After striking out on a proposal for a sports tourism complex, a Tampa developer has come up with a new plan for a 29-acre vacant industrial parcel in west St. Petersburg, near Tyrone Square Mall, that has a troubled history.

According to a pre-application site plan review document submitted to the City of St. Petersburg, Porter Land LLC has proposed a 1,058-unit garden-style multifamily development for the property, which defense contractor Raytheon purchased in 1995 but never fully developed because of pollution issues that led to legal action. The company embarked on a lengthy environmental cleanup process in 2008 and sold the property, which neighbors Azalea Park, in 2015.

Over 300 units, or 30% of the total residential units, will be set aside as income-restricted workforce housing. Half of the affordable units will be earmarked for households earning less than 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and the other half will be marketed to households earning less than 120% of AMI.

“I think this is a better plan for the community because it addresses the affordable housing issue we are experiencing right now in St. Pete,” said Les Porter in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

Located at 1501 72nd Street North, the site, according to Porter’s proposal, would be developed in three phases, each of which will contain workforce units. No building will exceed four stories in height.

The first phase includes 381 residential units (182 one-bedroom units, 174 two-bedroom units, and 25 three-bedroom units). Phase 2 consists of 281 residential units (142 one-bedroom units, 124 two-bedroom units, and 15 three-bedroom units). The third phase is made up of 396 residential units (258 one-bedroom units and 138 two-bedroom units).

The community will feature Class A amenities such as multiple pools, a fitness center, numerous workspaces.

A total of 1,826 parking spaces are included in the proposal. Six two-story, carriage-style homes in phase 1 will have garages. The remainder of the parking is a mix of surface-level spaces and “tuck under” spots.

St. Petersburg City Council Member Copley Gerdes, who represents District 1, has expressed enthusiasm for the project.

“First and foremost, I’m very happy to have a plan in place for the property,” Gerdes told St. Pete Rising. “Multifamily fits very well on that property and the city has done a good job of being intentional as to what can be developed there. The market has shown that industrial doesn’t make sense on that site.”

He added, “I think this is a good opportunity for District 1 to gain density while keeping our neighborhoods intact and that’s a testament to the current administration and current and past city councils for being intentional as to where they’re increasing density. I’m excited to bring more multifamily into District 1 and that’s going to alleviate some of the affordability issues that we face.”

The Sunshine City has been a leader when it comes to acting on a state law, House Bill 1339, that paves the way for affordable housing projects to be developed on land previously zoned for industrial use.

In 2021, St. Pete became the first city in Florida to pass an ordinance establishing a process for H.B. 1339 to take effect. Fairfield Avenue apartments is the first project to utilize that process, allowing redevelopment of a site that otherwise would not allow housing.

“We're excited about providing workforce housing,” said Porter. “We feel like we can balance the finance-ability of the project and still deliver a big supply of affordable housing to the market that are sorely needed.”

Porter Development’s proposal in west St. Petersburg will go before City Council for approval in March.

Richmond, Va.-based Poole & Poole has been hired as the project’s architect and Gulf Coast Consulting from Clearwater is handling civil engineering.

Construction on the site is expected to begin in late 2023. Move-ins are expected to begin in the third quarter of 2024.