organizations.

Any community could benefit from a growing population of energetic and productive people. The question that must be asked in Clearwater's case is, to what end are the church and its members here? Are they working toward a better city for everyone, or is domination of the community their goal? Are they merely filling a vacuum downtown, or are they building church founder L. Ron Hubbard's dream of a Scientology city by the sea? And if their answer is that there is nothing nefarious going on, can their word be trusted?

Clearwater residents have had many reasons to distrust the church during the almost 30 years since the church established its international spiritual headquarters in Clearwater under an assumed name. Granted, the church now has occasional open houses to show off portions of its buildings, and its public relations techniques have improved. However, it remains a mysterious and controversial organization that attempts to silence its critics, not just locally but in countries around the globe. If Scientology wants more acceptance, it must bring more transparency to its internal operations and act more like a church than a secret society.

Clearwater residents' skepticism about the organization apparently has not translated into an understanding of the damage that could result from having Scientology, or any single entity for that matter, take over their downtown. Twice since 2000, voters have turned down redevelopment plans by non-Scientology developers and the city government. Anecdotal evidence indicates that many voters opposed those projects because they didn't want anything built downtown that Scientologists might like.

That view is shortsighted. The absence of development competition downtown allows Scientology to build a stronger base in the city's historic core. And where will the wealthy, expansion-minded church go from there? Perhaps east, to the city's wide swath of neighborhoods. Or perhaps west, to Clearwater Beach, the city's economic engine. The likely result: a city in pieces, divided economically and socially.

There is still time to prevent that. Clearwater officials understand what they are up against, but the city lacks the money to take on large-scale redevelopment of downtown on its own, and the voters have tied the city's hands on smaller projects. Residents need to equip their government with the tools to lead the revitalization of downtown, rather than conceding that job to Scientologists.

And if the Church of Scientology sincerely wants what is best for Clearwater, it will recognize the harm in converting the center of the city into a Scientology preserve. It will not forge ahead for its own benefit, but will stand beside the city government and other stakeholders in the effort to create a diverse downtown with appeal for everyone.

The renderings in the paper of these three projects are nice. Bayway Lofts just doesn't look as good at 29-stories, but oh well. I'm just glad he found a way to keep the sales prices down. The 4th Street Lofts project should be a nice infill project. The Celotex property project would definately change the character of that area.


'Deal junkie' has 3 brewing
Two loft towers downtown and a mixed-use project in Gateway are the next big things for Grady Pridgen.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published July 25, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ST. PETERSBURG - More lofts for downtown. More high-end apartments for the north end of the city. More office space.

Projects seem to pop every week in St. Petersburg. Among those last week were three by developer Grady Pridgen: two loft condominium towers and one huge, mixed-use project in the Gateway area of the city.

Together they would bring 740 more residences to the city and at least 150,000 square feet of office space. All would feature some amount of retail space.

They add to a long list of projects in which Pridgen is involved, and he expects to start the three sometime in mid 2005.

"I'm sort of a deal junkie," Pridgen said. "I am looking at deals every day." Money for these deals comes from venture partners, bank loans and Pridgen himself, he said.

The mixed-use project in Gateway is one being done with a partner, Celotex, which used to be a building materials company. The project will redevelop a longtime Celotex manufacturing site.

Celotex exists in name only since a selloff in 2000, which came after a bankruptcy prompted by lawsuits over asbestos-related claims. The reorganization that followed resulted in the sales. A small group of employees remain at the St. Petersburg location, which once was a research facility. They are winding up the company's affairs and overseeing Celotex's assets, including the 21 acres at 10301 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N, the site for the mixed-use project.

"We decided that rather than sell a very valuable piece of property, we would look into developing it," said George Wood, president of Celotex.

"We aren't in the development business. We needed someone to do that with us. We approached a number of potential candidates and talked with them and picked Grady."

Pridgen said the project is worth $70-million. It is similar in concept, though not in size, to the Carillon office park nearby. In the past two years, Carillon has begun building its "downtown" to serve the 30 businesses and various apartment and condo complexes there.

Five buildings on the Celotex site will be demolished. Only one of them now is in use. In their place will be 150,000 square feet of office space, 70,000 square feet for retail, several spots for restaurants, 350 high-end apartments and a pharmacy.

"They will be urban apartments, three stories. They will look a lot like the Madison downtown," said Pridgen, referring to two buildings of luxury apartments that have been converted to condominiums. Parking will be in the interior of the two apartment buildings.

Pridgen said the project has three parcels along Roosevelt Boulevard for restaurants. A pharmacy will be built facing King Street. A pedestrian walkway will lead to the Publix that opened last year in Carillon office park's downtown. <-- Wouldn't that be a very long walk? :?

Pridgen got into the downtown loft business last year when he proposed Bayway Lofts, a condo tower that would have been the tallest building in St. Petersburg. City officials rejected his plans for the site on Third Avenue N between Second and Third streets because of the height of the building, 510 feet. He redesigned it and filed it again last week. Bayway Lofts now is a 29-story, 350-unit project that will be the second tallest building downtown at 371 feet.

Pridgen said Bayway Lofts will cost $100-million to build. It will contain retail space on the ground floor and a restaurant on the rooftop. The units will range from $200,000 to $500,000, lower than those of the luxury condo towers built downtown closer to the water in the past five years. In the redesign, Pridgen increased the number of units from 277 to 350 because of what he said was strong demand for downtown residences.

Bayway is designed to be more of an inner-city project, a definite downtown building that at first glance looks more like an office building than condos. The condo towers nearer the waterfront have a more traditional design that incorporates Mediterranean Revival details.

One of Bayway Lofts' architectural features is stainless steel tubing that is crisscrossed up a slice of the front of the building.

Fourth Street Lofts has the same sort of look. It appears to be mostly glass and steel. The building will sit on a tiny slab between the new Tourtelot Brothers Inc. real estate office and the old Pennsylvania Hotel on Fourth Street N between Third and Fourth avenues. It will be the height of a 25-story building but have only 12 stories because the ceilings in the lofts will be 21 feet high. It is not near the waterfront but will have water views, Pridgen said.

"The first floor will be 50 feet above grade. Fourth Street sits on a ridge line in St. Petersburg. It is equivalent to being on three to four stories of a building" at the base of the project, Pridgen said.

Fourth Street Lofts is a $15-million project. Units will cost $500,000 to $600,000, Pridgen said.

Do you have the pictures so someone can scan and post them?

This info was attached to the archive story

One developer, three projects

St. Petersburg developer Grady Pridgen has three new projects in the works. One would be the second-tallest building in town, another would have condos with 21-foot ceilings, and the third would spread across 21 acres in the Gateway area. Here are highlights.

Bayway Lofts

Location: Third Avenue N between Second and Third streets.

Price tag: $100-million project Use: Urban residential.

Includes: A 29-story condominium tower with 350 units that will range in size from 1,200 square feet to 2,400 square feet. Prices are expected to run from $200,000 to $500,000. Retail shops will be on the ground floor and a restaurant is planned for the roof.

Project: At 371 feet high, this building will be the second highest in downtown St. Petersburg. The tallest is the Bank of America tower at 386 feet. Plans: Filed with the city of St. Petersburg and probably will be considered by the EDC in September or October.

Construction: Expected to begin in mid 2005.

Fourth Street Lofts

Location: Fourth Street N between Third and Fourth avenues N.

Price tag: $ 15million project.

Use: Urban residential.

Includes: A condominium tower that rises 250 feet. The building will have 10 floors and 40 units with prices ranging in the $500,000 to $600,000 range for sizes from 2,000 square feet to 2,200 square feet. Project: This building will be the size of a 25-story project but will have only 12 floors because the units will have ceilings 21 feet high.

Plans: Filed with the city of St. Petersburg and probably will be considered by the EDC in September or October.

Construction: Expected to begin in mid 2005.

Celotex Redevelopment

Location: 10301 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N.

Price tag: $70-million project.

Use: Mixed use on 21 acres.

Includes: 350 apartments, 150,000 square feet of office space plus retail and restaurant space and a pharmacy.

Project: Similar to what Echelon Development has been doing at the Carillon office park in north St. Petersburg: offices, then residences and then supporting services. On this project, they will be built together.

Plans: Have been filed with the city of St. Petersburg, and the project is scheduled to be considered by the Environmental Development Commission in August.

Construction: Expected to begin in mid 2005.

Source: Grady Pridgen Inc.
[Illustration]
Caption: Grady Pridgen; An artist's rendering of Bayway Lofts.; An artist's rendering of Fourth Street Lofts.; An artist's rendering of Celotex Redevelopment.; Map locates Bayway Lofts, Fourth Street Lofts and Celotex Redevelopment.; Photo: PHOTO; DRAWING, Renderings courtesy of Grady Pridgen Inc., (3); MAP
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/669443871.html?MAC=56eb25b73bf32b6e2142092074530733&did=669443871&FMT=FT&FMTS=FT&date=Jul+25%2C+2004&author=SHARON+L.+BOND&printformat=&desc=%27Deal+junkie%27+has+3+brewing+Series%3A+BUSINESS

Can't find any pictures. I went to Grady Pridgen's website. They're not on there yet. Hopefully, he'll have it updated soon.

How about the ones you mentioned in the paper?

Pridgen said the project has three parcels along Roosevelt Boulevard for restaurants. A pharmacy will be built facing King Street. A pedestrian walkway will lead to the Publix that opened last year in Carillon office park's downtown. <-- Wouldn't that be a very long walk? :?


This is a misprint. They actually mean the Publix anchored shopping plaza at 9th and Roosevelt, which is like a mile or so south-east of Carillon. This project is basically south of the Publix, across the street from a small Verizon office building. The cross-streets are MLK and 102nd ave.

^^^oh, ok.

More residential proposed in DT near Florida International Museum

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/28/Neighborhoodtimes/Pair_has_lofty_vision.shtml
Pair has lofty vision of park downtown
A pair plans 44 condos at 139 Third St. N that would face what they see as a potential gem.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published July 28, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - Lofts seem to be the building style of the moment downtown, and the latest on the drawing board is Lofts at Williams Park.

Glenn Goldberg and Cameron Cox have a contract to buy 10,000 square feet of space next to the Florida International Museum for $1.4-million, Cox said.

The site is at Third Street N and Second Avenue and has about 200 feet looking across Third Street to Williams Park.

"We are looking to take advantage of the park views," said Goldberg, a lawyer who has been involved in the legal end of development.

"I think the potential for Williams Park is untapped. It is the core park in this city. There is no ceiling for the potential it could offer the surrounding neighborhood. The park really makes the neighborhood."

Williams Park is a green and graceful spot downtown. It also is home to a bus terminal for the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority and a place where transients and homeless people gather.

In the early years of the city and the park, retirees and winter visitors gathered for company. Author Ring Lardner memorialized the park in his short story The Golden Honeymoon with one character glad his boarding house was only three blocks from the park, where "more fun goes on here every day than you could shake a stick at."

The property, at 139 Third St. N, now is owned by Williams Park LLC, Cox said. It has a long building on it that is home to several small shops including a grocery, health food store, and a psychic and palmist.

Goldberg said he has been in the real estate business a long time. He and Cox say they see more potential than problems in Williams Park.

"I don't think it is an issue. I can see where somebody at the outset would roll it over in their mind. That may have kept development from happening," Cox said.

He and Goldberg think downtown residential development, which has propelled the city's renaissance, has to move away from the waterfront. Already several substantial projects are planned away from the water.

Goldberg and Cox are partners in Blackwood Development Corp. They have not filed any plans with the city for Lofts at Williams Park. Their closing date on the land is several months off, they said.

If they move forward, the partners plan a seven-story building with 44 loft-style condominiums. Details would include exposed brick walls, high ceilings, large windows and wrought iron balconies. Prices would range from $200,000 to $450,000. Cox said the building would have one- and two-bedroom units.

Please put the URLs for the stories so we can look at them

HEre is one - ok, so it's not a tower, but at least Grady is doing something.

St. Petersburg To Become Site Of Valpak Plant
By MICHAEL SASSO msasso@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 28, 2004




LARGO - Cox Target Media, which mails blue Valpak coupon packs nationwide, will move its printing operation into a new $200 million plant in St. Petersburg in early 2007, the company said Tuesday.
The Largo-based company expects to lease about 500,000 square feet of space from St. Petersburg developer Grady Pridgen, who is building a residential and commercial project north of Gandy Boulevard, between 28th Street North and Interstate 275.

Bill Disbrow, chief executive officer of Cox Target Media, said the printing plant will allow the company to more than double its coupon output. Currently, the company can print 24 billion coupons per year, but that could rise to 54 billion with the new plant, he said.

However, new technology will replace some jobs. The company has 425 production employees in Largo and 400 in Elm City, N.C. Those two plants will be consolidated at the St. Petersburg plant, which will have about 500 production employees. By early 2007, the North Carolina facility will be closed and the employees there likely terminated, although the company is working to find a new company to take over the site, Disbrow said. An unknown percentage of Largo production employees will move to the St. Petersburg plant.

Also, more than 500 Cox Target Media employees in nonproduction jobs will stay at the current company headquarters on Largo Lakes Drive.


Reporter Michael Sasso can be reached at (813) 259-7865.

http://www.tampatrib.com/Business/MGB7EIRT6XD.html

What I can't figure out is that I go to the Times website and I can't find these articles by this Bond woman. MAybe she is a secret agent reporter. Where teh hell are they?

Looks like this particular Grady Pridgen development might actually get started soon. That's good. That's too bad about the NC plant, though. I hope another company takes over, and those people can keep their jobs.

I still can't believe with this large development happening, there's been nothing proposed as far as another link across I-275 between Gandy and Roosevelt. 102nd Avenue N seems like the logical candidate.

BTW, I added the link to the last article. :)

Smiley

http://www.sptimes.com/Neighborhood.shtml

I still can't believe with this large development happening, there's been nothing proposed as far as another link across I-275 between Gandy and Roosevelt. 102nd Avenue N seems like the logical candidate.

BTW, I added the link to the last article. :)


I would have a crossing at both 102nd (or something), as well as something that connects 9th directly into Carillon.

Gracias

I thought we already knew this, but . . .
6 bids offered for museum property
But the highest offer for the Florida International Museum site comes in an hour late and is not on the official list.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published July 29, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - The bids are in for the Florida International Museum property, and at best, the city would barely recoup the millions it poured into the struggling museum.

The city received six official proposals for the downtown parcel. Most include a mix of office space, condominiums and hotel rooms, and offer between $4-million and $6-million for the land.

The city spent $6-million to buy the museum land and building. The City Council forgave $1-million in unpaid rent when the museum decided in January to move to a smaller place.

Some City Council members already have expressed concerns about the bids.

"We're not going to give that property away," said council member Earnest Williams. "We want to get the absolute best price we can for the parcel ... That might mean putting the whole thing up for another bid."

The council plans to discuss the bids at an Aug. 10 workshop and could vote as early as Aug. 12.

Economic Development Director Ron Barton said the amount spent on Florida International is irrelevant at this point. "What we put into the building has nothing to do with its market value," he said. "The two are not synonymous."

Competition for the parcel, bounded by First Avenue N and Sunshine Lane and Second and Third streets, began last month after Progress Energy said it wants to build the first new downtown office tower in almost 15 years.

Progress Energy offered $1.5-million for less than half of the parcel, leaving the remainder open for development. Council members called the bid "unacceptable" and decided to seek others.

The highest offer, however, isn't included in the official list because it came in an hour after the deadline. Joel Cantor, who renovated the former William C. Cramer federal office building and turned it into the BayView Tower in 1999, pledged $9-million for the parcel and wouldn't ask the city to demolish the existing building, which could cost as much as $1.5-million.

Council member Jay Lasita said he's inclined to consider Cantor's proposal, which includes space for offices, hotel rooms, retail and condominiums.

"He's talking $9-million," Lasita said. "And we're only talking about an hour. Unless somebody got really hot and bothered about it, I wouldn't mind having that in the mix as well."

Barton, who hopes to have a recommendation for the council by the workshop, said it will be up to council members whether to include Cantor's proposal in their decision.

The three official bids for the entire parcel all plan for a mixed-use of office space, hotel rooms, condominiums and retail space.

St. Petersburg developer Grady Pridgen offered $6-million, or $75 per square foot, if the city will demolish the building. The cost of his project is estimated at $100-million.

Progress Energy submitted a new bid, joining Orlando developer Richard Kessler for a luxury hotel and 30-80 condominiums in addition to the office building.

In this bid, Progress Energy offered $4-million if the city pays for demolition, or $3-million as is. That works out to $50 or $37.50 per square foot, respectively, about matching its previous offer.

"We're very committed to downtown St. Petersburg," said Aaron Perlut, Progress Energy spokesman."We already have a very strong employee base here in downtown and we want to double that, at least."

But some council members said they thought the offer was a little low.

"To come in with the same figures, it's a little disappointing," said council chairman Bill Foster.

Bill Henry, with Tampa's Reliable Group, would pay $5.9-million for a cleared lot, or $73 per square foot. He proposed a 24-story mix of office, residential, hotel and retail.

Progress Energy's initial bid for half the parcel is on the list so two groups bid on the remaining property.

Miles Properties Inc., an Atlanta development company that plans to build 100 new loft-style homes and townhomes in the city's Dome District, offered $3.1-million or $62.50 per square foot for a cleared parcel to build a 200-unit residential tower with 30,000 square feet of retail.

The Liberty Group of Companies of St. Pete Beach wants to buy about half the cleared parcel for $2.2-million or $1-million as is for a mid-range hotel with 120 rooms and 86 residential units.

Council member James Bennett said he'll be eager to see the administration's analysis of the bids, but is pleased the council will have a range of options to consider when looking at the property.

"For once, we're in the driver's seat," he said. "That wouldn't have been the case 20 years ago."

- Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 28, 2004, 23:58:22]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/07/29/Southpinellas/6_bids_offered_for_mu.shtml

I hope they succeed - I bet they will fail. at least they are trying:
Super Wal-Mart proposal draws ire
About three dozen Largo residents tell city officials they're not keen on the idea of a Wal-Mart Supercenter nearby. City officials say the plan doesn't match their vision, either.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published August 6, 2004

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LARGO - Down the road, city leaders hope the ailing Crossroads Mall will become a minitown center where people would live, work and play.

Nearby residents want their neighborhood to stay pretty much as it is.

Neither group seems to think a Wal-Mart Supercenter fits its vision.

Wednesday, about 35 residents stopped by City Hall to share their concerns about the proposed 208,000-square-foot store at 15579 U.S. 19 N. As proposed, the store would have an automotive center and a 20,000-square-foot garden center. More stores planned on the site would include another 59,780 square feet of retail space.

Most of the residents live on Michigan Drive just east of the property and on Dodge Street, a road north of the site that leads to one of the mall's major entrances.

Several said they worried about noise, bright lights and traffic at the 24-hour megastore.

Joyce LaPlante, who lives on Dodge Street, said her street has a history of traffic problems. She's afraid the center will make the road as dangerous as it used to be before speed humps were added.

"If they build a Wal-Mart there, people will be coming out of Wal-Mart and shooting down our street," LaPlante said. "We've had children hit by cars years ago."

Katheryn Schroeder, who rents property on Michigan Street, said she's worried that the 24-hour store would draw activity around the clock and bother her tenants.

"I feel it's like that movie," Schroeder said. "Build it and they will come."

City Manager Steve Stanton said the project simply doesn't match the city's long-term strategic plan for the site, which includes homes, a variety of shops and recreation.

Commissioner Gay Gentry, a former member of the strategic plan steering committee, agreed.

"I'm not really excited about it," she said. "It's not what I envisioned for that property. We want to have these commercial centers but not one big gray building."

Wal-Mart spokesman Glen Wilkins said the store's designs have come a long way.

"Wal-Mart has changed the way they build these Supercenters," Wilkins said. "They really try to work with the community to accommodate the structures that already exist in the city."

Wilkins added that a good mix of shops and restaurants commonly fill other parcels at Supercenters.

While some neighbors and officials squirm, Crossroads Mall owner Jackson Ward of Mall Owners LLC said he hasn't decided who he's going to sell the property to yet.

"Wal-Mart is one of several options we have on our table," he said.

City leaders have met with Ward several times to express their concerns and persuade him to consider a buyer that matches Largo's vision.

Ward said he understands the city's dilemma, but some entity will soon fill the space, and ultimately, he'll have to make a business decision.

