The Central, a redevelopment of St. Pete's former police HQ, begins vertical construction
By Henry Queen
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 2, 2024

Vertical construction has begun at The Central in St. Petersburg's Edge district, where the first phase will bring needed parking to that part of the city.

The 2.1-acre site on Central Avenue — formerly home to the St. Petersburg Police Department headquarters and previously known as Orange Station — will be redeveloped into a 12-story, 130,000-square-foot office tower called the Halcyon, a 15-story Autograph Collection Hotel, 15,900 square feet of retail space and 42 units of affordable housing.

But first, more than 500 parking spaces will be added in a new garage. It will rise quickly and should be complete in the first quarter of 2025.

The public parking garage is available for visitors to the Edge district, which sits directly north of Tropicana Field and includes several busy bars and restaurants.

"The neighborhood is elated to have this parking coming in. And they need it. They need it badly," Casey Ellison, CEO of Tampa-based Ellison Development, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

The Central is a joint venture between Ellison Development, J Square Developers, DDA Development and Backstreets Capital.

After the parking garage, workers will start the hotel portion of the project. The developers are in the final design and permitting stage, Ellison said. He said they hope to start construction on the hotel at the end of 2024 or beginning of 2025.

The office will follow in mid-2025 but should come online around the same time as the hotel in 2027. The affordable housing is expected to be finished in late 2026 or early 2027.

Cushman & Wakefield Inc. will market the Halcyon for lease. It will be downtown's first speculative office tower built in decades — a strong sign of confidence in a downtown that bucks national office real estate trends.

"It's highly amenitized Class A office space — definitely needed in St. Pete," Ellison said. "We've seen a lot of traffic and interest in the last 60 days, and we are working through some prospects on the pre-leasing side now."