13-story apartment-hotel building planned for Grand Central District will now include affordable housing

An updated thought for a proposed 13-epic, 120-unit residential mission within the Gargantuan Central District would reserve forty eight apartments for cheap housing.

Tampa-primarily primarily based BendinRoad Kind is making an are attempting to salvage $4.8 million in federal disaster-recovery funding through the Metropolis of St. Petersburg for Residences at 1663, deliberate at 1663 1st Avenue South.

Metropolis group has suggested the count on for approval, and Metropolis Council will vote on it October 1st.

The positioning is currently home to a vacant industrial constructing that used to be previously occupied by Sunshine Kitty Catfe, which closed three years within the past, and the Dolman Regulation Group.

Plans, that have been accredited in 2025, demand a 13-epic constructing with 60 apartments and 60 instant-term condominium devices that is seemingly to be rented nightly, weekly, or monthly.

While the constructing’s extinguish and layout live unchanged, the developer delayed its customary constructing timeline to pursue the reasonable housing funding.

A groundbreaking is now deliberate for early 2027.

“We had been told that the town used to be going to have funds through this program in 2026, so we deliberate for that timing,” BendinRoad Kind founder Craig Bazarsky talked about in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

BendinRoad used to be one of six pattern teams suggested to receive half of the federal funding, which the U.S. Department of Housing and Metropolis Kind awarded to St. Petersburg through its Community Kind Block Grant-Catastrophe Restoration program.

Congress appropriated the funding following Hurricanes Idalia in 2023 and Helene in 2024.

HUD awarded St. Petersburg $159.884 million for lengthy-term recovery work, collectively with housing, infrastructure, economic revitalization, and mitigation.

The city dwelling apart $forty eight million of that funding for cheap condominium housing.

If accredited for the funding, BendinRoad will reserve forty eight of the mission’s 60 apartments for households incomes up to 80% of Online page Median Earnings (AMI).

Beneath the present 2026 limits for Pinellas County, apartments restricted at 80% of AMI can rent for up to $1,606 per month for a studio, $1,720 for a one-bed room, and $2,064 for a two-bed room. The limits are updated as soon as a year, and the mission’s genuine rents would possibly per chance per chance be decrease.

For a single-particular person household, 80% of AMI is currently $64,250 per year. The limit is $73,400 for a two-particular person household and $82,600 for a three-particular person household, in step with the Metropolis of St. Petersburg’s 2026 earnings limits.

The constructing will consist of studios, one-bed room apartments, and two-bed room apartments, all under 750 square toes.

The unit sizes allow the mission to circulate forward with none required parking, on the other hand BendinRoad peaceable plans to invent 12 on-dwelling parking spaces.

Bazarsky talked about they’re going to furthermore arrange an no longer obligatory off-dwelling parking choice for residents who want it, although no agreement is in dwelling yet.

“We’ve finished this principle earlier than and have the identical invent of constructing in downtown Tampa with instant- and lengthy-term leases and reasonable devices,” Bazarsky talked about, referencing The Residences at 801 Whiting.

The eight-epic, 104-unit Tampa constructing used to be performed in October 2025.

“You most steadily eye this mix and restricted parking in a bigger city downtown, but I maintain St. Pete is ready for these non-old fashioned home buildings on epic of so many folks are transferring right here and there’s a necessity for personnel and reasonable housing,” Bazarsky talked about.

“With smaller devices, you’re paying much less and would possibly per chance per chance afford to are living right here. Downtown is fully your living room. It’s so walkable, there are espresso stores, and there’s one thing to elevate out. You honest must be willing to sacrifice the square photographs for affordability.”

Bazarsky talked about he expects traveling nurses, visiting scientific professionals, and assorted extended-beget guests to utilize the instant-term condominium devices.

The revised financing thought doesn’t alter the previously accredited 165-foot constructing extinguish. The tower will upward push above a four-epic erroneous earlier than stepping relieve alongside its north facet.

The first ground will consist of a foyer shared by residents and instant-term guests, a membership room, 12 surface parking spaces, and bicycle parking.

Floors two through five will indulge in 54 instant-term condominium devices. The sixth ground will consist of six instant-term condominium devices and six apartments, whereas ground seven through twelve will indulge in 54 apartments.

An amenity deck on the thirteenth ground will consist of a pool, fitness dwelling, and co-working home. This can even be available to both home residents and instant-term condominium guests.

Kimley-Horn is serving as the mission’s civil engineer and panorama architect, whereas Jacksonville-primarily primarily based Fearless Line Non-public is the architect. Nicholas & Mates is the basic contractor.

Final Thursday, BendinRoad submitted a stormwater utility to the Southwest Florida Water Management District. Constructing plans are expected to be submitted to the Metropolis of St. Pete for allowing quickly.

Bazarsky talked about the developer hopes to spoil ground within the first quarter of 2027. With an estimated 18-month constructing timeline, Residences at 1663 would possibly per chance per chance be performed by summer 2028.

Landings Valid Property Group, which manages the developer’s Tampa property, will address and market the St. Pete constructing.

“Optimistically that is barely the first of several,” Bazarsky talked about. “We’d worship to extinguish extra of this invent of constructing in assorted parts of St. Pete.”