"I'm not saying their vision is right or wrong," Ward said. "Vision is one thing. Reality is another."

Lorri Helfand can be reached at 445-4155 or at lorri@sptimes.com

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/06/Northpinellas/Super_Wal_Mart_propos.shtml

I hope Wal-Mart goes bankrupt.

From divided panel, a vision for Albert Whitted's future
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 7, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - As the minutes ticked away, Ed Montanari became more and more distressed. What had he gotten himself into?

He had just been elected chairman of the 19-member Albert Whitted Airport Advisory Task Force, the group charged with determining the future of the small, waterfront airport. The first order of business was deciding when to hold the next meeting.

They argued for 45 minutes.

"I thought, "Oh no, we're never going to get anything done,' " said Montanari, a pilot for American Airlines. "It seemed hopeless."

It wasn't the first time the airport provoked frustration. Last year's election over Albert Whitted's future was filled with insults, personal attacks and accusations of deliberate misinformation. And that was just the latest chapter in the airport's long and contentious history.

Nearly eight months after the task force began crafting a plan to improve the airport, it is approaching a Sept. 17 deadline to present its recommendations to the City Council.

Some of them are bound to be controversial, including a proposal to lengthen a runway by dredging and filling in Tampa Bay and a plan to hold concerts at a waterfront park on the airport's northern perimeter. Other priorities include a new terminal building, complete with restaurant and observation deck and a new air traffic control tower.

After years of neglect, the aging airport is in dire need of repair. Hangars are riddled with holes, the seawall is crumbling and the control tower has been condemned.

The cost of renovating the airport and the source of money to pay for it still has to be determined. A public hearing is scheduled for 6 p.m. Monday at the Sun Pavilion in Bayfront Center.

But committee members say they hope Albert Whitted will finally get the attention it needs.

"I've been down this road too many times, only to watch the end result go up in smoke," said Ruth Varn, task force vice chairwoman and an airport advocate for 22 years. "I just want to live long enough to see some of these things accomplished. I'm 78. I don't have another 22 years to devote to this."


* * *

On Nov. 4, St. Petersburg residents voted overwhelmingly to preserve Albert Whitted. More than 70 percent voted to keep the airport versus 20 percent who wanted to replace it with a waterfront park.

Following the election, the City Council voted to create the task force. Each council member appointed two members; Mayor Rick Baker appointed three.

Some are amateur pilots or professional aviators. One member is the head of trauma at Bayfront Medical Center, another is a former mayor of St. Petersburg. Bill Heller, former dean of the University of South Florida St. Petersburg, is on the committee, as is Karl Nurse, president of the Council of Neighborhood Associations.

The group had a budget of $19,000. Most went to a consultant who will turn the task force's recommendations into a final report. A large portion also was used to advertise next week's public hearing in the newspaper.

Montanari, who was appointed by council member Bill Foster, was the group's overwhelming choice as leader. As an Air Force veteran and pilot, members trusted him to know about aviation, but since he doesn't fly out of Albert Whitted, he has no personal interest in the airport's future.

Montanari said his biggest challenge was bringing together task force members with strong opposing views.

Some members saw Albert Whitted as just one piece of downtown. Montanari called them the "strategic thinkers." Others were advocates who belong to groups such as the Albert Whitted Airport Preservation Society and the Airport Advisory Group. Montanari called them the "tactical thinkers," who seek every advantage for the airport.

Montanari said he worked to find middle ground between the factions. He said his main goal was to make Albert Whitted more inclusive; residents have little reason to visit the airport now unless they own planes.

"I would like to see an airport that is well kept," Montanari said, "that has a new terminal that a lot of people can visit and a park that has a lot of kids playing in it."


* * *

Of the group's recommendations, the one most likely to provoke criticism is a proposal to extend the airport's north-south runway be about 300 feet into Tampa Bay. This involves dredging and filling the bay to the north, and would require permits from the state Department of Environmental Protection and the Army Corps of Engineers.

Montanari said the extension is necessary to satisfy Federal Aviation Administration safety requirements. But a similar proposal by Baker to extend the runway in 2002 drew criticism from environmental groups.

"There's already been so much dredging and filling in Tampa Bay," said Peter Clark, executive director of Tampa Baywatch. "Any kind of project is sure to receive a lot of scrutiny from many different agencies."

The task force also has suggested building a ramp from the bay to the runway to accommodate sea planes. Currently, there are 177 pilots based at the airport.

Tim Clemmons, a local architect and one of the leaders of Citizens for a New Waterfront Park, the group that wanted to tear down Albert Whitted and replace it with 60 acres of green space, said these proposals illustrate a misunderstanding of the election results.

Voters wanted to keep the Albert Whitted as it is: small and unassuming, Clemmons said. He said he doesn't see much support for enlarging the airport or making it accessible to bigger planes.

"Are we just going to have this big jetport on the edge of downtown?" he said. On the other hand, airport supporters have reservations about putting a waterfront park on Albert Whitted that would feature outdoor concerts.

"Then you're going to have people complaining about noise from the planes flying overhead," said Jack Tunstill, a pilot and longtime Albert Whitted supporter. But perhaps the biggest concern among airport advocates is that city officials will ignore the task force's suggestions.

"I don't want this report to gather dust in a drawer somewhere," Tunstill said. "I honestly hope the mayor or the City Council will take a leadership position and say, "This is what the citizens want.' "


* * *

After Monday's public hearing, the task force will consolidate its recommendations and turn them over to the LPA Group, aviation consultants, to produce a cohesive report. The last task force meeting is set for Aug. 30.

Once the City Council receives the final report, it will determine what happens next.

Given the results of last year's election, council member James Bennett said he thinks his colleagues will push for immediate action.

"I want to start cutting some ribbons and pouring some concrete," he said. "We need to start making the improvements we should have done 20 years ago."

Carrie Johnson can be reached at cjohnson@sptimes.com or 727 892-2273.

[Last modified August 6, 2004, 23:54:22]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/07/Southpinellas/From_divided_panel__a.shtml

I hope Wal-Mart goes bankrupt.

If only...

St. Petersburg mayor wants utility to up bid
Rick Baker recommends a plan that would sell the Florida International Museum site to the utility.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 10, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - After receiving a half-dozen bids for the Florida International Museum site, the city is back where it started: focused on an offer from Progress Energy that everyone agrees is too low.

But Mayor Rick Baker is backing the company's proposal and says it offers what the other bidders couldn't: the company as a tenant.

"My recommendation is founded on the belief that the Progress Energy proposal ... is the only proposal that offers certainty, and immediate and timely development of our site," Baker wrote in a memo to City Council members.

Baker, however, said Progress Energy's latest bid of $4-million - or $50 per square foot - is too low. He asked the council for permission to start discussions seeking a higher price.

The mayor did not offer a second choice. If a deal can't be reached with Progress Energy, he said, the city should conduct a larger, national search for another proposal.

The council is scheduled to discuss the recommendation during a 2 p.m. workshop today.

Six bids were submitted for the property, which is between First Avenue N and Sunshine Lane and Second and Third streets. Most were for a mix of office, hotel and residential space.

Ron Barton, director of economic development, said only Progress Energy's proposal could name specific tenants for the development. The company's bid for the entire parcel included 200,000 square feet of office space, a Grand Bohemian Westin hotel and 30 to 80 condominiums.

"It's not all about price," Barton said. "The highest price doesn't always equal the development concept that will give you the greatest value."

The other proposals were more speculative, and some even said they would pursue Progress Energy as a tenant. But Progress Energy officials sent a letter to Barton saying they didn't plan to work with another developer.

The highest bid for the entire parcel was from developer Joel Cantor, whose proposal to buy it for $9-million was submitted two hours after the city's deadline and wasn't officially considered by the administration.

Developer Grady Pridgen offered $6-million for an already cleared parcel; Tampa-based Reliable Group bid $5.9-million and agreed to clear the land themselves.

Two other companies submitted proposals for half the parcel.

Progress Energy started the competition in June by offering to buy a little less than half the parcel for $1.5-million. The City Council called the offer unacceptable and decided to seek others.

Cantor said he was disappointed by the mayor's decision. "I thought the purpose of these bids was to obtain the fair market price for that land," he said. "That's obviously more than Progress Energy's bid ... But if they want to go for a low bid, that's their prerogative."

But Mark Stroud, chief operating officer for Osprey Management Co., a local real estate company, said the city's position makes sense. Banks would be unlikely to finance such a large project unless a tenant was already signed, he said.

And Progress Energy is one of the few local businesses that could fill such a large building, Stroud said. "To construct a new building for your basic 5,000-square-foot user, you just can't justify the price," he said.

Progress Energy has about 600 employees and five locations in Pinellas County, including two floors of the Central Station building at 100 Central Ave. All those employees would be consolidated at the new building, which would be downtown's first new office tower in 15 years.

City Council members said they were willing to listen to Progress Energy's presentation, although several said they still had doubts about the offering price.

"I like the concept," said council member Richard Kriseman. "Now I just need a comfort level that the amount of the offer is reasonable when you factor in the economic impact."


* * *

Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 9, 2004, 23:40:11]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/10/Southpinellas/St_Petersburg_mayor_w.shtml

City to negotiate with utility
City Council members say Progress Energy's plans for a downtown site could be rejected later.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 11, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - The City Council said Tuesday the city should start negotiating with Progress Energy for the Florida International Museum site, just two months after calling the company's offer unacceptable.

Most members said they agreed with Mayor Rick Baker, who said the proposal by the utility company was the only bid that offered specific tenants for the development: the company itself and a Westin Grand Bohemian hotel.

"The reality is, we want a deal there that can actually be pulled off," said council member Richard Kriseman.

Several members noted they could later reject Progress Energy's proposal if the negotiations don't produce an acceptable deal. The council discussed the bid during a workshop and members are scheduled to vote on approving negotiations at their meeting Thursday.

Progress Energy first approached the city about the downtown site in June, offering $1.5-million for a little less than half the parcel. At the time, council members criticized the offer as too low and gave other developers 30 days to submit bids.

In all, the city reviewed six offers, including a second bid by Progress Energy for the entire block for $4-million. Most of the bids included a mix of office, hotel and residential space.

In an Aug. 6 memorandum, Baker recommended sticking with Progress Energy. But if a deal couldn't be reached with the company, the council should then conduct a nationwide search for another offer, Baker said.

Several of the council members said they still considered Progress Energy's bid to be too low. Council member Virginia Littrell said that the city already has spent at least $7-million on the parcel, an attempt to aid struggling Florida International Museum. The property is between First Avenue N and Sunshine Lane and Second and Third Streets.

"We have not handled this block well for many, many years," Littrell said. "I don't think the taxpayers should have to foot the bill again."

Council member Jay Lasita said he would support negotiating with Progress Energy, but said he felt the company had an unfair advantage because the other developers had only 30 days to put their bids together.

"In all fairness," he said, "it would be hard for the others to come back with anything that wasn't speculative."

Other council members, however, said it would be foolish to reject Progress Energy's bid. Council chairman Bill Foster said the city would likely lose the company to another city if they didn't at least start negotiations.

"They're going to build that thing somewhere," Foster said. "Wouldn't it be nice if they built it here."

Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 11, 2004, 01:37:21]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/11/Southpinellas/City_to_negotiate_wit.shtml

Hyatt steps up with beach proposal
The hotel chain wants to build a 14-story hotel and spa with restaurants, shopping, parking and condominiums.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published August 11, 2004

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CLEARWATER - A 250-room Hyatt now is proposed for the Clearwater Beach hotel site that has been stuck in limbo for more than three years, developers announced Tuesday.

The 14-story project, tentatively called the Hyatt Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa, would include restaurants, shopping and 400 public parking spaces for beachgoers.

The $90-million hotel would be the beach's first major resort in years if developers hold to their planned construction timetable, which calls for breaking ground next spring and completion in early 2007.

The developer, Taub Properties Inc. of Tampa, is buying properties south of the roundabout assembled in recent years by Clearwater lawyer William Kimpton and Dunedin-based project planner Richard Gehring.

Brian Taub, president of Taub Properties, said the hotel will be topped by 18 luxury condos. He said his firm will own the property, and the Hyatt chain will manage the hotel.

A Hyatt representative was unable to confirm Hyatt's involvement late Tuesday.

But Clearwater officials voiced excitement.

"It's huge," Vice Mayor Frank Hibbard said. "That would be wonderful to have that quality flag on Clearwater Beach. It would change the whole complexion of things."

Overnight stays will cost $189 a night on average for the year, Taub said. There would be a spa, meeting space and a rooftop pool, as well as 750-space, seven-story enclosed parking garage, with 350 spaces for guests.

"It's a big endeavor, obviously," said Taub, 48, who has developed upscale homes on Harbour Island in Tampa and is completing the $19-million Utopia condominium complex on Sand Key.

The Hyatt proposes to rise from the dust of the planned Marriott Seashell Resort, which failed to take off because of repeated delays, including two protracted court fights.

Taub will buy Seashell's development rights, which includes the Glass House and Beach Place motels along S Gulfview Boulevard. That sale is not finalized, Gehring said.

In order for construction to proceed, Taub said the city must commit to a nearly $15-million make over of the aging south end of Clearwater Beach. The plan, called Beach Walk, would overhaul the promenade that runs along the beach south from the roundabout.

The City Council will take up the issue next week.

"We believe we can identify the money that is necessary to fund the Beach Walk," said City Manager Bill Horne. "(The Hyatt development) is what we felt all along is needed to revitalize Clearwater Beach. We have a project that can be built."

It hasn't always looked that way since city officials approved the development in March 2001.

First, neighboring hotelier Tony Markopoulos sued both the Seashell developers and the city attempting to stop construction.

Markopoulos, who himself hopes to build a $100-million resort on S Gulfview Boulevard, dropped his claim after eight months. But by then, the hotel market had bottomed out following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, and Marriott later pulled out as a potential operator.

While developers reworked plans and waited for the market to turn around, they suggested turning the resort property into a temporary 155-space parking lot. Approved by the City Council in the summer of 2002, the stopgap measure languished after the owner of the Glass House refused to abide by a 1999 contract to sell the land to developers.

The two sides were locked in a court debate for nearly two years, until June, when an appellate judge ordered the sale for the negotiated price, $3.25-million.

That deal closed last week.

Now Gehring and Kimpton are poised to sell to Taub, who said a finalized deal with Hyatt is 45 days away.

"For Hyatt to consider Clearwater Beach as a location for one of their properties says a lot about what we are and where we're heading," said council member Hoyt Hamilton. "Nobody does it any better," Hamilton said. "That says a lot about where we're going."

Aaron Sharockman can be reached at 727 445-4160 or asharockman@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 11, 2004, 01:37:21]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/11/Southpinellas/City_to_negotiate_wit.shtml

Are there any renderings of this Progress Energy proposal? The project sounds rather undersized to me. And 80,000sqft site, and they can come up with is 200k of office space, a small hotel, and a few dozen condo units? I don't know.

Yay!

But how about an integrated garage and thus a 21 story building???? The squatty crap at Clearwater beach is going to come back and haunt them.

Yay!!!!


___________________________________________________________________________________

Mall ends talks for Wal-Mart Supercenter

The retail giant offered too little for the Crossroads Mall property, the owner says.
By LORRI HELFAND, Times Staff Writer
Published August 11, 2004

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LARGO - The owner of Crossroads Mall has rejected Wal-Mart's offer to build a supercenter on the current mall site.

"We have completely terminated any discussions with Wal-Mart about going on the property," Jackson Ward of Mall Owners LLC said.

Mall Owners LLC in Miami had been dealing with Wal-Mart for about 18 months. Tuesday, Ward said he ended talks with Wal-Mart because his company had difficulty dealing with the retail giant and because he wanted to work with Largo's city leaders to help them develop their own plans for the site.

Ward also said Wal-Mart wasn't willing to pay what the property was worth. The property is currently appraised for tax purposes at $14.5-million.

"We've had offers in excess of $22-million," Ward said.

Last week, city leaders expressed disappointment over the possibility of a 208,000-square-foot megastore on the property.

The 34-acre site on the corner of Roosevelt Boulevard and U.S. 19 is the key property featured on the cover of the city's strategic plan, a long-term vision for Largo's development.

The plan replaces the mall with several smaller shops, offices and residential units, such as townhomes.

Down the road, city officials also hope they can persuade Pinellas County to develop property that it owns south of the site into a park or some other form of recreation.

John Dunphy, managing director of Colliers Arnold real estate firm, said the property is prime for a mixed-use development of this type.

"It's right smack in the middle of the county on the corner of U.S. 19 and Roosevelt. You add those things together and that's a pretty rare site in Pinellas County," Dunphy said.

City Commissioner Gay Gentry was opposed to the idea of a Wal-Mart Supercenter and said one of her greatest concerns was that the store was going to be open 24 hours a day.

Although the property is on the market, Ward said his company plans to be involved in the development or planning phases of projects on the site.

City Manager Steve Stanton said the city is "ecstatic" about Ward's choice to redevelop the property into something more than a mall.

"He has a history of building urban activity centers in other communities and he conveys a sense of sincerity that he wants to work with the city," Stanton said.

Ward owns properties in half a dozen states. Six months ago, his company, Gulfside Development Inc., broke ground on Downtown Dadeland in Miami, a mixed-use project with low-rise buildings that combine condominiums and retail space.

Ward said he had more than five offers on the Largo property. Interested parties included several large regional and national shopping center developers, a couple of mixed-use developers, a couple of residential developers and an office developer.

"Hopefully Wal-Mart will still want to invest in the community, but just not at this site," Stanton said.

http://stpetetimes.com/2004/08/11/Northpinellas/Mall_ends_talks_for_W.shtml

' "Hopefully Wal-Mart will still want to invest in the community, but just not at this site," Stanton said. '

Why? Anyway, Wal-Mart does not invest in anything, it just sucks your money

I don't know. I think 14 would be fine on the beach. I like moderation on the beach. Now downtown - that is different - but this is Clearwater.

A Grand condo plan
Twenty-one units under $200,000 are cooked up for Grand Central, with retail an elevator ride away.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published August 15, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - More condominiums are planned west of downtown, this time on Central Avenue at 20th Street.

Jim Hartley, in association with William W. Hillman, is working on plans for a new building with four floors, 21 condominiums, second-floor parking for residents, and street-level retail.

Prices on the condos are "coming in under $200,000," said Hartley. "That is what we feel the market is here. It needs to be affordable."

The units will be similar and in the 1,200-square-foot range with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, he said.

St. Petersburg has been a condo construction zone for the past half-dozen years. Most units have been built downtown with prices well beyond $200,000. Now several builders are aiming more to the west.

In June, developer Grady Pridgen announced plans for a high-rise on Central Avenue east of 16th Street S, west of downtown, near Tropicana Field. The 320 condos in that project would be $150,000 to $250,000, Pridgen said then.

Hartley said he does not have a name for his building, which will be in the Grand Central District. A lot of redevelopment has taken place in the district but not very much new construction, said city planner Rick Dunn.

"It's going to be an impetus for further growth on that side of (U.S.) 19. This will provide a more affordable level of condominium. It is adding new retail, which the district hasn't had a lot of," Dunn said.

The fairly new urban village zoning of Grand Central, which encourages residences and retail in one building or residences and offices - mixed use, in other words - enticed Hartley, he said.

Hartley, 48, owns the building next door to the site for the new one. It is called the dot.com building but used to be the Home Federal bank building. He bought it from Bank of America in 1997. It is fully leased, he said.

To make way for the new building, the bank's drive-through and a large billboard now in the parking lot will be torn down.

Hillman, 44, is building a restaurant on the ground floor of the existing building that he hopes to open by September. It will be at 1919 Central and called the Bank because of the former tenant.

"It will be a venue for live music, whatever St. Petersburg is interested in seeing," Hillman said. He said his background includes experience with the House of Blues in New Orleans and other restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues both in the United States and abroad.

Hartley said he is working with city planners to get his designs correct before he applies for permits for the new building. Once he clears the permitting process, Hartley said it would take nine to 12 months to construct the building.

[Last modified August 14, 2004, 00:23:14]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/15/Neighborhoodtimes/A_Grand_condo_plan.shtml

If the condos are still going for like $175 a sqft, I don't really see how that is "cheap". They are simply in a cruddy nieghborhood, are small units, and will likely be built "cheaply". I would certainly hope that the units wouldn't be very expensive.

