23-story residential tower proposed near Tropicana Field
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Apr 12, 2022

A new apartment tower has been proposed for downtown St. Petersburg that aims to bring 204 apartments and 6,000 square feet of commercial space to 17th Street S near Tropicana Field.

Apogee Real Estate Partners, led by John Stadler and John Barkett, filed plans with the city for the building, which is planned for an approximately 0.77-acre parcel at 155 17th St. S. Plans show this will be a $49 million project.

The tower itself will be 23 stories and will be 299 feet tall. There will be a five-story podium comprised of a parking garage with 300 spaces, a lobby, retail spaces and utility spaces. On top of that will be an 18-story tower filled with residences.

The retail space will front onto the Pinellas Trail, “with the goal of activating this portion of the trail as a gateway into downtown from the West,” according to the filed plans. The site plan shows 4,600 square feet of retail and a 1,400-square-foot café with an urban porch facing the Pinellas Trail.

Floors two through five will have the parking garage with an entrance on 17th Street S. Bicycle parking will also be provided on the ground floor of the garage.

A roof terrace with a swimming pool will be at the west end of the building. The 23rd floor is a full amenity floor with a large clubroom and east and west-facing terraces that will provide views of the city.

The one-story warehouse on the site will be demolished.

This is a very active development corridor. Adjacent to this property is the Modera St. Petersburg, a 20-story residential tower with 383 apartment units and 15,316 square feet of retail space that is currently under construction. The Modera will also front the Pinellas Trail. Other developments nearby include the 20-story mixed-use building at 201 17th St. S., Fusion 1560 at 1560 Central Ave., Vantage at 160 16th St. N. and Artistry at 1601 Central Ave.

According to the plans, the developer plans to design the five-story podium as an homage to the neighboring Warehouse Arts District and will keep to the traditional urban brick industrial style. The top of the tower has a slanted, butterfly-style roof roofline.

The developer also intends to have sidewalk-level public art with a value of $100,000 on the site. The proposal includes plans for a 10-foot sidewalk, street trees and landscaping, open green space, bicycle parking and a new drainage system.

City council will review the proposal on April 21 to decide if it is consistent with the Intown West Redevelopment Plan.