A construction milestone has been reached on a major multifamily development in St. Petrsburg’s Skyway Marina District where new building techniques allowed eight floors of construction to be raised in one month.

The Marina Club Apartments, which is under development at 4311 34th Street South, was first announced in July 2021 and was approved in August 2021.

The 400-unit apartment building consists of an eight-story structure with six residential floors sitting atop two floors of parking. An amenity deck will be located on the third floor and a resident sky lounge will be located on the eighth floor which will overlook Boca Ciega Bay.

Marina Club is being developed by Jack Dougherty of Allied Group Holdings, who also developed Marina Walk, a 245-unit apartment building at 4601 34th Street South. 

Skanska USA is serving as the general contractor for Marina Club Apartments and is using innovative pre-cast construction materials to reduce the development timeline and construction waste.

Prefabricated construction is a building technique where large pieces of a structure are built off site and are assembled like puzzle pieces on a development site. The technique can be used for buildings up to 12 stories and are designed to withstand 154-mile wind speeds.

Prefab construction is reducing the manpower needed to build large developments. For example, from site work to completion, Marina Club’s expected delivery timeline is 27 months with only 12 on-site workers. Traditionally, this would take over 36 months and require a team of over 100 workers.

“Amid significant challenges related to labor shortages, supply chain delays and rising construction costs, the pre-cast method Skanska is utilizing on the Marina Club project, which can be implemented across a variety of asset classes not just apartments, has allowed our team to accelerate the completion timeline, reduce labor requirements, and increase efficiencies onsite,” said Tracy Hunt, Senior Vice President at Skanska USA.

“This innovative approach provides a potential solution to address the state’s demand for housing supply, particularly in St. Petersburg, an area in need of additional multifamily product and infrastructure upgrades to support a quickly growing residential population,” Hunt continues. 

Construction on the Marina Club Apartment began earlier this year and is expected to reach completion in the first quarter of 2025.

While the multifamily building is the centerpiece for the development, the project also includes a 95,000 square foot self-storage facility, a 2,400 square foot bank, and a 4,500 square foot restaurant. The self-storage facility and freestanding bank building are also under construction and should open later this year.

When completed, Marina Club will join a growing community of new housing developments in the Skyway Marina District. Over the past few years, several developments have been completed including Sur Club, The Addison Skyway Marina, Marina Walk, and Skyway Lofts.

And more is on the horizon, like The Manhattan, a luxury senior housing development planned for 4595 34th Street South, immediately south of Marina Club. The Manhattan will have 243 units.