Hey it's nice, but . . .
Talk of the bay
Florida downtowns get a boost
By MARK ALBRIGHT, Times Staff Writer
Published August 16, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Not that long ago downtown St. Petersburg was virtually nonexistent. Now city officials are being invited to give presentations on how they accomplished its resurrection.

At least that was Mayor Rick Baker's role addressing a seminar on Florida downtowns at the Governor's Conference on Tourism in Orlando recently.

Baker said the biggest obstacles were in creating a master plan, then developing the "political will" to pull it off.

The talk was part of the launch of a new partnership to promote Florida downtowns. It pairs 1,000 Friends of Florida, a group that promotes planned growth and antisprawl strategies, with Visit Florida Inc., the nonprofit corporation that is the state government's lead tourist marketing agency.

While details of the partnership still are being negotiated, Visit Florida is talking of putting up about $100,000 to publish and distribute walking tours of Florida's vibrant small-town downtowns and big city downtowns that came back from the dead.

The promotions will be similar to Visit Florida's publications and Web site promotions listing the state's off-the-beaten-track, nature-based and historical attractions.

Downtown Dunedin and Tarpon Springs will be among the small-town downtowns. Downtown St. Petersburg and Ybor City in Tampa will join South Beach in Miami Beach and West Palm Beach among the revived downtowns cited.

"Downtown St. Petersburg was a natural," said Kerri Post, Visit Florida's vice president of new product development who grew up in Pinellas County. "It has it all: culture, history, activities, restaurants, shopping, special events and a very walkable waterfront. They even have a Publix. It's become a very hip place."
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/16/Business/Florida_downtowns_get.shtml

I just hope we're not starting to believe our own hype, and think we've "arrived" by being mentioned in the same sentence as Ybor City and South Beach. Downtown St. Pete still has a WAYS to go.

I was thinking the same thing... Like that lady's list of attributes at the end of the article... Yeah, St Pete has everything, now that they have a Publix? Umm, how about an urban core teeming with workers and residents alike? Whoops...:)

HEre is a couple of articles about the baech, etc.

Proposal for beach resort called too grand
The project's developer says he doesn't understand the opposition since he has done all the city asked of him.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published August 17, 2004

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CLEARWATER BEACH - City staffers oppose the design of a mammoth 350-room resort that would replace several waterfront hotels, saying the new structure would be bulky and cumbersome.

Tony Markopoulos' Clearwater Beach Resort would be next door to a proposed Hyatt hotel, which is still being evaluated by city planners but has so far been met with optimism from City Hall.

Markopoulos' project has not received similar praise.

South of the roundabout, the resort would rise 150 feet and include a pedestrian overpass to the beach, a fifth floor pool and about 37,000 square feet of meeting and retail space.

The $100-million plan would help remake the entire area, project developers say.

"It's like a gift to the city," architect Gerald Koi said. "This is trying to keep the beach experience alive."

But city officials say the project is too massive and would block scenic views of the water. Moreover, it doesn't meet stringent beach redevelopment guidelines.

"They're trying to put too much in there," planning director Cyndi Tarapani said.

Built on the sites of several aging hotels, including Markopoulos' Days Inn, the 2.7-acre resort would stretch 429 feet along Coronado Drive and Gulfview Boulevard, according to the city, and its outer edge would be bowl-shaped.

Unlike the planned Hyatt next door, which will have two towers, the Clearwater Beach Resort would be one solid mass the entire length of the property and stand 150 feet. According to the city's beach redevelopment code, 60 percent of the space above 100 feet must be open.

Because the Hyatt came first, it did not have to meet the same test, Tarapani said.

"The first guy in the door has certain requirements," Tarapani said. "The second guy in the door has a different set of requirements."

Developers say they meet the criteria based on volume calculations, but Tarapani said the rules apply to flat elevations, not three-dimensional areas.

"We do want a resort and we recognize it's a great site," she said, but the city can't ignore its guidelines just to get the resort.

Markopoulos has pushed redevelopment plans for more than four years. In that same time, the city has sought to transform the beach into a more upscale tourist destination. It has already approved a 250-room resort next to Markopoulos' site. The developer on that project, Brian Taub, said construction on the Hyatt Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa could begin next spring and be completed in early 2007.

The city also finished major road improvements to Mandalay Avenue on the north side of the beach and is prepared to undertake BeachWalk, a $15-million overhaul along Gulfview.

Still, Markopoulos' project has stalled. A seven-member city development board takes up the issue today, but regardless of the outcome, hurdles remain.

If the board acts against the staff's recommendation and accepts the site plan and complimentary development agreement, the City Council would have to approve the development agreement.

If the board sides with the staff, Markopoulos can appeal to an arbitrator.

"We all have agreed his property plays a key role in the redevelopment of Clearwater Beach," City Manager Bill Horne said. "But his property is not the center of the universe."

Markopoulos said his group worked with the city staff since February on the site plan. It wasn't until last month, however, that Markopoulos learned city staffers would oppose the development.

He wonders what changed.

"We have done nothing but what they asked us to do," Markopoulos said.

"The more hotels built around there, the better."

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/17/Northpinellas/Proposal_for_beach_re.shtml

Resort plans move ahead on BeachWalk's approval
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published August 17, 2004

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CLEARWATER - The city will spend $15-million to overhaul a stretch of waterfront if a proposed Hyatt resort comes to Clearwater Beach, council members said Monday.

BeachWalk would transform part of Gulfview Boulevard into a winding promenade lined with massive sidewalks, opulent landscaping and, hopefully, upscale shops.

Without the waterfront improvements, a Hyatt representative said the national hotel chain would not be interested in operating a 250-room, four-star resort on Clearwater Beach.

The unanimous council decision Monday means resort plans can move forward, said Michael Shindler, senior vice president with the Hyatt Development Corp.

"With BeachWalk, the whole area will be raised up to a new level," Shindler said. "We like being an anchor to it."

BeachWalk construction is scheduled to start next spring and would finish in 2008. Construction of the proposed Hyatt Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa would start at the same time, but finish in early 2007.

To fund the major beach roadway redevelopment, which also includes the widening of Coronado Drive, the city cobbled together funds from several different revenue streams.

City officials say they are confident some of the money - up to $7-million - will be offset by federal grants. The resort's developers, Taub Properties Inc., have also committed to paying $1.19-million.

Still, Assistant City Manager Garry Brumback said the makeover could affect other potential city projects, including downtown redevelopment.

"It severely limits the amount of money we have in cash in reserve," Brumback said. "This is about priorities."

Mayor Brian Aungst said it's time the city pushed forward with BeachWalk. Clearwater officials have talked about the potential makeover since 2000. Aungst was confident federal money would come.

"We really hit a grand slam with Hyatt," Aungst said. "This is something we really need to make work. It's too good to pass up."

The proposed Hyatt will rise 150 feet above Gulfview where the Glass House and Beach Place motels currently sit. The 14-story project would include restaurants, shopping and meeting space.

The $90-million project would be the first major resort in Clearwater in years if Tampa developer Brian Taub holds to his construction schedule.

"We are delighted to have this Hyatt project as the catalyst of BeachWalk," said Taub, who will top the hotel with 18 luxury condos.

Taub's firm will own the resort, but Hyatt will manage the hotel. Shindler said Hyatt is also prepared to make a multimillion-dollar capital investment in the resort property, but would not say specifically how much.

"We made a corporate decision to show our interest to be here in Clearwater," Shindler said. "In order to put the flag up there, we're writing a check."

BeachWalk will eliminate 376 city parking spaces between Gulfview and the beach to make way for the new roadway.

To compensate, the Hyatt will include 400 public parking spaces, but the resort will collect the revenues. That means the city will lose $730,000 a year in parking revenues.

Also as part of an agreement, the city is required to reimburse the resort about $1-million for the construction of a pedestrian overpass to link the hotel to the beach.

In return, the new resort would generate an additional $335,000 in city property taxes each year, according to city estimates. Finance director Margaret Simmons said the city could raise parking rates or cut services to make up the remaining deficit.

Council members who have often pressed for beach redevelopment said BeachWalk is the perfect starting point.

"The primary beneficiaries in this project are the citizens of Clearwater," council member Bill Jonson said. "This completes a scar in the public infrastructure on south beach."

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/17/Northpinellas/Resort_plans_move_ahe.shtml

A Grand condo plan
Twenty-one units under $200,000 are cooked up for Grand Central, with retail an elevator ride away.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published August 15, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - More condominiums are planned west of downtown, this time on Central Avenue at 20th Street.

Jim Hartley, in association with William W. Hillman, is working on plans for a new building with four floors, 21 condominiums, second-floor parking for residents, and street-level retail.

Prices on the condos are "coming in under $200,000," said Hartley. "That is what we feel the market is here. It needs to be affordable."

The units will be similar and in the 1,200-square-foot range with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, he said.

St. Petersburg has been a condo construction zone for the past half-dozen years. Most units have been built downtown with prices well beyond $200,000. Now several builders are aiming more to the west.

In June, developer Grady Pridgen announced plans for a high-rise on Central Avenue east of 16th Street S, west of downtown, near Tropicana Field. The 320 condos in that project would be $150,000 to $250,000, Pridgen said then.

Hartley said he does not have a name for his building, which will be in the Grand Central District. A lot of redevelopment has taken place in the district but not very much new construction, said city planner Rick Dunn.

"It's going to be an impetus for further growth on that side of (U.S.) 19. This will provide a more affordable level of condominium. It is adding new retail, which the district hasn't had a lot of," Dunn said.

The fairly new urban village zoning of Grand Central, which encourages residences and retail in one building or residences and offices - mixed use, in other words - enticed Hartley, he said.

Hartley, 48, owns the building next door to the site for the new one. It is called the dot.com building but used to be the Home Federal bank building. He bought it from Bank of America in 1997. It is fully leased, he said.

To make way for the new building, the bank's drive-through and a large billboard now in the parking lot will be torn down.

Hillman, 44, is building a restaurant on the ground floor of the existing building that he hopes to open by September. It will be at 1919 Central and called the Bank because of the former tenant.

"It will be a venue for live music, whatever St. Petersburg is interested in seeing," Hillman said. He said his background includes experience with the House of Blues in New Orleans and other restaurants, clubs and entertainment venues both in the United States and abroad.

Hartley said he is working with city planners to get his designs correct before he applies for permits for the new building. Once he clears the permitting process, Hartley said it would take nine to 12 months to construct the building.

[Last modified August 14, 2004, 00:23:14]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/15/Neighborhoodtimes/A_Grand_condo_plan.shtml

Man, this is one of those times when I wish I was already in the position to develop. I had the same idea of the restaurant with live music IN THAT SAME BUILDING (with lofts above). Oh well, even though it's not me, I'm glad the restaurant is coming in. Also, the new building is great news, too. It will be a nice infill addition and add more life to the Grand Central area. Central Avenue is beginning to come together.

Umm, how about an urban core teeming with workers and residents alike?...:)

Yeah, how about that...

Hey, looks like someone is sort of getting the idea:

Property development meeting set for tonight
By JON WILSON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 18, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ST. PETERSBURG - The first in a series of public meetings to discuss changes in how property can be developed is scheduled for 6:30 tonight in the Lynch Music Center at St. Petersburg College, 6605 Fifth Ave. N.

Tonight's topic is suburban neighborhoods, corridors and centers.

Another meeting on the subject is 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Main Library, 3745 Ninth Ave. N.

The city is rewriting its land development regulations for the first time since the 1970s. The end result will affect every property in the city.

In general, city officials say, the rewrite will make it easier to redevelop property than in the past. It also will also set design standards intended to protect the character of the city.

The LDR rewrite is a continuation of a process that began with Vision 2020, a series of meeting two years ago in which city officials and residents discussed ideas about the city's future.

City boards will began considering proposed new regulations next year.

Other meetings:

Sept. 8 at the Main Library and Sept. 13 at the Bayfront Center to discuss older neighborhoods, corridors and centers. Both meetings are at 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 20 at the Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth St. N, at 7 p.m. Remaining neighborhood issues will be discussed.
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/18/Neighborhoodtimes/Property_development_.shtml

uhhh...Downtown St. Petersburg is teeming with residents and workers alike....much more so than any other urban core in the Tampa Area, even central Florida for that matter.....

Uhh, OK. It's got some residential going, but the office market is so small as to be almost nonexistent. What is it? 2.2-2.6m sqft?

I give St. PEte credit for what it has done - it has lowish vacancy rates, a good amount of residential and a decent walking environment. At this date it is ahead of Tampa in terms of mixed usage and all around liveliness - though I am not sure it will keep that lead for many more years, given that three or so projects in Tampa will put more units in it than exist in St. PEte - thoguh St. Pete has the advantage of having neighborhoods come right up to the downtown area. I hope they both get better.

Downtown St. Pete is pretty nice for its size. It does have a good bit of character, but still does have more room for retail and hopefully more loft projects and maybe a couple more gargantuan (by SP standards) condo developments. Theres a good amount of funky shops on Central all the way from 1st Street to the interstate, which is cool. And it does help that there's a University in downtown and Old Northeast starts after about 5th Ave N. The whole area has come a long way in the last 7-8 years. I hope Tampa can create the same feel and surpass St. Pete, although it is missing some key elements.

Hey, looks like someone is sort of getting the idea:

Property development meeting set for tonight
By JON WILSON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 18, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ST. PETERSBURG - The first in a series of public meetings to discuss changes in how property can be developed is scheduled for 6:30 tonight in the Lynch Music Center at St. Petersburg College, 6605 Fifth Ave. N.

Tonight's topic is suburban neighborhoods, corridors and centers.

Another meeting on the subject is 6:30 p.m. Monday at the Main Library, 3745 Ninth Ave. N.

The city is rewriting its land development regulations for the first time since the 1970s. The end result will affect every property in the city.

In general, city officials say, the rewrite will make it easier to redevelop property than in the past. It also will also set design standards intended to protect the character of the city.

The LDR rewrite is a continuation of a process that began with Vision 2020, a series of meeting two years ago in which city officials and residents discussed ideas about the city's future.

City boards will began considering proposed new regulations next year.

Other meetings:

Sept. 8 at the Main Library and Sept. 13 at the Bayfront Center to discuss older neighborhoods, corridors and centers. Both meetings are at 6:30 p.m.

Oct. 20 at the Sunshine Center, 330 Fifth St. N, at 7 p.m. Remaining neighborhood issues will be discussed.
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/18/Neighborhoodtimes/Property_development_.shtml

This is very good news, growing up in St. Pete (well, suburb of SP), I am very happy to hear this. More architectual character and integrity is much needed in this often bland town.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/30/photos/properties.gif
The quiet dealmaker
Jimmy Aviram controls a lot of St. Petersburg property. His next deal: an upscale project for a crucial downtown block.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published August 30, 2004

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[Times photo: Cherie Diez]
Jimmy Aviram stands in the lobby of the Bank of America tower, at $41-million his biggest deal to date. He also purchased one of the last vacant pieces of land in downtown St. Petersburg, a full block between Central and First avenues N known as the Tropicana block.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


ST. PETERSBURG - With its bland, brick exterior and $49.95 summer specials, the Beach Park Motor Inn was a two-story throwback to the 1960s with a small list of regular visitors.

So no one paid much attention when the aging building at 300 Beach Drive NE changed hands in 2000 for $1.2-million. The buyer: Jimmy Aviram, a relatively unknown Belleair Beach developer.

Just two years later, Aviram parlayed the simple transaction into a $100-million deal, selling the property to a huge development company now building a 29-story luxury condominium.

Aviram's knack for spotting hot properties and connecting with high-profile partners is a pattern he has repeated several times since moving here in 1996. He has become one of the city's most active dealmakers, with a portfolio that includes the city's tallest building, the 26-story Bank of America tower.

And he's done it all with little fanfare.

"He's got deals all over the place," City Council member John Bryan said. "But I don't know him at all. I've only met him in passing, and he's got chunks of real estate all over the city."

Aviram's days of anonymity may be over.

In 2001, he paid $4-million for one of the last vacant pieces of land in downtown St. Petersburg, a full block between Central and First avenues N known as the Tropicana block. As the city reaches a critical point in its growth, all eyes are on Aviram to seal a deal for a critical piece of property in a newly flourishing downtown.

"It's funny," Aviram said. "Everyone wants to know more about me, to know who I am. But I'm just a simple guy who is good at making deals."

Aviram said he developed a competitive streak growing up in difficult circumstances.

His parents fled Romania's communist regime when he was a small child and settled in Israel. A successful merchant in Romania, Aviram's father became a tile-layer in Israel.

The family struggled at times, but Aviram was a bright student who earned high marks in all of his subjects. At age 15, he met and fell in love with the woman who would later become his wife, Haia.

After earning a political science degree from Hebrew University, Aviram served three years in the Israeli military, as required by law. After he was discharged, he decided to return to school and get a master's degree in education. He also taught elementary school.

Through a foreign exchange program, Aviram won a grant to study at Portland State University in Oregon. He moved his young family to America in 1976 and eventually abandoned education for a career in business.

"It's a true rags to riches story," said Sheryl Weitman, the executive director of the Tampa Bay chapter of Israel Bonds, which honored Aviram at a dinner in February.

In addition to the Bank of America tower, Aviram owns the Maximo Marina - which he has just announced he is selling - and is under contract to buy the old Landmark Union Trust Bank building at 895 Central Ave. He is also one of 11 investors who bought the McNulty Station at First Avenue S at Third Street, which includes five office buildings.

While most of his projects in the St. Petersburg area have been successful, Aviram's touch hasn't always been golden.

In 1986, a decade after settling with his family in Portland, Ore., Aviram ran into financial problems and filed for bankruptcy. "I was young and I didn't have very much money," he said. "Nothing I tried was very successful except when I did real estate. Real estate is what I was good at."

While living in the Pacific Northwest, Aviram launched many ventures. He imported furniture from Mexico. He invested in a banana plantation in the Philippines and a juice factory in China. He owned a sausage factory and a pizza parlor on Mercer Island in Seattle.

It was there he met the man who became his mentor, George Allen, co-founder of McKinstry Co., a mechanical-construction company. Allen, who died in June, steered Aviram toward several successful projects, including the development of the Jansen's Swimwear building in Portland.

But there still would be bumps.

In 1996, around the time he moved to Florida, Aviram invested heavily in a medical company that specialized in mammogram equipment. The company failed and eventually was bought out by U.S. Surgical, Aviram said.

That same year two creditors sued him for sums of less than $10,000 for failing to pay rent and for merchandise sold at the pizza parlor. Aviram paid the debt.

In 1998, a Washington bank filed suit against Aviram for failing to pay a $106,000 note. Again, he paid the money.

Despite the setbacks, Aviram said he still had enough money to buy a vacation house. His search for one brought him to Florida in 1996 and the inexpensive waterfront property here convinced him to move to St. Petersburg permanently.

In 1997, he scraped and borrowed enough money to buy Maximo Marina for $7-million.

The move proved to be advantageous on several fronts. First, Aviram boosted occupancy at the marina from 50 percent to more than 90 percent by improving the facility. Second, he met two of the men who would play influential roles in his future as a developer.

The first was Mark Stroud, once president of Echelon Real Estate Services and now chief operating officer for Osprey Management Co. Aviram called Stroud for advice on buying the marina. Aviram then went on to buy several properties from Echelon, including the McNulty Station buildings and the Bank of America tower.

"It's worked out well for both of us," Stroud said. "Jimmy's a very likable guy. He's very easy to work with, and he's got a knack for putting together deals. He's really more of a dealmaker than a developer."

The second contact was Dean Kucera, who kept a boat at the marina. Kucera, president of Credit Guard Florida, helped Aviram purchase the Bank of America tower, his biggest deal to date.

The $41-million purchase of the Bank of America tower made a big splash in St. Petersburg business circles and established Aviram as an influential person in local real estate.

Public records show the deal was heavily mortgaged, with more than $33-million provided by banks. The same is true for the Tropicana block, including a $3.5-million loan from Kucera's company.

It's a typical pattern for Aviram, who views his role as bringing groups together and arranging the financing - not bankrolling the project. He also tends to seek out high-profile partners, such as Tibor Hollo, one of Miami's most active developers, who joined with Aviram to buy the Tropicana block.

Smart developers tend to let banks and others do most of the investing, said Leon Kendall, a former professor of finance and real estate at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.

"If a developer has a successful track record and he's good at marketing and the political stuff, he'll make it through," Kendall said. "The smartest guy, the real hard-nosed guy, puts in as little of his own money as possible."

