Zoning changes for transit-oriented development get the green light from PSTA
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: May 26, 2022

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority has accepted the SunRunner Rising Development Study, which could impact the future of transit-oriented development in the county.

The 10.3-mile SunRunner route will cover downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach via 30 different stations, and the study — led by PSTA which hired North Carolina-based planning and design consultant Kimley-Horn to complete — recommends zoning changes along the route.

Part of the decision included supporting partnerships with land-use agencies that choose to incorporate the findings into their development regulations.

PSTA accepted the study and its recommendations Wednesday morning. This could help pave the way for a new wave of development as different jurisdictions adopt the study and make decisions about planning, zoning and the type of growth they want to encourage in the corresponding areas. Increasing walkability in these areas also supports the SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit project.

The program is intended to help guide land use and transportation planning. The study provided recommendations for 10 station areas to support the SunRunner BRT project, "promote ridership and assist the cities of St. Petersburg and South Pasadena in providing land-use strategies and equitable economic principles.”

For St. Petersburg, some recommendations were created to align with broader policy and to pair with the studies and plans the city has in the works, like the 22nd Street South Corridor Study and the Tropicana Field Redevelopment Plan. It could also impact the St. Pete 2050 vision plan, a plan city staff and elected officials will use to inform future decisions and "guide plans, programs and services throughout the city" for the next 30 years, according to the city.

Projects are sprouting up along the SunRunner route, like the long-awaited Orange Station at the EDGE — a multipurpose development comprised of five buildings totaling 130,000 square feet of residential units, 50,000 square feet of Class A office space and 14,000 square feet of retail space. The development will include a public plaza that acts as a BRT station.

Other projects are expected to revitalize the hubs surrounding the route. For example, Joe Furst, founder of Miami-based Place Projects, owns 7 acres on 22nd Street and intends to build a walkable corridor. Furst has been an avid supporter of zoning changes in the area.

Each station area has specific strategies laid out to make the most of the redevelopment opportunities at that stop and to “identify supporting multimodal infrastructure” that will be necessary to make the site accessible. The real estate market and economic conditions along the corridor were also examined to ensure the area surrounding the station was able to support transit-oriented development.

The study was a federally funded project through the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit-Oriented Development Pilot Program and is facilitated by PSTA in partnership with the city of St. Petersburg, the city of South Pasadena and Forward Pinellas.

Forward Pinellas also recently accepted the study. During the presentation to PSTA Wednesday morning Eric Bosman, vice president at Kimley-Horn and Associates, said the city of South Pasadena will vote on accepting the study in June. He added that city staff workshopped the study last week, which was positive.