105-unit affordable townhouse project in West St. Pete inches forward
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Feb 13, 2024

An affordable housing development that will bring 105 townhouses to West St. Petersburg is up for city council review this week.

Council on Thursday will review an amendment to the future land use and existing zoning of a 5.24-acre site at 7045 Burlington Ave. N. The property has been owned by St. Petersburg College since 1989 and was previously the Gibbs Wellness Center for the SPC campus two blocks to the north.

On Dec. 6, 2022, the city submitted a letter of intent to SPC offering to purchase the site for $4.2 million. On Nov. 2, 2023, council approved a resolution authorizing the agreement with SPC to purchase the property.

The city is currently under contract to purchase the site with plans to build 105 workforce housing townhomes on the property, 30% of which will be first offered to SPC staff and students. In November, city council was told the units would be for those making at or below 120% of the area median income.

The existing wellness center is two stories and totals 20,732 square feet. There is also an outdoor track, athletic field and parking lot on the site.

The site is two blocks from Fifth Avenue N, three blocks from Central Avenue and lies east of the Pinellas Trail. There are several existing multifamily buildings adjacent to the property, as well as single-family homes and industrial sites.

The city will issue a request for proposals for developers to submit bids for the project. The selected proposal will need approval from the Development Review Commission and city council.