Aviram's soft, soothing voice and gentle manner bring to mind a schoolteacher. His hair is white and curly and on a recent summer afternoon, he wore a casual short-sleeved shirt and loose-fitting trousers.

Aviram's office in the Bank of America tower is modest considering he owns the building. No penthouse suite here: He is on the fourth floor, with a large window and a mediocre view. Framed pictures of his four children and three grandchildren adorn his desk and a table.

Aviram loves to travel and visits Israel at least once a year. The Tierra Verde home he bought last year was appraised at $2.4-million, according to public records.

He has no plans to retire, at least not soon.

"I love the deal," he said. "I can afford to do nothing, but I would miss making deals."

And he has at least one more very important deal to make.

In one corner of his office is an architect's rendering of Aviram's proposal for the Tropicana block bounded by First and Second streets and Central and First Avenue N.

At first, Aviram and Hollo unsuccessfully negotiated with Florida Power, now Progress Energy, to put an office building on the site. In June, they announced plans to build two towers of 400 condominiums and 200 hotel rooms, plus stores such as the Gap and Banana Republic.

But the pressure is on.

Progress Energy will start negotiations this month with the city to build an office tower and luxury hotel a few blocks from the Tropicana block, which could put Aviram's plans in jeopardy.

"We were expecting the Tropicana block to be developed first," said Ron Barton, the city's director of economic development. "Now it looks like the timeline is going to be switched."

Aviram said he's not worried.

"People are impatient," he said. "But this is going to be big when it's done. And it's going to be very, very good for the city."
Some of his earlier deals appeared risky but eventually became lucrative. Time, he said, is on his side.

"That's the wonderful thing about real estate," he said. "Even if you make a mistake, time will correct it."

-- Times staff researchers Kitty Bennett and Caryn Baird contributed to this report.

[Last modified August 30, 2004, 00:52:24]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/08/30/Southpinellas/The_quiet_dealmaker.shtml

Bring the Clearwater thread back from the dead.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2004/09/13/story6.html

Now playing in Clearwater: hi-rises and multiplexes

CLEARWATER -- A developer that plans to give the face of downtown Clearwater a makeover with three high-rise towers and 150 condominiums on 3.5 acres has added a 12-screen movie theater to the plan.

Clearwater Development LLC, a group of Mexico City-based developers, purchased the AmSouth building at 400 Cleveland St. in December 2003. Earlier this year, the company also closed on the $1.6-million purchase of a Cleveland Street storefront property formerly owned by Calvary Baptist Church.

The church is comprised of 28,000 square feet stretching from 401 to 428 Cleveland St. The owners have consolidated the AmSouth and Calvary properties and are planning a large redevelopment project, said Bill Horne, city manager. The project now could include a 12-screen movie theater complex, something the city has desired for more than a year.

"AmStar Entertainment LLC is the theater operator that we are working with," said Tom Wright, a spokesman for Clearwater Development. "We do not have any absolute dates, but we feel really good about it and are doing everything we can to get this done."
It's what the company does

AmStar was established in Birmingham, Ala., in 1998 to develop and operate state-of-the-art multiplex theaters.

The company's strategy is to build new multiplex theaters that feature stadium, or tiered, seating and digital stereo in each auditorium, a statement on its Web site shows.

AmStar has agreed to manage a proposed 12-screen cinema along Cleveland Street, between Osceola and Fort Harrison avenues. The company runs five theaters in the Southeast, including one near Orlando.

The company's building strategy is supported by strong public demand for stadium theaters, which have proven so popular with moviegoers that they tend to become a market's theater of choice.

AmStar's primary objective is to develop a theater circuit comprised of these amenity-rich theatres, ranging from 12 to 20 auditoriums at each location. Development efforts are concentrated in metropolitan markets with a retail trade area of 100,000 to 500,000 people primarily located in the eastern and southeast United States.

AmStar's CEO, Stephen L. Colson, confirmed his company's involvement in the Clearwater project but would not comment on the development in particular.
Two firms responded to a request for proposal issued by the city earlier this year. The other proposal, presented by construction company Beck Development, was thrown out because that group did not meet the city's criteria, particularly because they did not have enough property, Geri Campos, acting economic development director, said.

"We'll begin discussions on parking and other specifics once negotiations officially begin, hopefully within the year," said Campos.

The city has been without a movie theater since AMC closed two Clearwater theaters in 2000, shortly after the company opened a 20-screen megaplex in Oldsmar.

To push the pedestrian downtown theme, Campos said the city plans to again seek publicly funded improvements to Coachman Park. In March, a referendum was voted down. Campos said although the people have spoken, city officials believe the improvements are an integral piece to the downtown redevelopment puzzle.

"From our research, we feel there is a need for a very exciting pedestrian space, which the park offers," said Campos. "We think its something the residents will want."

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2004/09/13/story5.html

Developers propose business park at Jack Russell Stadium

CLEARWATER -- Tom Kennedy attended spring training and minor-league baseball games at Jack Russell Stadium for more than 20 years, and lamented the Philadelphia Phillies' exit last year from the half-century-old ballpark.

Not that he minds the more modern facilities at Bright House Networks Field, where the Phillies spent their first spring this year and the Class A Clearwater Threshers recently completed their first season. He simply believes the old stadium is too good a site to become housing, sharing the fate of other outmoded ballparks across the country.

Kennedy, an industrial adviser with Grubb & Ellis Commercial Florida in Tampa, is working with Biltmore Construction Co. in Belleair on a proposed 200,000-square-foot office and industrial development on the 16-acre stadium site in the North Greenwood neighborhood near downtown Clearwater.

While two other proposals submitted to the city focus on replacing the stadium with housing, Kennedy claims the site would be better served as an economic development magnet for central Pinellas County. The Phillies, which have held spring training in Clearwater since 1947 and moved into Jack Russell Stadium eight years later, indirectly attracted business to the city throughout those decades, he said.

"This approach seems to be the best way to continue that role as a catalyst for economic development in Clearwater," Kennedy said.

The business park proposal fits well with ongoing commercial redevelopment efforts in the city's central business district, he said.
Ballpark site use open-ended

While the stadium itself is located near an industrialized area, the new development is initially planned as "flex" space, which can be used either for office or light-industrial purposes, Kennedy said. If the project is approved and land use issues can be resolved in a timely manner, Grubb & Ellis and Biltmore expect to break ground in late 2005, he said.

"There is a strong drive to be in this market," particularly by small and medium-sized businesses, he said. He noted that the timing for the project could be an advantage as many firms continue to move forward with expansion plans.

The bulk of Pinellas County's office/service center space is in the Gateway and mid-county submarkets, measuring 4.9 million square feet, yet vacancy for that space type was just above 15 percent at mid-year, research by Cushman & Wakefield of Florida shows.

While brokers say demand for space is expected to increase next year, especially from medical technology firms, Pinellas has few suitable sites for new buildings.
"Those are growth businesses, and we don't have any space for them," he said. "They love being here. It's just a matter of giving them an opportunity to stay."

Kennedy also noted that the stadium site is in an Enterprise Zone, providing prospective tenants with incentives for substantial employment and capital investment. It is also designated as a Historically Underutilized Business (HUB) Zone by the U.S. Small Business Administration, making it a choice location for businesses involved in federal government contracting, he said.
Academic developments

Tenants would also get some additional help from St. Petersburg College, which plans to open one of its "centers of excellence" at the site to provide education and training services, Kennedy said.

There is competition for the Jack Russell Stadium property. Two other proposals were presented to the city that involve residential development. Housing Trust Group of Florida, based in Miami, and Clearwater Neighborhood Housing Services are both looking to build apartments and townhomes on the site.

North Greenwood residents will have an opportunity to comment on all three proposals in coming weeks, after which a committee will make a recommendation to Clearwater officials, said Geri Campos, the city's acting director of economic development and housing.

The city council would make a final decision on the stadium's use in October or November, she said.

"There is the possibility that all three could be rejected," Campos said, after which the city could seek to sell the stadium on its own. Property records show the site has been appraised at $1.6 million for recreational use.

It seems like downtown Clearwater is on the verge of a big boom. Its about time.

Ok, so it is a fluffy (and sometimes jsut plain silly) Maddux Report articles, still it gives some info:

http://www.maddux.com/2004/September/images_monthly/corp_report_01.jpg

Desperate no more, St. Petersburg is being transformed almost magically before our eyes. Downtown, Midtown, Grand Central, Gateway and Tyrone ... at every turn, fresh shops, new residences and a young breed of businesses
by Janan Talafer jvt916@tampabay.rr.com
LOOK AT ST. PETERSBURG THROUGH THE EYES of a first-time visitor: an abundance of lush, tropical landscaping; miles of beautiful, waterfront parks; quaint historic neighborhoods; new upscale residential development; and a blossoming downtown.

"Once people get here, it's a real eye opener," says Ron Barton, director of economic development for the city. "They tell us they never had a clue St. Petersburg was like this. We've been spending a lot of time on marketing and changing people's perceptions - something that Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale or Jacksonville doesn't have to do."

St. Petersburg is being reinvented as a highly desirable community for young skilled professionals who enjoy the arts and culture, the quality of life and the growing number of career opportunities. Finally, the city is making the transformation from a tourist and retirement destination to an economic leader for the region - and the fourth-largest city in the state.

"There was a time when you could go downtown and fire a shot and not hit anyone, the streets were so empty," quips Russ Gustafson-Hilton, a St. Petersburg native and partner in the innovative St. Petersburg Clay Co. Inc. (www.stpeteclay.com), a cultural mecca for clay artists around the country. He is quick to point out, however, that times are different, and he's "proud to live in such a beautiful place with a vibrant cultural atmosphere - one that rivals on a small scale what people can find in Paris and London."

Artist T.W. Curtis agrees. About three years ago, he was looking for a venue for his nonprofit charitable organization that provides at-risk children with opportunities in the arts. He went to Sarasota, Orlando, Tampa. Then he drove through downtown St. Petersburg. "I had never thought much about it before," says Curtis. "But within 48 hours, I was committed to this area."

"Ten years ago, it was big news when a restaurant opened downtown," says Cindy Margiotta, city economic development manager. Now the listing of new retail, residential and commercial developments on the city's Web site (www.stpete.org) fills an entire page. Of the city's progress, Barton says: "All cylinders are firing here. Growth is not one-dimensional."

Corporate Offices at Home

Retail and residential development are high on the radar screen for St. Petersburg, but a growing number of high-tech companies are also located here. MTS Medication Technologies, DataGlyphics, Jabil Circuit, ELease, Jagged Peak Inc., Unaxis USA, Certegy, Danka, Tech Data, Raytheon, America II, Intelligent Micro Patterning and L-3 Communications Security & Detection Systems are a sampling.

The subsidiary of the $5-billion L-3 Communications is located in the city's Gateway area, where most of the corporate growth is taking place. L-3 is a global leader in the manufacture of X-ray screening devices and metal detectors used to guard public safety in airports, railways, cruise ships, government buildings and even the Statue of Liberty. The company (www.dsxray.com) produces baggage checkpoint systems and two new high-tech lines - the automated multi-view system and the eXaminer, which provides sophisticated 3- D images (similar to a CAT Scanner) for explosives detection. This is the product integrated into the baggage handling system at Tampa International Airport.

Douglas Stevenson, director of global marketing, says L-3 has long been the dominant supplier for international airports, but post 9/11 U.S. demand prompted the decision to "ramp up and expand capacity."

Massachusetts remains the division's corporate headquarters, but all manufacturing has been consolidated to St. Petersburg. This, says Stevenson, is expected to increase cost efficiencies, and to help the company aggressively market its newest generation of technology.

In February 2003, the company moved into about half of a 129,800-square-foot facility on Gandy Boulevard. By September, the division had expanded into an additional 52,800 square feet and now discussion is underway about leasing the remaining space. "L-3 selected St. Petersburg for a manufacturing site because the region's skilled workforce and shipping capabilities would be vital to our success in meeting the monumental challenge of the TSA's (Transportation Security Administration) initial mandate for 100-percent checked baggage screening, post 9/11," says Allen Barber, senior vice president and general manager of L-3 Security and Detection Systems.

More on Gateway

Unaxis USA is another Gateway company that is on the move. Last year, this Swiss firm expanded its facility in Metropointe Business Park, adding a new $7.2-million, 48,000-square-foot research and development center. The company (www.unaxisusa.com) manufactures semiconductor equipment, data storage solutions, vacuum technology and components for an international market.

By this fall, MTS Medication Technologies expects to finish consolidating four separate Clearwater locations into a 104,000- square-foot facility on Gateway's Gandy Boulevard. "We were out of space in our previous facility," says Todd Siegel, president and CEO. The company manufactures automated packaging for prescription medications and nutritional supplements. "We were storing raw material off-site, which was costly. Now all of our employees will be under one roof and we have the capacity to expand up to 130,000 square feet if we need it." Siegel expects to increase the staff of 170 to 200 by end of fiscal year on March 31, 2005.

On a smaller scale, Brigham and Moore LLP (www.brighammoore.com), a statewide law firm, traded sweeping views of Tampa from the 34th floor of the City Center to a ground-level 4,000-square-foot space in Metropointe last October. Why? "We represent land owners on eminent domain issues. That means we are a document-intensive practice. We have large site plans and exhibits to prepare and store," says Greg Rix, one of the attorneys in the firm. "Last year, we were dealing with taking over 200 foam-core boards up and down the freight elevator on the weekend. It was a nightmare."

In contrast, the Gateway office has a large open warehouse with a roll-up door - no need for an elevator - and 24-hour access.
Adding Residential & Retail

Grady Pridgen, who controls alot of the commercial land in Gateway, would like to incorporate high-end industrial employers and office buildings with multi-family residential, retail businesses and restaurants, all flourishing side by side. He envisions transforming Gateway to accommodate a growing number of people moving into the area for high-tech jobs - young professionals that he says are "educated, used to living in upscale urban areas and taking mass transit. They don't want to drive an hour to work each day."

To meet that demand, Pridgen has proposed a mixed-use project in an area formerly known as the sod farm at 28th Street North and I-275. The new development will feature 2,500 multi-family residential units, high-end industrial, restaurant, hotel and retail, projects that historically tended to remain separate. But Pridgen predicts a new trend of placing this type of development closer together to create a "live-work-play concept."

One of the first companies to take advantage of this concept is Cox Target Media (www.coxtarget.com), the parent company of Valpak that recently announced plans to build a $200-million, 500,000-square-foot production facility at the sod farm. This is a consolidation of its 275,000-square-foot headquarters and print facility in Largo and a 200,000-square-foot facility in Elm City, NC. When the new facility, developed by Grady Pridgen Inc., opens in 2007, the company will add about 100 jobs to its local staff of 1,100.

"We're completely re-engineering our production processes," says Bill Disbrow, Valpak's CEO. "We've grown a lot over the past few years by mailing more envelopes more frequently or by a larger circulation. Our growth over the next few years will be by putting more pieces in our envelopes. Our $130-million investment in new technology takes away the barrier of the number of pieces we can put in a package. We should be the premier, state-of-the-art short-run printing facility anywhere in the U.S."

Pridgen also has announced plans for a $75-million, 21-acre, mixed-use project near Gandy Boulevard and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street. This development is a joint venture with the Celotex Corp. and would consist of 350 apartments, 75,000 square feet of retail and 150,000 square feet of office space. Pridgen says plans call for a town center, smaller restaurants sprinkled around an exterior food court and a garage built inside the complex so it's not visible from the outside. "We want to create a high-density project without the appearance of large scale," he says. "High density is the only economically feasible way to go."

Carillon's Explosive Growth

Carillon is in the heart of Gateway, close to the Howard Frankland Bridge to Tampa. Twenty years ago, this area was still unincorporated land, with acres of cabbage palms and plenty of snakes. The land was annexed into the city in the mid-1980s and winding roads were carved through the property. A scattering of office buildings went up, a day care center opened and the beginning of a nature preserve was planned. By the 1990s, more companies moved in and developer Echelon Inc. began planning apartments and condos. Today, the upscale office park boasts some 350 corporate offices, including Raymond James Financial, Franklin Templeton, PSCU Financial Services and Catalina Marketing. An estimated 30,000 people work there. And other major employers like Home Shopping Network, Avaya and Certegy are nearby.

Within Carillon, groundbreaking took place earlier this year on a new nine-story, full-service Hilton Hotel, which will feature an upscale restaurant, meeting and ballroom space, swimming pool and Tiki bar with Lake Carillon as a backdrop. St. Anthony's Hospital opened the $37-million Carillon Outpatient Center, which looks like a sprawling country club, and helps the hospital reach a young professional crowd in a booming commercial and residential area.

Elsewhere in the business park, Raymond James Financial, which employs 2,500, finished construction on its fourth office tower in January, bringing the company's large campus to 900,000 square feet. The $37-million project includes the nine-story, 300,000- square-foot Tower IV and a 1,332-space parking garage. About 4employees were relocated to the new tower, according to Elliott Stern, the firm's senior vice president (www.raymondjames.com). More growth is expected, he says, both in number of employees and additional buildings.

Bright House Networks joins the crowd in Carillon this fall, when the organization (http://tampabay.mybrighthouse.com) moves into its new three-story, 160,000-square-foot facility, bringing together six different business units and streamlining company operations, says Brian Aungst, regional director of public relations. "Carillon offers us a very convenient location," says Aungst. "We can get to any location in Hillsborough or Pinellas counties easily. This site also offers us good entry and exit and plenty of parking."

Creating A Town Center

Not one to rest on its laurels, Echelon wants to transform the area again. "Once upon a time Carillon was a great office park, but now we're ready to create a community where it is easy to live, work, play and shop," says Julio Maggi, the firm's vice president.

Plans for the park include a new town center with a main street that features cobblestone streets, wide sidewalks, large oak trees and angled parking; shops and restaurants on the ground floor; and office and residential on the second floor. Mid-rise condos will go up nearby. Maggi sees this area as Carillon's new "three-block urban downtown."

Progress in town center is already underway. Publix and AmSouth Bank opened earlier this year and Maggi says SunTrust Bank and the Courtside Grill are nearing completion. SunTrust's design includes a large clock tower, a distinctive and decorative accent on the northern end of the town center.

New multi-family residential neighborhoods will also shape the community. In the Stirling neighborhood on Lake Carillon, Courtyard Villas - a unique two- and three-story town home design - will have traditional front porches, private walled courtyards, rear garages and alleyways. Homes will be clustered around a park and there will be a community pool. Maggi says the goal is to create an old-fashioned neighborhood feel.

Apartments, condos and town homes are the focus of the residential market in Carillon, with price points and design features to appeal to a broad market, says Maggi. "Many people still prefer a single-family home in a suburb with a 30- to 45-minute commute, but there is an attractiveness about living in a more urban setting with more social interaction. With the new hotel, the nature preserve, new residential and retail development and the Main Street project, everything is converging to put the final touches on Carillon."

The growing charm of Carillon certainly can't be denied, but downtown's transformation, by most counts, has been nothing short of amazing. Look along Beach Drive, where luxury condo towers like The Cloisters, The Florencia and Vinoy Place are attracting buyers willing to spend a half million and up to live right in the middle of the action.

Now add the 29-story Parkshore Plaza to the scene. According to Jerry Shaw Sr., vice president of Opus South Corporation, developer of the mixed-use project, "sales are very strong" for the 118 upscale residences and "interest is high" for the 23,000 square feet of ground-level retail. The project is expected to be completed by February 2006.

A block away, closer to the BayWalk entertainment complex, Grady Pridgen has proposed the 350-unit Bayway Lofts. Plans for the upscale project were submitted to the Economic Development Council in mid-July after the development's controversial building height was lowered from 510 to 370 feet.

But nothing underscores downtown's allure more than the announcement last summer of six proposals for prime city-owned land that is currently occupied by the Florida International Museum. The museum has been struggling financially for years to maintain its oversized facility, the site of the former Maas Brothers department store that closed in the early '90s. Among the six contenders for the choice land are Progress Energy, Grady Pridgen and Liberty Group of Companies, all of which have submitted mixed-use designs that include a combination of office, retail/restaurant, residential and hotel.

The city has given the museum approval to vacate its space and move into an annex building in partnership with St. Petersburg College's downtown campus. But the move isn't expected to happen until 2007. Discussion is now under way about a temporary location for the museum to make way for the winning mixed-use proposal, which at press time, was still under discussion.

