DNA Downtown Redevelopment Study: A Report
St. Petersburg can achieve its redevelopment goals for Downtown by writing a new zoning code that caps buildings at a moderate size. It does not need to allow new buildings on the large scale that would be found in the country's major urban center such as New York, Boston and Chicago. That is the conclusion of a study of every parcel of property in Downtown, done for the Downtown Neighborhood Association by Tim Clemmons, an architect and member of the DNA board of directors; and Timothy J. Baker, DNA president. The study was prompted by proposals that the new zoning code allow buildings of a much larger scale than anything built in the past 20 years. The proposals to allow very large-scale buildings are included in a draft version of new zoning codes that have been posted on the city's web site. These draft proposals are still subject to debate and change. The basis of this study was a custom report that DNA commissioned from the Pinellas County property appraiser's office, listing every parcel of property in the area bounded by 5th Avenue North, 5th Avenue South, Tampa Bay and Martin Luther King Jr. St. The report shows the use and total size of all buildings on each parcel. The study also used data from St. Petersburg's Economic Development and Development Services departments. The project of writing a new zoning code began with the city's Vision 20/20Ó report, which was developed following a series of public meetings in 2001. During those sessions, some 125 city residents brainstormed about what they would like the city to become over the next 20 years or so. Along with city residents, participants included representatives of the city Planning Commission, the Council of Neighborhood Associations, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the University of South Florida, and city government. The DNA study of Downtown used the Vision 20/20 report as a basis for outlining basic goals for the city. Also used was the Intown Redevelopment Plan, which was adopted in 1981 as the official plan for Downtown. That plan included specific goals for population growth Downtown. The goal for commercial space was developed during conversations with various city officials. This goal is an educated guess, and not official.
Here are some specifics about the goals (with details listed at the end of this story): Residential: The Intown Redevelopment Plan envisioned an eventual population of 30,000, in the area stretching from Tampa Bay to Interstate 375, between 5th Avenue North and 5th Avenue South. From that, the DNA study extrapolated 20,000 as the target population for Downtown, on the basis that the area east of MLK Street has always been more densely populated than the area to the west. The current population Downtown is about 6,000. This means that the goal would be to more than triple that. In terms of dwelling units, there are now some 4,500 units, which would need to be increased by about 7,500, for a total of 12,000. Of that number, more than 1,200 new units have already been proposed in announced projects. Overall, the goal is to increase the current number of dwelling units by 167 percent. Commercial: The Downtown currently has some 4.9 million square feet of commercial space, including offices, retail and hotel rooms. The goal would be to increase that to 8 million square feet, a jump of 63 percent. By way of comparison, the Bank of America building contains some 340,000 square feet of office and retail space. So, the goal calls for adding the equivalent of nine Bank of America buildings. If the zoning code should be adopted as now proposed, then almost all of that could be put on less than two blocks. Currently, commercial projects with about 551,000 square feet of space have been announced, including the new headquarters of Progress Energy and a hotel facing Williams Park. After defining the above goals, the next step in the DNA study was to identify parcels of property that are likely candidates for redevelopment. Vacant lots were all included, and also a number of blocks with dilapidated structures, and some blocks with very low density development. Designated historic buildings were not considered as candidates for redevelopment, nor were non-designated buildings that are of architectural significance. In all, the study identified 75 acres of property that might reasonably be redeveloped, out of a total downtown land area (excluding streets) of about 300 acres. The map shows how each parcel downtown was identified in the study. Lastly, the study determined the average density of new development that would be needed to meet all of the goals. Density downtown is measured in terms of Floor/Area Ratio, which regulates the maximum size of a building as a multiple of the size of the lot on which the building is constructed. The study showed that an average density of 4 would be sufficient to meet all of the goals. Since it would be reasonable to expect that actual projects would vary in density, the study proposes that a maximum density of 6 be allowed downtown, with the expectation that actual projects would vary from FARs of about 2 to the maximum of 6.
This is in contrast to the current draft proposal from the city, which calls for a maximum FAR of 14 in the core of downtown, and 7.5 in the remainder. The FAR of 14 is similar to what is found in such places as New York City and Boston. According to the DNA studies, such high FARs are simply not needed in St. Petersburg, and would not be in keeping with the Vision 20/20 statement that was officially adopted by City Council. An example of a building with an FAR of 4 would be the Parkshore Plaza, currently under construction on Beach Drive. This is the average density called for in the DNA study. The proposed new headquarters for Progress Energy, to be built on the site of the former Maas Brothers Department Store, will have an FAR of 6, at the high end of the DNA proposal. The only building downtown with an FAR as high as 14 is the Bayfront Tower condominium. |