16-story Orange Station at the EDGE receives approval from Development Review Commission
Orange Station at the EDGE from Central Avenue and 13th Street in downtown St. Pete
Demolition is set to begin soon at 1300 1st Avenue North, site of the former St Pete Police Department headquarters and future home of Orange Station at the EDGE. The project is moving forward after the St Petersburg Development Review Commission granted approval of the site plan and requested variances earlier this week.
St Pete Rising first reported on the mixed-use development when plans were unveiled late last year. The project features an ambitious but thoughtfully-designed blend of office, retail, and residential space, including 42 workforce apartments to be named The WYE (a hat tip to the triangular junction found in railroads) and 61 luxury condos called The Residences at Orange Station.
In total, there will be up to 106,000 square feet of Class A office space, 21,400 square feet of street facing retail along Central Avenue and 1st Avenue North, a 590-space parking garage with 400 public spaces, and 130,000 square feet of one, two, and three-bedroom residential units.
The site plan for Orange Station at the EDGE, located at 1300 Central Avenue in the EDGE District.
“There’s so much buzz around the EDGE District generally and our project specifically ─ every step forward continues to be exciting,” said Jay Miller of J Square Developers, the partnership group developing the project.
Initial plans for more office space were scaled back in July amid concerns over post-pandemic office demand. The former office building site will now be set aside for future development.
The name “Orange Station at the EDGE” is a reference to the Orange Belt Railway, which transported the first settlers to St Pete in 1888. Honoring that tradition, the location will serve as a SunRunner rapid transit line station.
Other public amenities include a new plaza with outdoor cafes and an art tribute to “The Courageous 12,” the twelve Black St. Petersburg police officers who successfully sued the city in the 1960s to gain the same rights as their white counterparts.
The Wye at Orange station, a 42-unit workforce apartment building featuring 3,000 square feet of ground floor retail
The project is a joint venture of J Square Developers, DDA Development, and Backstreets Capital, LLC. A sales office led by Smith & Associates is expected to open by the end of the year.
Now that the demolition permit has been granted, abatement of existing buildings on the property is underway. Once started, the demolition process will take three to four months with groundbreaking for the new building planned for June 2022.
Construction is expected to take 20 to 22 months putting a grand opening of Orange Station at the EDGE in Spring 2024.
For more information visit: www.orangestationstpete.com.