What makes downtown so attractive? "It's one of the nicest downtowns in the Southeast," says Shaw. He also believes it's driven by demographics - baby boomers retiring, buying second homes or investing in property. "This generation has been active throughout their lifetime. They've had more exposure to entertainment, retail and theater. And many are more interested in moving to an urban environment than retiring to places like Sun City."

Demand is strong for McNulty Lofts, a unique project on top of a seven-story parking garage near University Village, downtown's successful retail shopping center that opened last year. The 85 lofts are already sold, says Mark Stroud, president of Echelon Real Estate Services, developer of the McNulty project. Construction is expected to be completed sometime next year. "It's a great location … walkable to everywhere downtown," says Stroud. "Our units are smaller and less expensive per square foot than those on Beach Drive. There's a strong demand for this type of product."

There is one missing piece, says developer Jimmy Aviram - "a high-end hotel in the heart of downtown that can accommodate large special events or conventions." (Of course, the luxurious Renaissance Vinoy is only a few blocks from downtown's center and JMC Communities opened a new 92-room Hampton Inn & Suites near the waterfront in January 2003.)

Aviram hopes to bring one or two major hotel chains to prime property called the Tropicana Block, occupied by a parking lot south of the BayWalk retail entertainment complex. The project would also include two stories of retail shops and restaurants, along with two Lshaped condominium towers. Aviram envisions a central courtyard similar to a European-style piazza. He expects to submit site plans to the city this fall.

The More, the Merrier

"With one announcement after another (downtown), it's obvious there's quite a momentum going," says George Rahdert, a St. Petersburg attorney who was a pioneer in downtown redevelopment more than a decade ago, and helped restore such historic landmarks as Mansion by the Bay, the Alexander Building and the Palladium Theater. "When I started doing historic preservation, my small project would get tremendous attention, but now anything I'm doing pales in comparison with the big boys."

Rahdert attributes St. Petersburg's success to the preservation of its waterfront, without "a curtain of condominiums," and the move away from "thinking there would be one magic bullet to make it all work." But Rahdert adds that "the real proof of success is that people want to live downtown. It's become people friendly and attractive with tremendous amenities that every city should envy."

Downtown's "impressive" revitalization was the rationale behind Certegy's decision to relocate 60 executives, sales and administrative positions from its main Gateway facility to a 25,000-squarefoot downtown office, says Mary Waggoner, the firm's vice president of investor and public relations. The relocation also allows the company to accommodate growth at the Gateway facility, she adds. Certegy (www.certegy.com) is a global provider of credit and debit processing, check risk management and check cashing services.

DataGlyphics is another company that believes in downtown. DataGlyphics doubled its office space earlier this year, purchasing a 12-percent interest in the SunTrust building. "We started the business in 1998 with just two employees and now have 15," says William Stover, CEO. "Our company is maturing and developing a more sophisticated image. The new office gives us room to expand and offers a nicer corporate environment."


A native of St. Petersburg, Stover is proud that his Web-solutions company (www.datag.com) is not only debt-free, but had 58-percent growth last year. The firm was the St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce 2004 Technology Company of the Year. Among its many clients are The Poynter Institute, the St. Petersburg- Clearwater International Airport, Lazzara Yachts, RedVector.com and Pinellas County Economic Development.

Looking South

Just a few blocks south of downtown, a surprising number of residential projects are under way or on the drawing board. The outdated Carlton Towers apartments are being transformed into The Beacon on Third. Nearby the Madison, a 277-unit apartment and townhouse complex that opened in 2002, is being converted into condominiums. The former downtown YMCA facility, built in 1927, is being reinvented as the upscale Seville Condominiums priced from $350,000 to $540,000.

Driving further south to University Park - a formerly run-down neighborhood of boardedup houses - interesting little residential clusters are springing up and changing the landscape. The JMS Group is constructing already sold-out Las Ventanas, a sevenunit townhome development, and planning Bellus Delmar, an 11-unit complex. Last November, General Home Development Realty Corp. (GHD) finished Victorian Oaks. Its Key West cottages are now under construction. Both projects are sold out. "We're creating more of a neighborhood feel for young professionals who want an in-town urban lifestyle close to where they work," says Larry Smith, director of marketing for GHD. We're moving into older neighborhoods south of Central where properties are more affordable. We took a chance and it has really blossomed into something exciting, far exceeding our expectations."

Jump a few blocks north of downtown near Central Avenue's art galleries and George Gower, of Prudential Gower Realty, is planning two projects - the Arts on 8th and the Muse Lofts. Gower hopes to break ground this winter. Nearby, Versaggi Properties is completing Calla Terrace, a townhome development completely under contract.

Closer to the waterfront, in the Bayboro Redevelopment District, the Harbourage Marina Village is expected to transform this area that borders the USF St. Petersburg campus. "This part of town is starting to come awake," says Randy Wedding, an architect with Wedding Stephenson Ibarguen and a spokesperson for the project. Wedding anticipates that the $40-million, 14-story mixeduse condo, townhome, retail and restaurant complex will be a "spark plug" for future development in the area. Harbourage Marina Village plans also call for additional boat slips at the marina to support what Wedding calls "mega yachts." The initial site plan has been given a green light, but the request for additional slips will be a ballot referendum in November.

Also on the waterfront, but in the Pinellas Point area of St. Petersburg on Frenchman's Creek, First Dartmouth is moving forward on "Aquaplex," a $250,000 project to redevelop the Huber Marina Yacht Basin and adjacent land. This St. Petersburg landmark for more than 30 years is destined to become luxury townhouses, a modern 400-slip boathouse and about 300 floating boat slips. First Dartmouth CEO Frank S. Maggio plans to disclose complete plans for the project by year end with residential sales projected to begin in February 2005.

The Dome District

If Grady Pridgen has his way, the entire Dome District would be turned on its end with his new $80-million mixed-use project, anticipated to cover more than three acres. The 122-acre Dome District is the site of the city's oldest industrial park and a focus of city revitalization efforts. Pridgen's proposed plan calls for 320 condominiums, restaurants and offices; a pedestrian plaza facing Central Avenue, a lake created by widening Booker Creek and the relocation of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame from Lake City to St. Petersburg. That would tie in nicely with Tropicana Field, home of the Devil Rays baseball team.

"I can see the (Looper) trolley extending from downtown to 34th Street, making it easy for people to live, work and play right in this neighborhood," says Pridgen.

Jagged Peak Technologies moved into the Dome District earlier this year, turning a former printing plant into a 93,000-square-foot distribution center for the Web-based logistics and fulfillment company. Jagged Peak (www.jaggedpeak.com) is headquartered in Tampa's Rocky Point. "The new building will allow us to expand our storage and shipping capacity by 50 percent," says Vince Fabrizzi, one of the owners.

Business Around Town

Mortgage Investors Inc. is renovating the former Swanholm Nursing Home at 6090 Central Avenue, adding to its expanding collection of properties. The company has spread its familiar blue and white colors over some 150, 000 square feet of space in seven or eight buildings, says Bill Edwards, president. "We were a little tight on space and this extra building gives us more room, maybe to add a cafeteria or other employee amenities."

St. Petersburg is the corporate headquarters for this company that offers residential mortgages to veterans in 45 states. Edwards says the company has 2,000 employees and did over $7 billion in mortgages last year.

Payless Car Rental, with headquarters on 34th Street North, is also growing and now has some 1,400 locations in 60 countries. Payless (www.PaylessCarRental.com) is part of the privately held Avalon Global Group of Companies, which operates worldwide. Michael J. Harley, president and CEO, is aggressively pursuing expansion of the company's used car sales business. "We are in the Autobahn lane," says Harley, referring to Payless Car Sales' success in the last two years since the company's franchise program was initiated. The company currently has 50 franchises in 14 states and Harley hopes to increase franchise locations to 100 by summer '05. Growth has steadily risen from $2.6 million in gross sales in 2002 to $7.9 million to date, with $15 million expected by year end, adds Harley.

With its growing conglomeration of successful corporations and the ongoing revitalization of its urban center, St. Petersburg has come a long way from its reputation as a health city for bone-chilled northerners looking to retire in the sunshine. Today, the median age has dropped to 39.9, according to the 2000 census.

The city is seen as a good investment. And as more and more small private companies and larger corporations discover this wellkept secret, St. Petersburg's future could be made over several times again.

Box story:
Midtown Resurgence
Mayor Rick Baker and Deputy Mayor Goliath Davis run through a laundry list of accomplishments: the Royal Theater, Tangerine Plaza, Johnson Library, Three Oaks Commerce Center, 16th Street Plaza, the Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center, St. Petersburg College Midtown Campus, several new elementary and middle schools, a full-service post office and the soon-to-be-renovated Manhattan Casino. They are talking about changes underway in Midtown, an economically depressed, largely African-American section of the city roughly bordered by Central Avenue to 30th Avenue South and 4th Street to 34th Street.


"We're still paying attention to all of our neighborhoods, but Midtown is our primary effort right now," says Baker. "It's all about timing, will and desire. We're trying to help people buy into the vision. We've invested millions into helping revitalize the area, but we foresee a time when we won't have to seed Midtown. We're taking the lessons we learned downtown and applying them here." The goal, say Baker and Davis, is to fold Midtown into "a seamless city from one end to the other."

Julius Mosley Jr. grew up in the area and is president of Affordable Realty and Property Management Inc. He's investing in Midtown with two recent projects, the 24-unit Perkins Apartment complex and 16th Street Plaza. He's already signed leases for much of the space. His own real estate company is located there as well. "The time is right for redevelopment," says Mosley. "I say, 'why not do business right in our own neighborhood?"

The announcement that Sweetbay (formerly Kash 'n Karry) will build a store in the Tangerine Avenue Community Redevelopment Area, a 20-acre site bordered by 22nd Street South and 18th Avenue, is expected to be the biggest catalyst for Midtown. The grocery store will be an anchor tenant in Tangerine Plaza, being developed by Urban Development Solutions Inc. with support from the Sembler Company, developer of BayWalk and other city projects. Sweetbay is expected to be open by spring of next year.

Meanwhile, 22nd Street South has been designated a Florida Main Street. This main avenue hosts several historic venues, including the former Royal Theater, now home to the Boys and Girls Club of the Suncoast. The theater has been renovated to house a performing and visual arts center with an art gallery and 200-seat auditorium. The Johnnie Ruth Clarke Health Center has moved into a new 22,000-square-foot facility on the grounds of the historic Mercy Hospital, which served the African-American community until it closed in 1966.

Last year, St. Petersburg College opened a Midtown campus to serve the community, says Dr. Charlie Roberts, provost of the St. Petersburg College Gibbs Campus, along with Midtown and Downtown. The Midtown campus is located in the Achievement Center, which also houses the housing authority, a social service agency and YWCA-sponsored child care. Last winter the college partnered with the Pinellas Technical Center to offer a nurse aide training class. This fall, a math-readiness class will be offered, as well as computer literacy skills. There is also a tutoring program for at-risk middle school and high school students. "We are breaking down all barriers to make the college accessible, both in terms of convenient location and the needs of people who might not have thought about college previously," says Roberts.

Box Story:
College Town?
With the University of South Florida St. Petersburg expanding and evolving to a fully accredited, fully autonomous urban campus and St. Petersburg College's increasing presence downtown, civic leaders and developers are seeing the potential influx of young people as a definite plus for the city. "We have an aggressive plan underway to grow a strong campus life and change the whole ambience of the university," says Charles Brown, associate vice president of student affairs at USF St. Petersburg (www.stpt.usf.edu). "Our enrollment is now at 4,700 students and we see 8,000 as a realistic goal."

To reach that goal, the strategic plan calls for initiatives such as expanding on-campus student activities, constructing residential housing for the first time and improved parking. The college plans to develop a 1,500-space parking garage in 2006 and to build a 350-bed student residence tower by 2006 or 2007, says Brown. "Our students would have the best of both worlds," says Brown, "the friendliness of a medium-sized campus here in St. Petersburg and all the resources available to them at the larger USF Tampa." In July, the university filed a request for proposals for the new student housing, which will feature a seven-story building on an L-shaped parcel surrounding the Campus Activities Center.

Last year, USF St. Petersburg hired 51 new faculty members and now has 45 undergraduate and graduate programs through the Colleges of Arts & Sciences, Business and Education. The school also offers a nationally recognized graduate program in marine science.

A year ago, St. Petersburg College (www.spcollege.edu) also began feeling growing pains and moved out of its space on the USF St. Petersburg campus to two locations downtown: leased space from the Florida International Museum and the new St. Petersburg College Downtown Campus at 201 4th Street North. Now the college expects to begin construction in late fall on a permanent location that it will share with the museum in a remodeled annex of the former Maas Brothers department store. The new facility is expected to be complete next summer, says Yvonne Ulmer, associate provost of SPC Downtown. "Our students love being right in the heart of downtown with its excitement and vibrancy," Ulmer says. Enrollment now stands at 1,000 students with potential to grow to 1,500, adds Ulmer.

http://www.maddux.com/2004/September/corpreports.asp

good article on St. Pete, its great to see all the development, culturally and other. Though, this made me laugh: '...is quick to point out, however, that times are different, and he's "proud to live in such a beautiful place with a vibrant cultural atmosphere - one that rivals on a small scale what people can find in Paris and London."'

As I said, the article is very silly in some places.

Townhomes to rise on Fort Harrison
Forty-five units across from Harbor Oaks will help the avenue on its strong road to recovery.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published September 19, 2004

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CLEARWATER - First, a Publix filled the remnants of a long-gone downtown car dealership. Then work started on a bank.

Now, a 45-unit townhome project will bolster the transformation of S Fort Harrison Avenue, a downtown gateway that has already seen marked change.

The Townhomes of Harbor Oaks will rise south of the supermarket and around two other proposed developments.

The $10-million project would be the area's first new residential project, across from the historic homes in the Harbor Oaks neighborhood.

The developer, GWI Investments, said previous downtown investments laid the foundation for the plan.

The townhomes will be three stories, range from 1,600 to 2,100 square feet and back up to the Pinellas Trail. Nearly 70 percent of the homes are already spoken for, said Greg Iglehart, president of GWI. Construction is set to begin near the end of this year.

Units will sell for about $280,000 to $350,000.

"I don't know if this area will become Clearwater's Hyde Park," said council member Frank Hibbard, who lives in the Harbor Oaks neighborhood and has watched the evolution. "But it definitely has some of the same characteristics. It has all the makings of a renaissance."

The townhomes will take the place of efficiencies crowded on 2.6 acres south of Druid Road near Jasmine Way. The project will match the feel of the Publix development, with orange-tiled roofs and Mediterranean facades. It will have brick streets, a pool and two European-style courtyards.

"We just love the location," said Iglehart, 42, who has built in neighborhoods across Florida, including Celebration in Orlando and Westchase in Hillsborough County. "There's a lot of momentum in the area, and it's gathering steam."

Clearwater developer Jim White started the Fort Harrison rebirth three years ago when he bought 8 acres of a former car dealership from Larry Dimmitt Sr. for a Publix and shopping complex.

A SouthTrust Bank branch is now being built next door.

AmSouth Bank plans to build a branch at the northeast corner of Druid Road and Fort Harrison, just south of the Publix. The Alabama bank bought the land this year from Dimmitt for $3-million.

North of the Publix complex, across Turner Street, a Safety Harbor developer plans to break ground in November on a 14,000-square-foot retail center anchored by a Washington Mutual.

By probably 2006, a three-block stretch at downtown's southern gateway will have been completely made over.

"When I first got here, they had wild pigs running around the streets," said Dimmitt, 89, who owned all of the redevelopment sites except for the townhome location. "Now look at how things have changed."

The latest improvements started with the Publix, which many thought couldn't succeed downtown.

"Publix, they're happy as a bug in a rug," Dimmitt said. "Look what's coming in and around them. Housewives walk in for their bananas and raisin bread and all that stuff."

Along with Iglehart's project, a 48-unit gated condominium complex is scheduled along Myrtle Avenue near Turner Street, and it would back up to the Pinellas Trail from the east. Units in that project, Old Clearwater City Flats, would cost from $259,900 to $299,900.

Mark Klein, a commercial real estate agent with Klein & Heuchan Inc. Realtors, who marketed Dimmitt's properties, said city leaders helped drive the redevelopment. Klein said he spent close to 10 years trying to find the right investors for Dimmitt's land.

"A lot of it was fueled by the city wanting to see something happen and being willing to work on changes," Klein said. "They wanted to create an urban environment. Seems they might get just that."

City officials approached GWI in 2002 to gauge the firm's interest in developing downtown. Iglehart said he and his partner, Scott Doster, looked at several potential sites and decided the location south of Druid was the best match.

The townhome project is next to one of the city's most expensive neighborhoods and borders other urban renewal, Iglehart said.

"Our experience has been there's a big wave back to the city, back to the town core," Iglehart said. "We want to be at the front end of that wave."

Aaron Sharockman can be reached at 727 445-4160 or asharockman@sptimes.com

[Last modified September 19, 2004, 01:17:28]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/19/Northpinellas/Townhomes_to_rise_on_.shtml

Hey, more Grady Pridgen, not sure exactly where on 4th Street these are supposed to be but I like the idea:

http://www.gradypridgen.com/pictures/dev_fourth_render.jpg

http://www.gradypridgen.com/pictures/dev_fourth_plan.jpg
Fourth Street Lofts
St. Petersburg, FL
Twenty-five unit urban lofts in downtown St. Petersburg.

Celotex pridgen plan - i liek the inernal parking. At least he is an ideaman, if nothing else:

http://www.gradypridgen.com/pictures/dev_celotex_floorplan1_large.jpg
http://www.gradypridgen.com/pictures/dev_celotex_rendering.jpg

Celotex-Pridgen
St. Petersburg, FL
St. Petersburg, FL — Grady Pridgen, Inc. will build a $75 million mixed-used development in the heart of the Gateway district of St. Petersburg.

The new development will create a community of 75,000 sq. ft. of retail space, 150,000 sq. ft. of office space and 350 apartment units. Construction is set to begin this year at the 21-acre site near Gandy Blvd. and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. St.

Pridgen has conducted research that shows that the project will help reduce urban sprawl and reduce traffic. Residents will be able to live, work and shop all within the community.

"The new development will create more jobs and quality housing so St. Petersburg can fully capitalize on its economic development," Grady Pridgen said. Pridgen plans to continue to invest in the growth of St. Petersburg.

Pridgen will partner with Celotex Corporation to develop the site. The corporation has owned and occupied the property as a member of the Gateway community for more than 30 years. "Having long been a part of Gateway's history, Celotex takes great pride in this opportunity to set the course for its future," said George Wood, president of Celotex.

The new development is the first construction project scheduled to seal the new Fair Share partnership between Pridgen and the St. Petersburg Chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. The goal of the partnership is to provide a greater opportunity for qualified minorities to participate and directly benefit in Pridgen's development projects and St. Petersburg's economic development.

"We're excited about the economic impact Grady Pridgen's new project will have on the minority community and St. Petersburg," Darryl Rouson, president of the St. Petersburg Chapter of the NAACP said.



BY THE WAY - did anyone see how the condo project hearing in Tampa went?

Developers change, city's view doesn't
The Tampa man who is continuing hotelier Tony Markopoulos' plans for a resort is finding that officials still won't approve the grandiose design.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published September 22, 2004

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CLEARWATER - A new owner hasn't swayed city officials on a controversial Clearwater Beach hotel project that city planners believe is oversized.

The 14-story, 425-unit hotel now proposed by Tampa entrepreneur Dr. Kiran C. Patel is still too massive, even with enigmatic beach hotelier Tony Markopoulos out of the deal, planners said.

Markopoulos sold out to Patel for $40-million last Friday. Before the Community Development Board Tuesday, Patel found out the attitudes in City Hall won't change just because the owners did.

"Life's a risk," said Patel's attorney Patrick M. O'Connor, who just entered development negotiations that are now seven months old. "We're still working with the city. We're going to continue to work with the city. We both want to build a world-class resort. We have the same goal."

The difference is, how to get there.

Like Markopoulos, whose business sense had been known to ruffle feathers, Patel is keen to develop a grand resort just south of the roundabout. Patel has adopted Markopoulos' vision, a Mediterranean-inspired convention hotel that stretches 150 feet high and more than a football field along S Gulfview Boulevard.

