St. Pete seeks developer for affordable housing on SPC property
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Apr 30, 2024

St. Petersburg is searching for a developer to build affordable townhomes on a property owned by St. Petersburg College.

The city released a request for proposals on April 18 for the 5.23-acre site at 7045 Burlington Ave. N. Responses are due by 10 a.m. on June 1, and the selected proposal will need council approval.

The city is expected to close on the property on May 10. According to the RFP, the site is valued at $4.82 million.

In February, city council rezoned the site to allow the affordable housing project to move forward with plans for 30% of the homes to be reserved for teachers, faculty and students. The RFP did not state that requirement.

The property was once the Gibbs Wellness Center for the SPC campus two blocks north of the site. The site currently contains a two-story building that was built in 1969 and was used as the wellness center. The city said its objective is to create affordable homeownership opportunities for St. Pete residents.

According to the RFP, the preferred proposal will provide a plan to build a project without requiring city funding. However, the city said it is open to considering subsidization. If the developer will require city funding, they must include that in their response.

The city is looking for proposals with approximately 105 dwelling units “in the fashion of townhomes, condominiums or apartment buildings.” Some or all of the dwellings should be set aside for buyers making at or below 80% of the area median income.

The city is also looking for a proposal that includes an approximately 15,000-square-foot facility supporting the arts. This can be either using the existing building on the site or building a new facility.

The RFP also states the developer should work with the city’s workforce development team on hiring apprentices, minority business enterprises or women business enterprises. There should also be a “credible effort” from the developer to engage businesses that participate in the city’s Small Business Enterprise Program, with preferences for St. Pete-based SBE programs during the design and construction phases.

The site is less than five minutes from Tyrone Square and eight minutes from St. Pete Beach.