ST. PETERSBURG - The developer of a proposed shopping center and office complex on top of the old Toytown landfill has had to scale back its project by about one-fifth but is moving ahead.

Late last month, a group called Florida Gateway Development I applied to St. Petersburg to change the land-use and zoning designations on the old 247-acre landfill, which is at Interstate 275 and Roosevelt Boulevard. Florida Gateway is a partnership that includes Los Angeles-based IRG LLC and Cincinnati-based Bear Creek Capital.

It had planned a 310-acre project that included the old Toytown landfill and the old Struthers landfill, a 63-acre plot just south of Toytown. The Struthers property was to hold a large residential village with multifamily housing, according to previous drawings.
Florida Gateway had a contract to buy the Struthers landfill, but the contract expired, said Bill Tippmann, a consultant working for the developers. Tippmann declined to give details. "It was a business decision. Leave it at that," he said.

Ronald Struthers, whose company, Landhill Inc., owns the Struthers landfill, also declined to elaborate on the expired contract. He still hopes to be part of the huge Toytown project, he said.
Baseball fans know of the Toytown landfill because it's been talked about as a potential site for a Tampa Bay Rays stadium. Florida Gateway Development is open to that idea, but Tippmann acknowledged that the company has never had discussions with the Rays.

Mike Meidel, director of Pinellas County's Economic Development Department, said the Toytown project probably could accommodate a professional sports stadium, even without the Struthers property. He, too, said he wasn't aware of any discussions between the Rays and the Toytown developer.

Under documents submitted to St. Petersburg on Dec. 29, The Parks of Pinellas would have up to 2,113 residential units, up to 1.5 million square feet of retail space, up to 2 million square feet of office space, a hotel with up to 375 rooms and the potential for an "intermodal station" such as a light-rail station.

Although it is within St. Petersburg, the Toytown landfill is owned by Pinellas County. The closing date for the sale of the property from Pinellas County to the developer is scheduled for January 2013, Meidel said.

Construction would not begin until after that date, Tippmann said. Given the state of the economy and real estate, it is likely that retail shops would be the first development to get under way, he said.