The plans call for 350 hotel rooms and 75 condominiums.

The city says the plans are too much.

Last month, planning director Cyndi Tarapani said the building didn't match the redevelopment code adopted for the beach.

But the city's planning board disagreed, clearing a major hurdle for the developer. However, more hurdles remain.

The City Council must approve a development agreement, agree to vacate city right of way and accept a land swap with the developer before construction can begin.

Tuesday, the same city planning board agreed to reconsider its August approval of the project's site plan because it did not consider the council's future considerations.

"It gives the illusion that the site plan is ready to get a permit tomorrow," Tarapani said. "That's not the case."

Tarapani said she will not ask the board to reconsider the site plan itself, though city planners think the project doesn't meet the city's beach design guidelines.

Board members will hear the city's request at their Oct. 19 meeting.

City planners also said Tuesday they oppose a pedestrian overpass that would link the hotel to the beach across S Gulfview Boulevard.

The overpass was approved in the site plan, but Tarapani said she fears it would lead to other bridge proposals along Gulfview. Another proposed development, a 250-room Hyatt, will have a pedestrian bridge, Tarapani said, but that project includes 400 public parking spaces.

Patel's project calls for only 15 public spaces.

Development board member J.B. Johnson, said the staff's opinion is unfair, especially since it at one time supported the overpass.

"It doesn't seem right," Johnson said.

The development will be back before the Community Development Board next month and then will move to the City Council for a series of approvals. Tarapani said city staff will not support the development as currently designed.

O'Connor said Patel knows there's a long fight ahead. The noted philanthropist and cardiologist is ready, O'Connor said.

"He's looking forward to rolling up his sleeves and getting to work," O'Connor said. "He knows it won't be easy. But he's an optimistic person and he knows it can come together."

CLEARWATER BEACH RESORT, BY THE NUMBERS OWNER: Dr. Kiran C. Patel ARCHITECT: Morris Architects, Orlando LOCATION: South of the roundabout between Coronado Drive and S Gulfview Boulevard. LAND: 2.7 acres now occupied by the Day's Inn, Beach Towers, Spy Glass and Golden Beach motels
14 stories

150 feet tall

350 hotel rooms

75 condominiums

37,000 square feet of meeting and retail space

620 parking spaces

15 public parking spaces

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/22/Northpinellas/Developers_change__ci.shtml

Yeah, I would like to see one of Pridgen's downtown projects break ground this year.

USF officials request proposals for first on-campus housing


ST. PETERSBURG -- Officials at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg selected three area firms to submit design/ build proposals for its first on-campus student housing.

The companies were recently selected after a meeting with qualified firms interested in the project, which has an estimated $18.3-million price tag.

The short-listed companies are University Housing Services Inc. in St. Petersburg, Beck in Tampa and Largo-based Peter R. Brown Construction Inc.

With $195 million in local revenue for 2002, Beck was the top general contractor in the Business Journal's 2004 Book of Lists.

Peter R. Brown Construction ranked 13th, with $40.5 million in local revenue. One of its largest 2002 projects was construction of Largo Middle School, a $7-million project.

Led by longtime St. Petersburg contractor William H. Mills Jr., University Housing specializes in needs assessments, market analysis, design, construction and financing of student housing around the country. Saint Leo University, Clearwater Christian College and Florida Gulf Coast University are among its clients.

Proposals from the companies are due Oct. 29, said Abdul Nasser, USF's regional vice chancellor for administration and finance for the St. Petersburg campus.

Completion is scheduled for fall 2006.

A selection committee made up of staff and faculty will make a recommendation on a finalist, who will need approval by a series of USF boards.

What the new residence hall will look like is unknown until then, but it will be a seven-story structure with 354 beds, Nasser said. Multiple stories are required because of the lack of vacant land on the campus.

The building site is on the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue South and Second Street.
Paying for half of itself

Bonds will finance the project, but university officials expect the co-ed residence hall to pay for itself through rent. Nasser said preliminary figures show the housing will cost about $5,562 per student for the academic year.

"Part of the cost for the hall is all the amenities," he said. "All the rooms will have Internet connectivity and one phone jack per student."

The current concept includes a laundry room and study lounge on every floor.
Plans call for 79 four-bedroom apartments, each with two bathrooms, a kitchen and a living room. Seven two-bedroom units and a one-bedroom apartment are included.

The university's proposed housing policy will require first-time students to live on campus if their residences are outside a 30-mile radius.

While the university anticipates benefits from combining living and learning on the campus for the first time, the residence hall will provide downtown St. Petersburg with new vitality and economic boosts.

"It drives down the age," said Don Shea, president and CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership. "It also makes downtown more of a 24-hour community and makes it safer."

Once the residence hall is completed and occupied, it will help shift downtown's "center of gravity" south, which is part of what happens when a downtown area thrives and redefines itself, Shea said. But with another 400 people around downtown, the partnership faces transportation pattern changes for its trolley service, the Looper.

Charles Brown, USF St. Petersburg regional vice chancellor for student affairs, expects to have another residence hall in the works once the first one is completed.

"We'll probably have four of five in no time," Brown said. "The demand will be there."

The campus' student population, now about 4,000, is expected to reach a maximum of 10,000. But with student housing, the university can grow its international student population and provide "a personal feel" to the campus, Brown said.

The university's strategy is to make campus housing competitive with apartment costs in the city. There also are future benefits from alumni.

"Studies show that students who live in campus housing tend to give back at a higher rate than those who don't," Brown said.


http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2004/09/27/focus6.html

Resort plans bring beach facelift closer
A St. Petersburg developer will replace the Clearwater Beach Hotel with a nine-story hotel, upscale restaurant and spa.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published September 29, 2004

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CLEARWATER - After months of talks, a St. Petersburg developer will submit plans to the city today to demolish the landmark Clearwater Beach Hotel and turn the site into a four-star, 251-room resort.

The $60-million project, now called the Sandpearl Resort on Clearwater Beach, would include a spa and fitness center, an upscale restaurant and a series of pools that lead to the Gulf of Mexico.

The nine-story hotel would replace the 137-room Clearwater Beach Hotel, which has been on the beach for more than 85 years, though in its current form only since 1988.

It would also be part of the first wave of hotel redevelopment in decades if developer Mike Cheezem holds to his timetable, which is expected to break ground next summer and be completed in January 2007.

Plans unveiled for the Sandpearl on Tuesday also call for a 5,500-square-foot ballroom and 4,500 square feet of smaller meeting rooms that in total could accommodate between 700 and 1,500 guests, according to industry estimates.

The two-story lobby will be lined in limestone, and offer an unfettered view of the gulf, Cheezem said.

Rooms would cost about $200 a night on average, said Cheezem

"We have a program that accomplishes our goals and reflects the quality of Clearwater Beach," Cheezem said. "A unique boutique hotel will retain a strong sense of individuality to the area."

Cheezem plans to build an $80-million, 150-foot condominium complex next to the resort on Mandalay Avenue.

The 105 condo units at the Sandpearl would range from $400,000 and $1.5-million and penthouse units could cost even more, Cheezem said. Owners would be able to access the resort amenities, including room and maid service.

Another 12 condominium flats would be built on top of 10,000 square feet of retail space that would front Mandalay Avenue.

The condominiums and the resort would be separated by Baymont Street, which would connect the beach with the Intracoastal Waterway. Together, the project would reshape 5.5 acres and 700 feet of beachline.

City officials have long sought an upscale resort to buoy a soft market and an aging hotel stock. Since 1997, occupancy rates on the beach have dropped 9 percent and in 2003, revenue per room sagged below $65 a night.

There hasn't been any new resort construction in more than 15 years. And demand has dropped by more than 100,000 room nights between 2000 and 2003.

To combat the downturn, the city dedicated millions of dollars in infrastructure improvements along the beach. Major streetscape work along Mandalay Avenue at the north end of the beach has already been completed.

[Last modified September 28, 2004, 23:49:12]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/09/29/Tampabay/Resort_plans_bring_be.shtml

The new dorms and furthur growth of USF-St. Pete will add some youthful energy to the development of downtown. Perhaps if demand for student housing is high enough, a private developer will come in with a student-oriented urban project with ground floor retail. That would be nice.

More young people living downtown...I love it.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/10/Neighborhoodtimes/They_won_t_scrape_the.shtml

They won't scrape the sky, but they'll stand tall
Plans for 12-story and 11-story condo buildings win approval from the city based on promises to beautify their space.
By ANDREW MEACHAM
Published October 10, 2004

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The city has tentatively approved a pair of tall residential buildings for downtown, as newer structures gradually push their aging counterparts aside. At 354 Fourth St. N, 4th Street Lofts will nestle between the Pennsylvania Hotel and Annex and Tourtelot Brothers Realtors.

The 12-story building by developer Grady Pridgen includes four levels of parking garage and 40 residential units.

The building code awards bonus points allowing extra floor area ratios in the Central Business District in exchange for concessions designed to create progressive structures. Pridgen asked for expansions based on a promise to plant trees, provide art and outdoor recreation space, and to use solar power to heat the building's water.

Engineer Joseph Griner, representing Pridgen, vouched for the solar plan but said final details had not been worked out. Part of the energy recovery could include reusing leftover heat, or "waste heat recovery," from refrigeration and other large appliances.

Downtown Neighborhood Association president Tim Baker objected to a single item cited in Pridgen's application - that his project merits a floor area bonus because the site plan contains"items commonly approved by the Florida Green Building Coalition." Those environmentally conscious recommendations include such elements as energy recovery and solar energy.

Baker said he did not want the commission approving a project based on points for complying with the Green coalition.

"There are a lot of good things they can do that don't get them bonuses," Baker told commissioners.

Downtown buildings will likely get a new neighbor called Tuxedo Place, an 11-story, 70-unit condominium complex with ground floor retail space and a parking garage. The mixed-use project will go in at 1000 Central Ave., and will come with outdoor art and streetscape improvements as part of the site plan approval.

Developer Ronald Sacino sought additional floor area in exchange for providing sculpture or other art, landscaping and lighting for pedestrians, and mixed-use development. The building's main lobby will face Central Avenue between two separate storefronts.

The project replaces a pair of buildings city staff contend have outlived their usefulness. An office building built in 1959 and facing Central Avenue hosts a property management company. An 8,000-square-foot warehouse built in 1929 and facing First Avenue S is still in use.

Excellent. Maybe Progress can open the checkbook a little more and get this deal done too . . .

Progress Energy nudges bid for site upward
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published October 11, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - After two months of negotiations, Progress Energy has agreed to raise its bid for one of the last available pieces of downtown real estate.

The utility company has agreed to pay $5-million for the Florida International Museum site, up from an initial offer of $4-million, and wants to build an office tower, hotel and condominiums.

Mayor Rick Baker said Progress Energy also agreed to give up several demands for subsidies from the city. That makes the deal more attractive to city officials, and Baker is encouraging City Council members to approve it.

"I think it is significant that Progress Energy was willing to increase the offer for the land price," Baker said. "This is a fair, reasonable deal for the city."

The council is scheduled to discuss the deal during a workshop today. Several council members said last week they wished the company was offering more money, but most agreed the deal is satisfactory.

"I'm not jumping up and down about it," said council member Earnest Williams. "But I think I can live with it."

Progress Energy first proposed buying the museum site in June. The company offered $1.5-million for half of the site but later increased its bid to $4-million for the entire property. The site is bounded by First Avenue N and Sunshine Lane and Second and Third streets.

Council members still called the offer too low. They agreed to allow Baker's staff to negotiate with Progress Energy and urged them to get a higher price.

Aaron Perlut, a Progress Energy spokesman, said his company is committed to building in downtown St. Petersburg.

Under the current deal, Progress Energy will pay $3.5-million at closing. The remaining $1.5-million will be paid to the city through a six-year loan with a 5 percent interest rate.

The city will commit $1-million toward demolishing the old Maas Brothers Department store building that now houses the museum. Progress Energy will pay any additional costs and handle the demolition.

"We think these terms are fair," Perlut said. "We have negotiated with city staff, and we think we have reached good middle ground."

The company originally asked the city to pay for parking on the site and to waive all development fees. Progress Energy also asked for a five-year property tax exemption for both projects.

The city rejected all of those requests.

"I feel very confident reporting to council that not only do we have a market-driven deal that can be supported," said Ron Barton, the city's director of economic development, "but we removed all the requests for city subsidizing."

Progress Energy plans to build a tower with 200,000 square feet of office space, which would allow it to consolidate all of its Pinellas County employees in one building. If approved, it would be the first new downtown office tower in more than a decade.

The company also has joined with Orlando developer Richard Kessler to build a luxury hotel and up to 50 condominiums on the remainder of the site.

There is one potential pitfall: The city hasn't acquired a parcel in the middle of the property, and one of the seven landowners is asking more than four times the appraised value for his share.

To avoid any complications, Barton said they are offering Progress Energy a contingency plan. If the city can't negotiate a deal for the remaining parcel, they will give the company the option of building its headquarters on the other half of the site.

That would mean the Progress Energy deal could go forward while giving the city more time to negotiate with the landowners, Barton said.

"We didn't want the deal to fall apart just because we couldn't get that last piece," he said. "This way, no one can hold us up."

Council member James Bennett said he is pleased by the idea of a new downtown office tower and hotel. But he's hoping there's still a little more room for negotiation.

"Overall, I think they're getting close," Bennett said. "It's much better than it used to be."

[Last modified October 11, 2004, 09:00:35]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/11/Tampabay/Progress_Energy_nudge.shtml

You ask the problem with Clearwater - all this for 59 feet. Now, I know this is not downtown, but it is close and waterfront-ish. 59 feet. A modern two story McMansion is around 30+

Lawyers present condos debate
During a two-hour hearing, a judge listens to the two sides that have argued for months over the height and number of units in a proposed development on Edgewater Drive.
By MEGAN SCOTT, Times Staff Writer
Published October 12, 2004

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CLEARWATER - Judge Donald Alexander came from Tallahassee to hear the arguments.

Now he has 45 days to decide whether a 59-foot condominium complex will be built on Edgewater Drive.

It won't if it is up to Kate Belniak, who has hired an attorney to challenge the Community Development Board's decision allowing the condos. The board approved the project in July with a 4-2 vote.

During a two-hour hearing on Monday, attorney Alan Zimmet presented several arguments against the project: The condos are too tall for the neighborhood of single-family homes, Belniak only had three minutes to speak at the previous hearings, and no one was allowed to question the developers.

He also said one board member was not at all of the hearings and therefore could not make a sound decision. J.B. Johnson was appointed to the board between meetings in April and July.

On Monday, Zimmet asked the judge to throw the decision out.

"Send it back, vacate the decision, have another hearing," he said. "I would say Mr. Johnson should be excluded from voting. He missed out on testimonies."

But the developers had their own attorney.

Darryl Richards, who represents Top Flight Development, told the judge that his client has tried to work with residents. The developers had originally proposed 75-foot condos but reduced that height to 59 feet.

They also knocked off two floors, added three parking spaces and decreased the number of units from 77 to 62. Top Flight is proposing constructing the condos on the site of the existing Bay Queen and Edgewater Drive motels.

"The community had a voice," Richards said. "It was heard. There were five separate individuals who came up and said they wanted it, why they believed it was appropriate. The board considered both sides of the equation.

"There's not an ounce of proof that (Johnson) didn't look at evidence."

The Edgewater Preservation Project, which has spent more than six months battling the proposed complex, wants the condos to be no more than 35 feet tall, the same height as the nearby Comfort Suites.

But while the developers could have designed the building to be wider and lower, it would have meant fewer units or moving the complex closer to adjoining property lines.

They also wanted to save two nearby large oak trees that are each estimated to be more than 100 years old.

Only the attorneys spoke at the meeting, but each side said later that they thought the judge heard their concerns.

"I thought it went pretty well," Zimmet said. "I think we were able to make our points. I think the judge was very attentive and interested. I really don't think they gave these folks a fair shake."

Dan Dennehy, who owns the motels, said he was pleased with the way the hearing went.

"We're hopeful and believe that the judge will come out and support the CDB decision," he said.

Megan Scott can be reached at 445-4167 or mscott@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 11, 2004, 23:11:05]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/12/Northpinellas/Lawyers_present_condo.shtml.

So far all talk and no action:

Beach Hyatt to be condo-hotel hybrid
The developer says buyers would use the room for about a month a year and would be paid part of guests' room rate.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published October 14, 2004

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CLEARWATER - Pressed to find sensible financing, the developer planning a 250-room beachfront Hyatt said each hotel unit will be individually owned.

Banks have been hesitant to finance large, upscale resort projects since the travel industry sagged after Sept. 11.

To compensate, condominium-hotel hybrids have become increasingly popular, industry experts say.

Still, the Hyatt Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa would be Hyatt's first U.S. mixed-ownership hotel, developer Brian Taub said. It would also be the first such full-scale arrangement in Clearwater.

Buyers would own the room, but have access to it for only about a month each year. The rest of the time the national hotel chain would rent the unit out, with the buyer collecting some of the profits.

Using buyers would soften the economic burden of the $90-million venture, and guests wouldn't be able to tell the difference, Taub said.

"Hotels are difficult to finance by the nature of what they do and how they operate," Taub said. "Banks aren't very interested in financing standard, typical hotels."

Unlike a time share, buyers would have full ownership. The units will be slightly larger than a typical resort room and will contain a minikitchen, said Dave Anderson, the Hyatt project manager for hotel builder Hardin Construction.

Prices for the rooms have not been set, Taub said.

"The resort is going to have a reservation desk, a concierge desk, health club, spa facilities, meeting rooms, ballrooms," said Taub, who has primarily built residential projects in Tampa. "We will have the normal amenities that a resort hotel will have. But instead of being financed by a bank, in part it will be financed by individuals."

Although it is new to Clearwater, the condominium-hotel concept has boomed around Miami.

The Ritz-Carlton operates a condo-hotel in South Florida, as does the Four Seasons. Resort powerhouse Starwood plans to open a W Hotel with a condominium component in Fort Lauderdale.

Bill Ross, president of developer Estoril, has sold more than 40 percent of his condominium-hotel units in Miami's financial district.

Ross has partnered with Hilton-affiliated Conrad Hotel to sell 116 one-, two-, and three-bedroom condominiums as part of a new 36-story mixed development. Units cost around $500,000 on average, Ross said.

"It allowed us to diversify the risk in the building," which includes a stand-alone Conrad Hotel component, as well as office and retail space, Ross said.

In Ross' case, condominium owners pay a standard maintenance fee and can buy services from the hotel, such as spa treatments and room service. When a guest is using a unit, owners are typically paid 45 percent of the room rate, which can exceed $300 a night, Ross said.

Joel Greene, of Miami-based Condo Hotel Center, which locates buyers for condo-hotel units, said business has skyrocketed this year.

In 2003, Greene sold six units. So far this year, he has sold 98.

"We're picking up more and more developers every day," said Greene, who works through a Web site, www.condohotelcenter.com Another proposed Clearwater Beach resort will have a condominium-hotel component, though not nearly on the scale of Taub's plan.

The Sandpearl Resort on Clearwater Beach, which will replace the Clearwater Beach Hotel, would top its 201-room resort with 50 for-sale suites. Those rooms would be sold for about $500,000 each to an owner who would be allowed to use the room for up to 30 days a year. The rest of the year, the 800- to 1,200-square-foot rooms would act as hotel rooms, with the owner and hotel splitting the room rate.

Hyatt room owners would not be able to decorate the interior of their unit, which will be standardized by the hotel, Taub said.

Along with the 250 hybrid hotel rooms, Taub said, the 14-story resort on S Gulfview Boulevard will be topped by 18 traditional condominiums.

The first seven stories of the resort will include 750 parking spaces, 400 of which will be available to the public. There will also be a pedestrian bridge that crosses S Gulfview to the beach.

The city must still approve changes to a site plan and development agreement that were first accepted in 2001. If the approvals come as expected, resort construction is scheduled to begin sometime next year with the hotel opening to guests in 2007.

[Last modified October 14, 2004, 00:43:23]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/14/Northpinellas/Beach_Hyatt_to_be_con.shtml

14 story sun blots suck.

St. Petersburg officials are grilled on waterfront plans
The Bayfront Center, the Mahaffey, a new park and a new Dali Museum are the hot topics at a Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published October 17, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - City officials are calling plans to turn the Bayfront Center into a performing arts complex the most significant change to the city's waterfront in more than a generation.

