$25 million tower with small, furnished apartments in St. Pete’s Grand Central district receives approval
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 16, 2023

A $25 million apartment building planned for St. Petersburg’s Grand Central district has been approved.

City council, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, unanimously approved the project Thursday evening. The eight-story building, planned for 1663 First Ave. S, will have 97 apartments, according to plans filed with the city.

The project comes from the development team that is bringing small, furnished apartments near Water Street Tampa. The team is comprised of Christopher Bicho of Landings Real Estate Group and Craig Bazarsky of BendinRoad Development LLC.

“We are thrilled with the unanimous approval and appreciate the counsel's support of our vision to bring a luxury, furnished apartment building to the Edge District,” Bazarsky told the Business Journal.

The building will not include any parking for cars, but will have bicycle parking for residents. The 0.23-acre site is currently home to Sunshine Kitty Catfé and Dolman Law Group.

Plans show the 100-foot building will have 84 studios and 13 one-bedroom apartments, all of which will be furnished. The units will range from 358 square feet to 680 square feet. The first floor of the building will have a gym, lobby, outdoor lobby and seven apartments.

Floors two to four will have 15 units per floor. The fifth floor will have an amenity deck featuring a pool, grill area and lounge as well as 10 units on the fifth floor. Floors six to eight will have 11 units per floor.

The developers previously told the Business Journal that the small footprint of the units allows them to be offered at a lower price, despite the fact they intend to make them a luxury product. They said rents will more than likely start at $2,200 a month in St. Pete.

The application shows the developer will contribute to the Housing Capital Improvements Projects fund for workforce housing.

The development team also includes Bold Line Design as the architect for the project and Kimley-Horn as the civil engineer.