St. Pete mulls transformation of Mahaffey, Dali museum waterfront area
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Apr 14, 2022

The swath of St. Petersburg's waterfront home to the Mahaffey Theater and Salvador Dali Museum could soon see major changes that open up water views and green space to the public.

Members of the Public Service and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday discussed the creation of a master plan for the Center for the Arts — which runs from First Avenue South to Fifth Avenue South or Dali Boulevard — following a presentation by Chris Ballestra, managing director of the city's development administration.

The area is at a critical juncture, Ballestra said, as the Mahaffey Theater and Dali Museum will soon be seeking renovations and expansions due to their continued success.

A variety of detailed studies would need to be done before anything could move forward, but the city has worked with St. Pete-based ARC3 Architecture to explore concept alternatives in reimaging the Center for the Arts.

In one early conceptual plan, the city would relocate the parking garage that blocks the view of the museum, theater and waterfront to behind the Mahaffey. In its place, the city would create an open corridor with green space. The relocated parking garage would be larger than the existing one.

“This is what we would call a beauty shot,” Ballestra said. “It’s a nice picture; it’s a good vision, but we’ve got a whole lot of work if we a) agree this is the direction we want to head as a community and b) money, most importantly. So, the community is going to play a role and others.”

This proposed vision would provide covered access portals and drop-off connections to the Mahaffey and Dali, have a new parking structure to the north, an open green space with pedestrian amenities and could potentially build a connection between Beach Drive and the downtown core.

Ballestra's presentation did not include the city-owned Albert Whitted Airport, which is across the street from the Center for the Arts. Mayor Ken Welch has launched a separate initiative to study the best use of the airport's property.

City councilwoman Gina Driscoll said she hopes to see a streetscaping plan and traffic study at the site.

“Look at all that surface parking,” Driscoll said in reference to the current site. “It’s time for something new here. The Dali is growing, the Mahaffey is thriving. The Mahaffey is home to the Florida Orchestra, which is one of the few orchestras in the country that has actually been thriving since the pandemic and has come back with a roar. Of course, the Grand Prix continues to be very popular and just south of that we have a lot going on in the Innovation District.”

Ballestra said part of the push to do this now is because the stakeholders have expressed they wish to make changes soon to their sites. Rather than waiting for those to come in where the city will have to be “reactionary,” he hopes the city, community and stakeholders can work hand-in-hand to develop a master plan that addresses everyone’s needs.

For example, a new garage relocated behind the Mahaffey might include storage space for the Florida Orchestra. If there are needs for a meeting space, they can include that in the plans. The garage might have solar on the top or a rooftop element like a restaurant to further utilize all available space.

Councilman Copley Gerdes said he hopes Al Lang Stadium will be included in the conversation, as he believes it is crucial to truly “activate the area.”

Layered in with the initial planning study would be an eco-impact report on the alternative scenarios and a more detailed financial analysis. For the very initial studies, Ballestra said he believes they might be able to get a basic study — not one with schematic designs, but something with additional information and more specificity than what was shown Thursday — for under $100,000. The price, he said, will increase as traffic studies and other more detailed reports are added to the mix.

The administration could put together an agenda item for the council to vote on in as little as a few weeks, Ballestra said. The actual studies themselves will then take another three to four months. He said there is a chance in the fall, by October or November, initial results would be ready to be presented.

There is not a budget set aside in the current fiscal year to do this work, but Ballestra said they hope to be able to find existing funds — for fiscal year 2022 — that aren’t being used to immediately get started.

Council chairman Ed Montanari said he agrees they need to put funds in the fiscal year 2023 budget for this full master plan. Driscoll added that if they were able to get some initial movement turned around by fall then they might be able to bring this up in the next legislative session to hopefully find other funding and support.

“I never want us collectively, or elected leadership or the community to forget what a premier location this is in this city, what an amazing economic engine we’re talking about here,” Ballestra said.