But some residents are worried that the changes won't go far enough toward creating a space that is appealing and accessible to everyone in St. Petersburg.

On Thursday night, the two sides came together during a meeting of the Downtown Neighborhood Association.

From the design of a new Salvador Dali Museum to the accessibility of a proposed waterfront park, the association members grilled city officials about their plans, which include moving the Dali to the site now occupied by the Times Arena at the Bayfront Center, which is scheduled for demolition.

The state would acquire the Dali's former site for use by the University of South Florida St. Petersburg. The Mahaffey Theater would be substantially renovated, and a waterfront park and concert venue would be added.

Several residents urged city officials to rethink the placement of the parking deck that currently serves the Bayfront Center to make the site more open to pedestrians.

"Right now, it still looks like an isolated area," said Elinor Gollay. "It could be anywhere. And people will have to drive to it. We need something that people can walk to that flows into downtown."

But Development Administrator Rick Mussett said it doesn't make sense to tear down the parking deck if they're trying to lure more people to the area.

"It's a good, functional garage," Mussett said. "Do we want to tear it down knowing we're going to replace it?"

He estimated it would cost taxpayers $7-million for a new garage. The cost of renovating the Mahaffey and adding the park is estimated at $19.4-million.

To defray some of that cost, the city turned to local businessman Bill Edwards, who owns Mortgage Investors Corp. Edwards has agreed to donate $8-million and loan the city $2.4-million as part of a five-year contract. If at the end of five years the city agreed to renew the contract, Edwards would forgive the loan.

But, as several members noted, Edwards would keep any profits made at the Mahaffey and the new outdoor venue. The city would also continue to pay a $1.47-million annual subsidy for the theater, which will go to the management company owned by Edwards.

Joe Vulgamore, a city resident and member of the Albert Whitted Advisory Task Force, said that when the city's subsidy is factored in, Edwards is really paying about $250,000 a year.

"It's coming out of one pocket and going into another," Vulgamore said.

But Mussett said Edwards' upfront gift would allow the city to move forward with the Mahaffey renovations in time to preserve next year's theater season.

"You don't want to go dark too long in this business," Mussett said. "People will start to forget you."

The City Council is expected to hold a workshop on the issue Oct. 25. The council could vote on the Mahaffey proposal as soon as Nov. 4.

Voters will have the opportunity to weigh in on the Dali's move during the Nov. 2 election. Museum director Hank Hine urged residents to vote yes to the two ballot questions relating to the museum, saying it would help them achieve their goal of creating a first-rate facility.

"We see this as our opportunity to move from being a protector of the Dali collection," Hine said, "to being a world-class promoter."

Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 17, 2004, 01:24:26]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/17/Neighborhoodtimes/St_Petersburg_officia.shtml

To not do everything they can to keep that Dali collection intact and growing would be a travesty. Of course, I wouldn't mind a failure somehow meaning that the collection would magically turn up at the new Tampa MofA. Yeah, right! :lol:

Upscale housing project beckons
Triangle Development proposes two projects on nearly 4 acres just north of downtown Clearwater.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published October 18, 2004

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CLEARWATER - Nearly 200 multifamily residences are planned north of the new Main Library near a part of the Church of Scientology's sprawling downtown campus.

Crews last week began clearing ground for a 14-story condominium high-rise that, if built, would alter the city skyline.

Called Island View, the tower would include 50 two- and three-bedroom luxury residences. Triangle Development also hopes to build a 141-condominium and retail complex on the Salvation Army site along Fort Harrison Avenue.

That project, called Harrison Village, would include a bookstore and an ice cream and coffee shop, said Jessica Hollingsworth, Triangle's executive vice president.

Together, the developments would change nearly 4 acres just north of downtown.

"The area needs renovation," Hollingsworth said.

Both projects still need city approval, but Hollingsworth said crews expect to break ground on Island View, the condo high-rise, early next year and open in 2006.

Work on Harrison Village would begin later, after the Salvation Army relocates to its new home on Druid Road.

Units at Harrison Village start at around $300,000 each. Island View units start at $500,000. The two $1.5-million penthouses there are already reserved, said Triangle chief executive Ben Kugler.

"It's very top drawer," said Kugler, who previously ran a business that sold entertainment products.

Kugler said half of Island View's units have been presold, almost entirely by word of mouth. The high-rise is located near Scientology's Sandcastle retreat, one of the church's most important landmarks.

"People want to be there," said Kugler, who said nonchurch members have also reserved units. "It's a no-brainer."

Along with the residences at Harrison Village, the project includes 19,000 square feet of retail space and an automatic parking system popular in Europe.

The robotic parking system reduces unwanted car fumes in the development and saves space, Hollingsworth said. A condo owner or shopper parks a car on one of the parking lifts and swipes a card. The lift then parks the cars itself.

A second swipe retrieves the car in less than two minutes.

The system is new to Clearwater.

"It's like a valet service," Hollingsworth said.

Ed Armstrong, the Clearwater attorney representing Triangle, said the project doesn't affect any area residences and that much of the high-rise's height will be masked by the bluff.

"This is a very large and exciting project that will bring multiuse retail to Fort Harrison, which is much needed," Armstrong said. "It's an area of town that would be appropriate for an uplifting."

[Last modified October 18, 2004, 02:10:34]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/18/Northpinellas/Upscale_housing_proje.shtml

The parking system sounds sweet. I was wondering when land prices here would pressure developers into using solutions more commonly found in larger cities.

Developer asks for disapproval, for now
With a no vote from city planners, the developer of a 350-room resort can revise plans before a council vote.
By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published October 20, 2004

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CLEARWATER - The city's planning board was persuaded to vote against a 350-room beachfront resort Tuesday - by the developer himself.

Kiran C. Patel's Clearwater Beach resort proposal will still go before the City Council, where council members will ultimately decide the project's fate, perhaps as soon as next month.

But Patel's attorney recommended denying the development agreement in front of the Community Development Board.

It may have been the first time an applicant has opposed his own project, onlookers in council chambers said Tuesday.

But Pat O'Connor, an attorney for Patel, said it was necessary because Patel acquired the property and the accompanying agreement only a month ago.

O'Connor said he still needs time to negotiate the number of public parking spaces in the project and a pedestrian bridge to the beach, which city planners first supported, but now oppose.

"We inherited an incomplete document," said Ed Hooper, a consultant for Patel who also worked with the former owner, Tony Markopoulos, and until last month was the planning board chairman.

In the current development agreement, Patel has committed 15 parking spaces for public use. He has told the Times he would be willing to dedicate 100 spaces. O'Connor said what the project would actually entail is still being negotiated.

"It's a very big project," said O'Connor, who had already asked the development agreement discussion be delayed. "We've been investigating the details for 30 days. We don't feel comfortable with everything yet."

Patel purchased a 2.7-acre site south of the beach roundabout for $40-million from hotelier Tony Markopoulos Sept. 17.

For years, Markopoulos intended to turn the properties - several motels including the Days Inn - into an upscale resort.

Patel plans to finish Markopoulos' proposal, and said he intends to stick with Markopoulos' 350-hotel room, 75-condominium concept.

The site plan for the project was approved by the Community Development Board in August, though city planners said the design was too massive.

Tuesday, that same board unanimously recommended denying the development agreement, the legal contract that shadows the site plan.

"I think it's an incomplete development agreement," said acting Chairman John Doran, echoing O'Connor's public statements.

Board member David Gildersleeve, who voted against the hotel site plan in August, continued to question the resort.

"I don't support the underlying concept of the development," said Gildersleeve, who along with Alex Plisko, voted against the resort's design.

Two other luxury resorts are planned for the beach. One immediately to the south of Patel's project would be a 250-room condominium-hotel hybrid that will be a Hyatt. The other, on the north end of the beach, will be a 251-room hotel that takes the place of the landmark Clearwater Beach Hotel.

All three projects need City Council approval before construction can begin.

Aaron Sharockman can be reached at 727 445-4160 or asharockman@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 20, 2004, 00:17:24]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/20/Northpinellas/Developer_asks_for_di.shtml

The new museum will get built. I think everyone realizes the value of that collection, and after these storms, I hope they see the need to move it to a better, more protective location.

As for the other stuff, sounds like a sweet deal for Edwards, but of course the city will reap benefits as well.

I hope that when the Dali collection moves, that they actually manage to expand the collection some. I guess because of funding issues, they haven't exactly been aggressive in maintaining their status as the foremost collection of Dali art. perhaps it would even be astute to diversify the collection by aquiring works of those influenced by Dali and such.

^or getting more "exclusive" like other museums do (MFA in Boston, the Whitney, etc) and host parties, raise money.

Proposed village builds on city's artsy side
By LENNIE BENNETT and SHARON L. BOND
Published October 24, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - Think of it as the urban version of the golf course community. But instead of greens and sand traps, a new condominium proposed for downtown St. Petersburg would use the arts to attract buyers.

Evelyn Craft, executive director of the Arts Center, and Jimmy Aviram, a local developer, on Saturday announced plans for a joint project one block west of the current Arts Center site at 719 Central Ave. It would include a 220-unit residential tower anchored by a 50,000-square-foot arts center.

The project exemplifies the kind of urban development, popularized by the writer Richard Florida, that touts the arts as the most important component in "creative communities" mixing residential, business and recreational elements.

"I don't see it as a condominium community with an arts center. I see it as an arts center with a condominium project," said Aviram, who is involved in a number of downtown properties. He said the price tag of the complex will be $50-million to $75-million.

"It's an urban lifestyle that is really related to the cultural life of St. Petersburg," said Tim Clemmons, architect for the project.

And it might be a unique concept in urban planning.

"I don't know of any other residential project using an arts facility as the anchor," Clemmons said. "Jimmy knew he didn't have a premium site - not waterfront, for example - and needed something to make it a special place. He recruited the Arts Center as an anchor."

The proposed 2.5-acre site sits between Central and First avenues N and Eighth and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. streets. The former Landmark Union Trust Bank, a historic, 30,000-square-foot building with an imposing stone facade that sits on the corner of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street and Central Avenue, would become the Arts Center's new home. Two four-story additions would expand the space by 20,000 square feet.

The rest of the land, which now is empty, would have a U-shaped condominium tower that would mostly be five stories, but would extend up to 13 stories at one of its corners. A 400-space parking garage, also on the site, would be shared by the tower and the center.

The condominium project also would have a courtyard, eight "live-work" spaces and about 8,000 square feet of retail space. Condos, ranging from one to three bedrooms, would start at about $200,000.

Craft said the estimated cost of the Arts Center expansion would be about $15-million. It may be possible to offset that somewhat through a trade of the current Arts Center facility with Aviram, she said.

"It's still in the vision stage," she said, "because we haven't got all our financing lined up. This is the beginning of a process in which we want to involve the community. But I'm very optimistic that it will happen."

The project has not yet been named, nor has a construction start date been established, but all the parties hope to have it completed within two to three years.
Aviram has several real estate interests in downtown St. Petersburg. He owns the Bank of America building with two partners; is part of a group that owns McNulty Station, a collection of downtown buildings; shares with a partner a prime piece of undeveloped land downtown; and sold a prime hotel site to Opus South Realty to finance the luxury condo project Parkshore Plaza, now under construction.

Aviram and Craft have been discussing the project for the past few months, he said. The developer wanted a project that would offer more affordable residences than some downtown condominiums that have reached millions of dollars.

"I'm trying to gear myself to people who can't afford to buy on the beach anymore," Aviram said. "I want to create an art village."

In Tampa, as in dozens of cities, civic and government leaders are trying to develop "creative communities" through aggressive municipal involvement. In St. Petersburg, such growth has come mostly through private business ventures, including art galleries, shops and restaurants.

High-priced residential developments started downtown on Beach Drive, where Parkshore Plaza, the third condominium tower, is under construction and a fourth is planned. Nearby on the waterfront are four new condo towers next to the historic Renaissance Vinoy Resort. Five stories are being added to a downtown garage for loft condos.

The Aviram-Arts Center deal continues the march west, one of a number of residential developments expanding the downtown's core.

The Arts Center has occupied a converted furniture store since 1996. A gift of $1.2-million from Beth and Sean Manning in 1998 allowed leaders to complete an extensive renovation. It has thrived, growing from a budget of just over $200,000 to today's $2-million; annual attendance has grown from 3,000 in 1996 to about 100,000 last year. But growth has come at a cost, Craft said. She said the 30,000-square-foot facility isn't big enough to generate enough income to fuel more expansion.

The proposed project would mean more and better studios for students, along with abundant parking. More importantly, Craft said she believes the new building, which will combine contemporary architecture with the stately 1926 building, will help make the Arts Center into what's become known as a "cultural destination" for tourists.

A tower on the east end of the building would be sheathed in glass, with a four-story lobby area and galleries for contemporary art, including rooms for installations and video art. A second addition, called the Glass House, would have an auditorium for hot glass demonstrations and studios for blowing glass. The 1926 building, which has been gutted, would hold more classrooms, administrative offices and another auditorium, seating up to 200 people for lectures and even small performances.

"We can't ever get close to breaking even in our current facility," she said. "We have to grow."

[Last modified October 24, 2004, 00:26:12]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/24/Southpinellas/Proposed_village_buil.shtml

Campus tries to define new identity
St. Petersburg emphasize small classes, a waterfront campus and room to grow.
By MONIQUE FIELDS, Times Staff Writer
Published October 26, 2004

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[Times photo: Dirk Shadd]
John Vassel, director of Prospective Student Outreach with University of South Florida St. Petersburg, works to recruit students at Northeast High School in St. Petersburg.

[Times photo: Joe Walles
RECRUITER'S TASK
USF St. Petersburg expects to spend $120,000 this year to recruit students. Here are some of the issues the school's first recruiter must handle:
• ENROLLMENT: Current enrollment at USF St. Petersburg is 5,000 students; Vassel has 300
freshmen seats to fill next fall. USF Tampa has 35,000 students.
• CAMPUS LIFE: No dorms currently exist at USF St. Petersburg. New residence halls for 300 students are expected to open in 2006.
• ATHLETICS: USF Tampa has 18 athletic teams. On the waterfront St. Petersburg campus, sailing is the biggest draw.



[Times photo: Dirk Shadd]
Jennifer Guerra, a junior at Northeast High School in St. Petersburg, listens to John Vassel, a recruiter for the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

ST. PETERSBURG - John Vassel is meeting with five Shorecrest Preparatory School seniors, making his best pitch for the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

He talks about its honors college, the 300 student organizations, the soon-to-come residence halls and the joys of smaller classes in a waterfront setting.

The students pepper him with questions.

What about sports? What about nightlife?

"There's never a shortage of things to do," Vassel assures them.

Khana Riley, 17, is skeptical. She and her Shorecrest classmates are looking for a college close to home but not too close and not too small. Riley says she is leaning toward USF's Tampa campus because "it seems more lively."

Such is life for recruitment officers at USF St. Petersburg, a 5,000-student campus that has spent much of its history in the shadow of its older, better-known namesake across Tampa Bay.

Vassel, 35, must tout buildings that don't exist and explain, yet again, why bigger isn't necessarily better. The job takes him to 50 or 60 high schools each year as he canvasses prospective applicants in Pinellas, Hillsborough, Sarasota, Manatee and Pasco counties.

Vassel says he enjoys the challenge.

"I'm motivated to see this campus thrive because I spent two of the best years of my life here," says the 1991 alum.

When Vassel was hired in 2000 as the school's first recruiter, USF St. Petersburg was just beginning its move toward greater independence from the main Tampa campus. The school now has more authority over its hiring, spending and tenure decisions, and is in the midst of a dramatic expansion.

It issues its own diplomas. It expects soon to have separate accreditation.

But the campus still must build enrollment. Vassel has 300 freshmen seats to fill next fall - no easy task when some of the high school seniors he pitches don't even know the campus exists.

He tells prospective applicants that a good education can be had in either Tampa or St. Petersburg.

Both campuses have many of the same majors, he says, and starting in 2006, both will have residence halls. The primary difference: USF Tampa has 35,000 students, which is about seven times as many as in St. Petersburg.

Vassel sees that as a selling point.

At a smaller campus, he says, students can be more directly involved in student government and other activities.

"You can attend one of the largest universities in the southeast and still go to a small campus," he recently told about 20 juniors and seniors at Northeast High School.

"I like the waterfront idea," said Heather Lipowski, a Northeast High junior.

Others said they preferred the hustle and bustle of a bigger school.

"I would like to meet more people and have larger classes," said Svjetlana Damjanovic, a junior who is leaning toward USF Tampa.

One big problem for Vassel: sports. USF Tampa has a big-time sports program, with 18 athletic teams and about 400 student athletes.

The most popular sport at USF St. Petersburg is sailing.

That could make a big difference in Ashley Davis' decision.

"It would be nice to have that option," said Davis, who participated in cheerleading, soccer and softball at Shorecrest.

Vassel doesn't worry about what he can't change. He's just glad USF St. Petersburg is ramping up its recruitment efforts.

The school expects to spend $120,000 this year to attract students. That pays for salaries and an array of materials, including brochures and compact discs that tout the school's virtues.

In 2006, when the new residence halls for 300 students are expected to open, recruiters will expand their horizons. They will use the dorms as a selling point to potential applicants in Jacksonville, Orlando and Miami. They may even go outside Florida's borders.

"We're starting to get out of state inquiries, more from the Northeast," he says. "It's amazing what technology can do four you."

School officials say the long-term goal is to double campus enrollment, to 10,000 students.

Vassel ends his pitch at Shorecrest by reminding students to fill out the white cards that says they want more information.

But he won't know whether his efforts were successful for months.

"The door is always open" he says.

[Last modified October 26, 2004, 00:39:23]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/26/Tampabay/Campus_tries_to_defin.shtml

City discusses new Tropicana block project

Developers want to create a set of tall towers for hotels, condos, parking and shops.
By SHARON L. BOND, Times Staff Writer
Published October 27, 2004


ST. PETERSBURG - Developers of the Tropicana block are proposing a $200-million project that would create downtown's tallest building and bring in a Westin hotel.

The project between Central and First avenues N and First and Second streets would include two towers, one of them 42 stories high reaching 435 feet into the air. The development would feature 200 to 250 condominiums, retail and commercial space, parking and a hotel with 150 to 250 rooms.

It is the latest effort at downtown redevelopment, where half a dozen projects have been finished in the past few years, most of them condominium towers, and a half dozen or so are on the drawing boards.

Developers Jimmy Aviram and Tibor Hollo, who paid $4-million for the Tropicana site in 2001, met with city officials Tuesday to discuss the details of their project. It still must be reviewed and approved by city officials and the Federal Aviation Administration because the Albert Whitted Airport is nearby.

Aviram, a St. Petersburg developer, has a financial interest in what is currently downtown's tallest structure at 386 feet, the Bank of America building.

Hollo, a developer from Miami, said he has an agreement with Westin to manage the hotel that would be located in the smaller, 32-story tower along with some commercial space.

"It will be a four-star hotel," Hollo said.

Condominiums ranging in price from $325,000 to at least $500,000 would be built in the tallest tower.

The two towers would sit on a seven-story base that would hold retail and commercial space on the ground floor and part of the second and then five levels with 814 parking spaces.

Hollo said the retail shops in the complex would be an extension of BayWalk, downtown's retail and entertainment complex that sits nearby. However, he said retailers in the new complex probably would be "higher standard stores." He would not name any with whom he is negotiating.

Aviram said he had been meeting with the city for 11/2 months about the design for the complex. Originally it was planned as Mediterranean Revival style, of which there are a number of buildings in St. Petersburg.

But "the city wants it more contemporary," Aviram said.

The developers are trying to submit their plans by 5 p.m. Thursday, after which impact fees will be charged against the project. Projects built downtown do not have to pay fees for the traffic they create. The ordinance "no-fee" zone expires this week.

"We will save between $600,000 to $700,000," said Aviram, who last week announced a joint project with the St. Petersburg Arts Center that would include arts venues and condominiums on Central Avenue at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street.

At least five or six more residential or mixed-use projects are planned for downtown and areas to the near west.

Among them is developer Grady Pridgen's Bayway Lofts. Last year, Pridgen announced a 510-foot condominium tower, but scaled back the plans to 371 feet after the initial height drew protests. The $100-million project has not started yet.

Parkshore Plaza, now under construction, also is a $100-million project with street-level retail space and 120 condominiums and lofts, the most expensive of which are in a 29-story tower.

