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S. Elise Batsel
Tampa
Jacob T. Cremer Tampa
Jessica M. Icerman Tampa
Vin Marchetti Tampa
Kevin Reali Tampa |
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Major Land Use Changes Ahead in St. Pete:
CHAA Update, Tropicana Field Site RFP,
and I-275 Improvements
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Various significant land use changes are ahead in the City of St. Petersburg. Over time, these changes will transform and further develop St. Pete. First, St. Pete recently considered major land use changes within the Coastal High Hazard Area - an area defined as "the area below the elevation of the Category 1 storm surge line as established by a Sea, Lake, and Overland Surges from Hurricanes (SLOSH) computerized storm surge model." Second, the City has released a much-anticipated Request for Proposals for redevelopment of the Tropicana Field Site. Finally, the City will benefit from major I-275 improvements increasing mobility between the City and all of Pinellas County to Hillsborough County. All of these changes have created a flurry of excitement in the City. Please find more information below.
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City of St. Petersburg Moves Forward with Coastal High Hazard Area Amendments
After almost five years of review, the St. Petersburg City Council decided to continue forward with amendments to their comprehensive plan related to development within the coastal high hazard area ("CHHA"). The vote avoids folding the amendments into the ongoing StPete2050 visioning process, which would have created further delay. On August 20th, the Council voted 7-1 to transmit to the State the proposed comprehensive plan amendment, which changes standards for development within the CHHA. The transmittal is the first step in adopting the comprehensive plan amendment. The amendment will be back to City Council on October 8th for final consideration and could be adopted at that time.
The amendment would change an existing policy that prohibits any requests for residential density increases within the CHHA. As a result of the current policy, development has been stifled within the CHHA and development pressures within non-CHHA areas are increasing. Although the CHHA accounts for 41% of the City, the CHHA amendment is only applicable to locations within a Multi-Modal Corridor, Target Employment Center, Special Area Plan or Activity Center. These areas are targeted for growth within other City policies and amount to approximately 34% of the overall CHHA or 12% of the City overall.
Although the CHHA comprehensive plan amendment appears to be on a path towards ultimate approval, no land will be immediately entitled for increased residential density. The CHHA amendment simply allows for property owners to request the City Council to consider increases in residential density. Additionally, developers will have to meet the stringent balancing criteria on a case-by-case basis. Five criteria are mandatory ("M") and seven criteria are balanced ("B").
The City also considered companion amendments to the Land Development Code ("LDC") and Building Code. The LDC amendments implement the CHHA comprehensive plan amendment and provide for greater detail on the mandatory and balanced criteria. The Building Code amendments provide for higher construction standards for all multi-family developments within the CHHA, regardless of density changes. These standards call for an additional two feet of building elevation and construction to higher wind load standards to ensure that any development in the CHHA will be hardened for the more adverse environmental conditions they could face. These companion amendments will increase the cost of construction, but are considered a tradeoff for the ability to develop in an area where development is severely limited. The companion amendments will also be considered by City Council on October 8th for a second and final public hearing. Click here for more information on the CHHA amendments.
Stearns Weaver Miller is on the forefront of these changes and stands ready to help navigate property owners and developers through the process to increase land entitlements. Contact our team to discuss strategy and prepare for final adoption of the CHHA amendments in October.
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City of St. Petersburg Issues Highly-Anticipated RFP
for Tropicana Field Site
The Tropicana Field Site consists of 86 acres of publically-owned land in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg and presents an amazing opportunity for a highly skilled development team. The City is looking to redevelop the Tropicana Field Site into an intense mixed-use and mixed-income development with a strong sense of place. Numerous land uses are desired, including retail, residential, hotel and conference space, office, recreational and open space, community and culture, education, and research and development. The first and second pre-proposal meetings are scheduled for September 1st and September 9th, respectively. Proposals are due by January 15, 2021. The RFP can be found here.
Contact our team with questions on the RFP or assistance in assembling your one-of-a-kind development team. |
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FDOT Started Construction on
New, Expanded Bridge Connecting
Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties
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Rendering from Tampa Bay NEXT Presentation
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The Howard Frankland Bridge along I-275 is anticipated to have a new span for southbound traffic by late 2024. The construction of the $865 million project has already started with commuters noticing barges anchored alongside the existing bridge preparing for work. The plan entails the construction of a new eight-lane bridge with four general lanes and four express lanes, with reinforcements for future rail transit conversions. Additionally, a dedicated pedestrian lane will connect multi-purpose trails in Pinellas and Hillsborough Counties. The current southbound bridge will be converted to the northbound bridge and the current northbound bridge will no longer be used.
These significant I-275 improvements are being considered alongside proposals for a future regional rapid transit project connecting Pinellas, Hillsborough and Pasco Counties by the Tampa Bay Area Regional Transit Authority (TBARTA).
The I-275 improvements are also coming on the heels of the Selmon Expressway Extension project, which is anticipated to be complete in mid-2021, and will provide another express tollway connection between St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa and Brandon.
The Tampa Bay region is expected to see a number of major transportation developments within the next decade, further creating an interconnected community of major employment centers and residential areas.
Contact our team to find out more about how these transportation projects will benefit development in Tampa Bay. |
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RECENT STEARNS WEAVER MILLER COVID-19 UPDATES
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*Jeffrey Cooper, Abbye Feeley, Ken Metcalf, Michael Paparesta, Marco Paredes, Chris Smith, and David Smith are not attorneys and are not authorized to practice law.
Abbye, Ken, and David are highly experienced planners. Ken is AICP certified.
Chris is a highly experienced GIS analyst.
Jeffrey and Michael are highly experienced real estate analysts.
Marco is a highly experienced government affairs professional.
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