19-story apartment building proposed for 1st Avenue North in downtown St. Pete
/The proposed 19-story building will be located at 1641 and 1659 1st Avenue North in downtown St. Pete.
A new apartment project just west of St. Petersburg’s growing EDGE District could bring hundreds of new residents to the area.
St. Pete-based HP Capital Group and Chicago-based Tandem Partners have filed plans for a 19-story residential building at 1641 and 1659 1st Avenue North in downtown St. Pete.
The 0.73-acre site was assembled by HP Capital Group, which is also developing the 18-story Reflection condominium tower at 300 8th Street North, in a series of transactions in late 2020 and early 2021 that totaled $4.2 million.
The property is currently home to five buildings, including a small office building and four two-story apartment buildings, along with a surface parking lot. All the structures on site will be demolished. The site is not located within a local or national historic district and none of the existing buildings are designated historical landmarks.
The location of the proposed building is surrounded by new developments including Vantage Lofts, Arte, and 1701 Central.
The team is proposing a 19-story building that will include 224 apartments along with a ground floor leasing office and resident amenity spaces. The building will include parking on the first through fourth floors with a total of 256 parking spaces, exceeding the 154 spaces required. 236 bicycle parking spaces will also be available.
Residential units will be located on floors 5 through 18 and the rooftop will include resident amenity space including a pool.
Tampa-based BDG Architects designed the building.
"We are very proud of our beautiful downtown community and are excited to be part of its development,” says Fred Hemmer, Principal at HP Capital Group. “We think this building has been designed to fit the growing needs of the Tropicana Field area and will complement the other adjacent developments.”
The base of the building includes a parking garage, shielded from view, with a total of 256 spaces.
At 212 feet, the building will be slightly taller than Modera St. Petersburg, a planned 206-foot apartment building proposed for 201 17th Street South by Mill Creek Residential.
Nearby, a handful of other residential developments have recently completed, including Vantage Lofts, a 211-unit building completed in 2020 at 160 16th Street North; 1701 Central, a 243-unit building completed in 2020 at 1701 Central Avenue; and Arte, formerly known as Artistry, a 246-unit building completed in 2020 at 1601 Central Avenue.
The property is zoned Downtown Center-2 (DC-2) which allows for a base Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of 3.0. The project is utilizing an additional bonus of 4.0 FAR for a total FAR of 7.0. Additionally, DC-2 zoning allows for a base height of 125 feet and a maximum of 200 feet upon approval of the Development Review Commission (DRC). The project is requesting a 12-foot height bonus for more than 50% of the ground floor consisting of parking.
The 19th floor of the building will include a resident amenity deck including a rooftop pool.
As part of these bonuses, the developers will contribute to the city’s Housing Capital Improvements Projects (HCIP) trust fund to aid in the city’s workforce housing efforts. Additional FAR bonuses include purchasing transfer of development rights (TDRs) from a locally designated landmark or landmark site with available TDRs.
The proposed building maxes out the potential Floor Area Ratio and height allowed under city code.
The project is expected to be heard before the Development Review Commission and, because it is not receiving streamlined approval, it will also go before a public hearing. The DRC meeting and public hearing have not yet been scheduled.
Construction is expected to begin in early 2023 with completion in late 2024.