And Progress Energy Corp. is planning a new office tower and luxury hotel on the block where Florida International Museum now sits.

This all sounds sweet to me, as it seems that St Pete now has what, 6 towers over 300ft in the works?

The place just might get some vibrancy going by the end of this decade.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/26/skylinegallery/skyline3.jpg

I wish they would do a similar diagram for Tampa.

C'mon man, you can paste the picture in . although I have to say, some of the mubers seem way off. . .
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/26/skylinegallery/skyline3.jpg

In any event, I like the proposals but I want to see crane. It would be most awesome if there were cranes all over st. PEte and tampa simulataneously.

That's just asking for too much now Smiley!

We still live in the thick of suburbia, and don't you forget it.

;)

Well, yea, I know . . . I'll take them staggered I guess.

I was thinking the same thing about the cranes as I read the article. All of these proposals are very encouraging, but I'm ready for another tower to break ground. However, I'm glad to read that developers are breaking out of the Mediterranean Revival mode, and that our city leaders actually want to see more contemporary buildings.

http://www.stpete.org/images/082200.jpg


I would still like to hear the city officials from back then explain(with a straight face) how the layout of the Trop's site is conducive to encouraging downtown to develop away from the water, and to reinvigorate Central Ave towards Midtown. The dome should have been in the opposite corner diagonal from where it is, with the crappy surface lots (if they MUST have them, istead of space efficient garages and shuttle busses from other lots) facing the interstates.

The stadium's placement has two reasonings... firstly, the land was really cheap because the stadium replaced an aging gas plant. Secondly, it was put there as part of the larger Bay Plaza development announced in 1987. The Bay Plaza project would build two malls connected by a Parkway with trams, which would have revitalized the entire historic Central Avenue corridor. The stadium was built with public money, but the Bay Plaza developers pulled out in 1995 citing financial concerns so there would be no malls or parkways or trams reaching out to the stadium. They just dreamt too big.

I can't answer why the building's placement on it's lot is so stupid, though.
Sorry for the extremely late response on this March posting :)

Cheers,
Justin
www.bayciti.net

I know about the old $240M Bay Plaza project. That's exactly what I'm talking about when I refer to the stadium being there to help revitalize Central.

I know that it was also supposed to help revitalize the area to the west and south west of it with commercial development, but all that really came of that was a few scant businesses opening up that pay shit wages, and a bunch of surface lots. The city could have done much, much better for itself by spending the hundreds of millions it is blowing on that stadium and the surrounding area on other things.

At least if the Trop had been catty corner on the site where it is now, it could have directly abutted a redevelopment zone, and would have surely fueled the growth of a decent sized entertainment district there to serve stadium patrons, as well as new residents (kinda like what is finally taking shape now, only it would have started at least a decade ago). Hell, the team already had to spend $58 million basically reversing the stadium, so that its 'front door' faces the NE, not the SW, because the arrangement was so half-assed... I guess the good thing is that it's all surface lots, and surface lots are pretty damn easy to bulldoze and build vertical on.

btw, I just now realized how utterly dominated this thread is by Smiley and myself.

Are there like no forumers from the area interested in Clearwater?

:(

Progress Energy deal paves way for downtown growth
The city agrees to sell the site of the Florida International Museum, where the utility would build an office tower.
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published October 29, 2004

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ST. PETERSBURG - City Council members paved the way Thursday for a new office tower and luxury hotel to be built on the site now occupied by Florida International Museum.

In a unanimous vote, the council agreed to sell the prime downtown parcel to Progress Energy for $5-million. The utility giant plans to break ground next year and finish construction on the 200,000-square-foot office building by Dec. 31, 2006.

It would be the city's first new office tower in more than a decade.

The hotel, a 200-room Westin Grand Bohemian, would follow in August of 2007.

"We still have some things we need to work through," Mayor Rick Baker said. "But this is a large, significant step for our city."

The city is still trying to acquire a 16,000-square-foot strip in the middle of the site and one of the landowners is asking for nearly three times the property's appraised value.

The city has offered Progress Energy a contingency plan, said Ron Barton, director of economic development. If the city can't negotiate a deal for the remaining parcel by February, it will give the company the option of building its headquarters on the other half of the site.

That would mean the Progress Energy deal could go forward while giving the city more time to negotiate with the landowners, Barton said.

The property is between First Avenue N and Sunshine Lane and Second and Third streets.

Thursday's vote comes after months of negotiations between Progress Energy and the city. In June, the corporation submitted a bid for $1.5-million for half the parcel. Council members criticized the offer as too low and gave other developers 30 days to submit bids.

The city reviewed six offers, including a second bid by Progress Energy for the entire block for $4-million. Most of the bids included a mix of office, hotel and residential space.

In August, the council voted to reject the other bids and start negotiations with Progress Energy. But several members said they still wished the company would offer more money.

In addition to the $1-million increase in the offer for the land, Progress Energy also agreed to give up several subsidies it had requested. For example, the company originally asked the city to pay for parking on the site and to waive all development fees. Progress Energy also asked for a five-year property tax exemption for both projects.

Those requests were rejected.

Under the current deal, Progress Energy will pay $3.5-million at closing. The remaining $1.5-million will be paid to the city through a six-year loan with a 5 percent interest rate.

The city will commit $1-million toward demolishing the old Maas Brothers Department store building that houses the museum. Progress Energy will pay any additional costs and handle the demolition.

The move will allow the utility company to consolidate its approximately 600 employees and five locations in Pinellas County into one building.

"We're thrilled," said Aaron Perlut, a Progress Energy spokesman. "We're very fortunate to have a municipal partner like the city of St. Petersburg."

Council member Richard Kriseman said he was excited about the economic development the deal will bring to downtown.

"Is this the highest offer we got? No," Kriseman said. "Is it the lowest offer? No. But to me it's the best offer, because you have to look at more than just the dollar figure."


* * *

Carrie Johnson can be reached at 727 892-2273 or cjohnson@sptimes.com

[Last modified October 28, 2004, 23:48:14]
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/10/29/Southpinellas/Progress_Energy_deal_.shtml

The city is still trying to acquire a 16,000-square-foot strip in the middle of the site and one of the landowners is asking for nearly three times the property's appraised value.



Screw the pirateers. Condemn it, and give Smiley some work to do. :)

Interesting and exciting at the same time. We might actually have a skyline with a little bit of density in 4 or 5 years.

So, there would be two Westin's downtown? A Westin Grand Bohemian and a "regular" Westin? I'm a little skeptical that they would put two hotels within blocks of each other, but who knows?

I read this thread from time to time to see what's happenning.

I'm going to go take some pictures of the Clearwater construction sometime this week hopefully. (if there's any to take pics of)

It isn't too crazy to have two hotels of the same brand inone market like that. All they are is the name on the building, and the folks managing the place. Someone else is bearing most of the financial risk.

Besides, in an up and coming market like DT St Pete, it could be very lucrative to get in early and "saturate" the market with your brand. When the market takes off, you're in a very good position of already having a good reputation and loyal clientele.

I guess you're right. It's not like there's an overabundance of hotel rooms in St. Pete. In fact, the city is really lacking in hotel rooms, IMO.

A new article on the Harrison Villiage development in Clearwater.

Clearing Clearwater
Proposals could change skyline
Ken Salgat
Staff writer

CLEARWATER -- A development team is proposing two separate yet connected projects for downtown that would add approximately 200 condominiums and more than 20,000 square feet of commercial and retail to an area in need of an economic spark.

Triangle Development Co. LLC plans to build the projects on a 4-acre parcel, approximately one city block, that would bring waterfront condominium living, street-side retail and commercial to an area that's been the site of dilapidated old homes and unkempt lots for years.

The group, comprised of six business professionals -- commercial real estate professionals, architects, attorneys and others -- has plans for a 14-story luxury condo with 52 units and a 5-story project with another 141 condominiums.

Triangle's 5-story Harrison Village would consist of seven interconnected buildings and would bring in about 22,000 square feet of retail and commercial space, a fitness center, a 2-story clubhouse and a pool.

Even a 275-space robotic parking garage, where autos are parked and robotically transported to a pre-designated area in the garage, is planned.
Apparent demand

There is a definite need for new retail space in Clearwater's downtown, said Ben McLeish, a retail broker with Colliers Arnold. The space should fill fast.

"If it's going to be on the ground floor of a multi-storied product with residents, you have a built-in daytime population that can support the commercial and retail," he said.

An average cafe could absorb anywhere from 3,000 square feet to 5,000 square feet, a coffee shop from 2,000 to 3,000 square feet and a sandwich shop from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet.

"When you think about just those businesses, you're already at about 10,000 square feet," said McLeish. "Getting to 20,000 might be a little harder, but I don't think it would be that tough."
Compromise paves the way

After some give-and-take with the city over the composition of the project, the plans are well on their way toward approval, said Ben Kugler, Triangle's president and CEO.
"We have the major issues resolved," said Kugler. "We've met with city officials numerous times and what they were really looking for was mixed use. They asked for more commercial than we originally anticipated, but we feel after the fact that we've come out with a better overall project in meeting those requests."

Getting the three to four separate properties together was a task that took the partners just six months, something that was next to impossible for a number of years, said Kugler.

"We closed on our first parcel Jan. 24," said Kugler. "From there, we bought up property June 9 and the last parcel in late June, early July."

Only one parcel, a single lot, remains in the possession of a separate property owner, Carisa Marion. This parcel will not be included in the project.

The demand for the units would depend on a number of factors, said Marvin Rose, publisher of Rose Residential Reports in Tarpon Springs. He tracks new-home development throughout the Bay area.

"It would be a pioneering effort for sure because there hasn't been that much down there (Clearwater) in a long time," said Rose. Using downtown Tampa as a comparison, Rose said there will be some significant construction there in the next four months, but that market remains to be proven.

"There remains, across the state, a great response from investors, which makes the real demand hard to read," said Rose. "There are a lot of people that think that the reservation will pay off in the form of an investment, but that is yet to be seen. It will be years before we really know."
Increased holdings

It has been observed and issues raised that members of the Church of Scientology Flag Ship may have been quietly buying parcels downtown to redevelop into housing for its constituents, a scan of published reports shows.

But Triangle's executive VP Jessica Hollingsworth, who confirmed that all members of the development group are members of the church, dismisses that. The projects are being marketed to everyone, she said.

"Are we building this for the sole benefit of Scientologists? Absolutely not," she said.
The city has been pushing a pedestrian downtown theme, and mixed-use projects offer residents and visitors alike the opportunity to get downtown and stay downtown, said Geri Campos, acting economic development director.
Springtime groundbreaking

If all goes well, the partners plan to break ground on Harrison Village in March and in April on Island View. They expect construction on Harrison Village to wrap up in 14 months. Island View should take 18 months for completion.

As much as 80 percent of Harrison Village's 33 first-phase units have paid reservations, with 55 percent of the units in Island View, including both $1.5-million penthouses, already spoken for, Hollingsworth said.

"These units have only been on the market for two to three months and all we've done is advertise through word of mouth," said Hollingsworth. "This seems to be something people want."

Kugler added that because the units are moving at a relatively brisk pace, the developers are not really looking to sell to investors.

"We plan on having a development that sets the precedence for redevelopment downtown," said Kugler.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2004/11/01/story1.html?page=1

Something to look for in the hopefully near future.

Church finds buyer for downtown sites


CLEARWATER - An unnamed developer has signed a contract to buy Calvary Baptist Church's downtown properties, the pastor of the church announced Sunday.

The Rev. Willy Rice, senior pastor, told parishioners during Sunday morning services that the church has entered into a tentative agreement with a new buyer for its Osceola Avenue properties. The sites, which sit on the bluff and straddle City Hall, have been targeted by city leaders as crucial to downtown's rejuvenation.

Rice would not reveal the name of the developer or their plans. City leaders were also mum on the matter when reached Sunday.

"I heard they're big," said Mayor Brian Aungst, who is scheduled to meet the development team today.

Without giving specifics, Rice told parishioners the deal will be good for the church and the city. He announced the sale at two morning services.

"We're excited about the buyer and what they'll bring to the city of Clearwater," said Rice, who declined to reveal the sale price. The properties had been on the market with an asking price of around $20-million; the church rejected an earlier offer of $14.75-million, according to published reports.

City Manager Bill Horne said city officials have not yet met the developers. The city has said it would sell City Hall next door if the right deal comes along. A decision to move City Hall would have to be approved by Clearwater voters. But together, the 6.1 acres overlooking Clearwater Harbor could become a prime site for massive redevelopment, city leaders believe.

Neither Horne or Aungst changed message Sunday.

"We'll consider a proposal that includes City Hall," Horne said. "We got new buyers. We have no idea what they want to do."

Sunday's announcement makes public the latest proposal to buy the historic church site.

In 2002, Skip Dvornik, assistant pastor, said the church was speaking with six potential developers, and another from West Palm Beach was eyeing a hotel as part of the site.

A year ago, a local investment group offered $14.75-million for the properties to build condominiums and retail shops. But that deal died when church leaders said they wanted $17.9-million. Abdi R. Boozar-Jomehri, the man who led the investment interest, called the counteroffer ridiculous.

And earlier this year, a Palm Harbor software company was negotiating a potential sale. SCC Soft Computer sought to relocate its corporate headquarters from U.S. 19 to S Osceola Avenue, a plan that would have brought 500 high-tech jobs to the city's downtown.

But none of those deals gelled. The buyer announced Sunday is a new player, Horne said.

Rice asked church members to pray about the "business partnership." He said more information would follow in the coming days.

The sale must be approved by the church membership, who will gather Nov. 28 to vote on the deal.

Calvary Baptist is preparing for a move to east Clearwater to a new 28-acre complex at McMullen-Booth Road and Drew Street. A rendering of the new home hung from the church's rafters Sunday.

When the 800 or so churchgoers heard the news halfway through a 75-minute contemporary service, they burst into applause.

Rice thanked those who had been praying for the sale.

"This is certainly cause to rejoice," he said.
http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/01/Northpinellas/Church_finds_buyer_fo.shtml

Umm, I think it's pretty obvious they sold it to more Scientologists, but, I guess, if they keep it on the tax rolls and are the only ones willing to help Clearwater, so be it.

They wouldn't want to admit that their church is basically being taken over by another church, especially a wierdo cult church like the Scientologists.

Well, of course not. BUt like I said, since no one else is willing to invest money, as long as it increases the tax base, I guess it is ok.

Voters back move for Dali Museum
By CARRIE JOHNSON, Times Staff Writer
Published November 3, 2004

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ST. PETERSBURG - Voters gave their blessing Tuesday to a complex plan that will give the Salvador Dali Museum a new waterfront location and the University of South Florida room to expand. With 96 of 115 precincts reporting, two city ballot questions related to the move had won approval from about 75 percent of the voters.

The proposal will allow the Dali to build a new museum on the spot now occupied by the Times Arena at the Bayfront Center, which is scheduled to be demolished.

The museum's current building, 1000 Third Street S, would then be transferred to USF St. Petersburg, which would use the location to expand its campus.

The deal isn't done yet: It still hinges on the Dali acquiring millions of dollars in state and private money to pay for the move and the new three-story museum. The City Council must also sign off on the final proposal. But approval of the ballot questions was an important first step, museum officials said.

"I think this is a great victory for the people of St. Petersburg," said Robert Ulrich, a former St. Petersburg mayor and chairman of the museum's building committee. "The Dali's challenge now will be to build an extraordinary piece of architecture befitting our city's waterfront. I believe we can do that."

St. Petersburg voters approved four of the five city referendum questions on Tuesday's ballot. Two of the questions would have allowed 25-year leases at the Port and Albert Whitted Airport, which advocates say would allow those facilities to attract private businesses. The city charter requires voters to approve any leases on the waterfront longer than 10 years.

Voters rejected the proposal for the Port, but approved it for Albert Whitted Airport.

Jack Tunstill, an outspoken airport advocate, said the vote showed continued community support for Albert Whitted.

"We certainly are happy," he said. "If we ever need to have private investment at the airport, this certainly makes it easier."

The final question also was approved by voters. It will allow the Harborage Marina to expand the amount of underwater land it leases from the city in Bayboro Harbor.

http://www.sptimes.com/2004/11/03/Southpinellas/Voters_back_move_for_.shtml

A crappy partial rendering, I'm sure will change

http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2004/nov/1102stp1.jpg
Developer Plans St. Pete's Tallest Building
By DAVID SOMMER dsommer@tampatrib.com
Published: Nov 3, 2004




ST. PETERSBURG - A proposed $200 million hotel-office-condominium project would include the city's tallest building if approved by city and federal officials.
Plans for Tropicana Center submitted by developers Jimmy Aviram and Tibor Hollo call for two towers to be built atop an 840-vehicle parking garage. The project also would feature two pools set seven stories above Central Avenue.

A 24-story hotel would rise along Second Street North and a 42-story office and residential tower would rise 450 feet above First Avenue North, according to a site plan review application submitted to the city's Environmental Development Commission.

Currently, the city's tallest structure is the 28 story, 385- foot Bank of America Tower, according to real estate management company ANB Enterprises, Inc.

The Tropicana project - so identified because the block was once the site of the Tropicana Place hotel - would feature 108,000 square feet of retail space on its first and second levels with stores fronting on surrounding streets and an interior mall with a central atrium.

The proposed hotel tower would have 13 floors of rooms, eight floors of suites and three floors of penthouse accommodations totaling 234,922 square feet.

A ``plaza level,'' with a fitness center, meeting rooms and a restaurant would anchor the mixed-use office and residential tower.

The tower's first 13 stories would house 247,168 square feet of office space.

An additional 19 floors of condos would be topped with three floors of penthouse units for a total residential area of 376,784 feet.

Condominiums, which are expected to range between 950 and 2,000 square feet, are expected to be priced starting at about $350,000, according to sales information provided by Hollo. Penthouse units, which are expected to feature 3,500 square feet, are expected to be priced starting at about $1.4 million.

Hollo, of Miami, said that the developers hope to start construction in early 2006 and expect the project to take two years to complete.

A hearing on the proposal likely will be scheduled early next year, said city Zoning Official John Hixenbaugh.

Preliminary plans were submitted Oct. 27, one day before a special exemption from the city's transportation impact fees expired for the downtown area, including the Tropicana block where the city is encouraging redevelopment, Hixenbaugh said.

Because of the site's proximity to Albert Whitted Airport, the Federal Aviation Administration will have to approve the height of the proposed project.


Reporter David Sommer can be reached at (727) 799-7413.

http://www.tampatrib.com/Business/MGBX9INO21E.html

OF course, now we have conflicting heights on this building . .

As long as it gets built!

I find it hard to believe that a 42 story tower with retail and 13 floors of office space will only be 450ft. Especially if it has any kind of decorative top, which I kind of expect actually.

I thought there was no longer an office component to this project, but I see it's still there. That's a good sign, though, as I think DT is beginning to lean heavily in the residential direction as opposed to having that balance of residential and office. I wonder who they're talking with about filling that space.

Also, if/when this thing gets built and if/when the Bayview Tower project gets built, those two combined with Baywalk would equal a significant amount of new retail in the heart of downtown. St. Pete definately needs another major shopping destination besides Tyrone. I see downtown becoming that again over the next 5 years.

I hate to say it, but St Pete needs to find a way to encourage some box retailers to come into the mix DT. Something like the urban, 2-story Targets found elsewhere in the US would be great. (yes, damaging to small business, but a huge generator of retail traffic). A market really does need both in this homegenized world we live in. And let's face it, St Pete isn't drawing real urbanists, it is drawing suburban transplants. If it hopes to keep succeeding, it needs to serve them, or they will go right back to the burbs in a few years.

I am losing track - what is the Bayview Tower again and where is it going?

As for the retail - I was down there this weekend and notices that the McNulty lofts are literaly across the street from the Publix Eckerd/CVs, etc. THat is quite sweet.

Big boxes will be in Channelside first, though not fo a while unless all the buildings go up next year - Target is up 9th street/4th Street - a weird layout, but nonetheless, there won't be one downtown.

I wouldn't think it would be DT core, but rather over near Tropicana, or maybe even on the other side of the Interstate. There are huge tracts of land all over the place west of DT.

It's a shame that St Pete hasn't figured out that if they too built a trolley DT, it would propel a sizable wave of development.

That would be ok, but it is not really walking distance from where all teh condos are going, especially if you have a lot of crap you jsut bought.

Here's a brief description of B