YMCA mixed-use redevelopment in St. Petersburg wins approval
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 12, 2024

A new walkable village on the western outskirts of downtown St. Petersburg is on the cusp of coming to fruition.

The St. Pete Development Review Commission has approved plans for the redevelopment of a portion of the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA campus. The mixed-use project — dubbed Whitney Village — will act as an extension to the Grand Central district and the fledgling Union Central district, serving as a potential catalyst for more urban-style development in the area.

St. Pete City Council will now vote on the redevelopment plans.

As part of the project, the 54,586-square-foot YMCA recreational center on the western portion of the property will be renovated with the proceeds from the sale of the 4.5-acre site. A sales price was not disclosed. The YMCA will manage the renovations, which will include the relocation of the outdoor athletics field to First Avenue South fronting the YMCA.

Blake Investment Partners and Greystar Real Estate Partners, meanwhile, will lead the redevelopment effort on the eastern side of the property. They plan to construct a five-story apartment building with 330 dwelling units and multiple shorter buildings that will include 32,000 square feet of commercial retail space and 50 dwelling units at an attainable price point.

There will also be a six-story, 600-space parking garage — the first two floors of which are expected to accommodate YMCA members and retail customers while the top floors will be dedicated for apartment residents. Surface parking spots left over on the west side of the property will still service YMCA members.

David King, managing director of Greystar, told the Development Review Commission that the development team is eyeing three restaurant concepts for the village. He also would like to see events occur.

"Ideally, we'd love to see a farmer's market effect occur in this village," King said.

Members of the Development Review Commission approved a variance for a zero setback for the new mixed-use and residential buildings and also agreed to vacate two partial rights-of-way on the north side of 3rd Avenue South. They expressed overall support for Whitney Village but had reservations about vehicular access.

Commissioner Kevin Reali compared the project to the 34-acre redevelopment of the former Ceridian office campus known as Sky Town.

"The density doesn't bother me at all. The uses don't bother me at all," Reali said. "I don't see any reason to deny it. But the site is just tight. I wish we were going taller and not having such a tight site."