Urban Advisor

The Iconic Pier

From the Million Dollar Pier to the current inverted pyramid pier, The Pier has become a St. Petersburg icon. For a time, The Pier was the biggest attraction in downtown St. Petersburg. Before BayWalk (which is having its own issues now), the new and improved Beach Drive, 600 Block and other things, The Pier was the place to go for both locals and tourists. Today, it is mainly what I consider a secondary tourist attraction with touristy shops and restaurants. I, personally, have not been to The Pier in a couple of years. There is so much to do in other parts of downtown that when I think of going downtown I rarely think about The Pier. I would say most locals probably think the same way.

Well, the City of St. Petersburg aims to change that, and bring this attraction back to its former iconic status. St. Petersburg is developing some architectural interest with the new Dali Museum, The Signature, the Grand Bohemian proposal (if it ever gets built). A new Pier presents the city another opportunity to add to that architectural interest while at the same time giving the city a new icon. Like it or not, most people recognized the city in photos by the now-dated inverted pyramid design of the current pier. So it makes sense that the city would want to create a new icon.

Recently the city held a design contest. The three finalist designs were released to the public earlier in December. Each has a name - The Lens, The Wave and The Eye - and each aims to create a new icon for the city that will attract both locals and tourists. Here, I do not want to get too much into the costs associated with each. I just want to talk about the design elements.

The Lens certainly creates a large structure with some interesting elements. I like the bike and walking paths that lead to and traverse the pier. I like the various balconies throughout the pier structure. It is clear that this design is definitely meant to highlight views of the city and the bay, providing different ways through which to view the city. The other great things about this design are the reef that will develop on the old pier pilings (which can build on the city's established and growing marine science cluster), the amphitheatre (where most of the parking will be located, the water park, and how it all integrates with other parks and trails. Overall, there are a lot of activities within the design. I do not particularly like the design of the pier structure itself. It definitely seems to have a beautiful front (facing the city) and an undesirable back (facing Tampa Bay). Also, there does not appear to be much to do on The Pier itself other than walk and view. All of the big activity is in the uplands. I suppose the design of the structure itself is meant to draw folks out. But, I think this may be a weak point. The current view provides the views, and a few things to do. I think there needs to be more to do out on the pier to get a lot of folks to take the walk and continue to come back.

The Wave is certainly iconic. Of the three, I think it captures the iconic desires of the City the best. It would certainly be a recognizable structure and one that would certainly draw on design alone. Contrasting with the Lens, the design is iconic, but not as overbearing. Also, the draw will not be just for its circular design, but in how the activities are physically structured and ordered within the building. The idea is for the activities within to follow the water cycle. One option is for a series of restaurants and shops. Another option is for a series of activities, such as surfing, mini golf and a slip and slide. These scenarios, whichever is chosen, would certainly draw both tourists and locals alike. I also like how a concert stage was worked into the design. The idea of water falling from the top of the structure might be a bit much. Also, the upland portion doesn't seem as well thought out as The Lens. Further, they can eliminate features designed for swimming in the bay. Most people choose not to swim in the murky bay waters when we have the beautiful gulf beaches. Even more, there will need to be some sort of inconspicuous barricade at the end of the wave to keep people from walking into the water, but that does not take away from the design.

The Eye is simple but still has some compelling elements. I like the theme of being "the people's pier". That in itself is compelling. It also aims to develop some ecological interest by preserving, enhancing and developing some new environments for native plant life and animals to grow and be observed. Also, though not enclosed, it aims to provide a shady, cool experience, which is very important for our hot and humid weather. The design of the structure itself, is not very appealing in my opinion. In fact, it may certainly become outdated, to say the least, much quicker than the other two. It may even become the subject of humorous conversation with its spaceship-like design. Also, a huge feature of this design is the Shoal, which essentially creates a man-made beach in the Bay. This is a cool idea, but as was said of the Wave, it will not be utilized as much as anticipated because people do not swim in the Bay. This is a rather expensive feature, that likely will not bring in much of a return.

Overall, if I had to choose, I think the Wave is the best of the three. It is iconic without being overbearing. It has interesting activities within the structure. From newspaper articles, and discussions around town, it appears to already be garnering the most interest from locals. So, my vote is for the Wave. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

The Two-Family House: The Future of Housing in the Sunbelt



Due Volte Casa Two-FamilyHouse   http://www.thehousedesigners.com/

 

Due Volte Casa first floor plan http://www.thehousedesigners.com/

 

Due Volte Casa second floor plan http://www.thehousedesigners.com/



Light Rail Transit: Pinellas leads the way!

Well, not quite...or not yet. Hillsborough County's light rail plan seemed to offer the greatest hope that something big might be happening here in Tampa Bay. That, along with new new high speed rail between Tampa and Orlando, and the Tampa Bay area was about to hit the big leagues. We know that transit is very important to urban design and economic development. Fixed transit, particularly rail transit, like any infrastructure investment, can dramatically change development patterns, and can greatly improve access to jobs (something employers look for when planning expansions and relocations). New transit has redefined many cities in recent decades - many in the Sunbelt, such as Charlotte, NC, and Phoenix, AZ. So when light rail in Hillsborough and high speed rail were both delayed indefinitely, all steam seemed to be taken out of the push for transit improvements here in Tampa Bay.

However, quietly, Pinellas County has been moving forward with its transit plans by doing an alternative, taking the first and crucial step toward developing its portion of what would eventually become a regional transit system. From what I've seen, it looks pretty promising. The routing of the first leg of what I predict will be light rail will go from Downtown St. Petersburg to Downtown Clearwater through Gateway. It hits the the major employment centers, provides direct access to the St. Pete-Clearwater airport and would eventually connect across the bay to Downtown Tampa through Westshore.



It has always been my thought that Pinellas and Hillsborough should come together on transit, and build a rail line from Downtown St. Pete to Downtown Tampa first, and expand from there. This would connect the two major urban centers, biggest employment centers, and really help both cities build true urban environments by way of transit oriented development. TBARTA may be vehicle for this. There seems to be an attitude of cooperation and collaboration building. However, I know with the bureaucracies in place, its difficult for the counties to work together. Until then, I am glad Pinellas continues to move forward, and hopefully will lead the way! We will revisit this other posts. Until then, I will say that I look forward to voting yes for this initiative next November.

If you are interested in this, check it out at www.pinellasontrack.com

Tropicana Field Redevelopment

Welcome from your Urban Advisor

Hello! My name is Ashon Nesbitt, and welcome to my blog! I am a native of St. Petersburg, FL, with degrees in Architecture, Urban Planning and Real Estate and some legal educational background. I love cities! I love urban development! I love all that cities have to offer in terms of quality of life - employment, education, entertainment! I also love my city, St. Petersburg, FL. Well, it is developing into what I call a "real" city, slowly but surely, but we will talk more about that as I post on my blog.

So, what is the purpose of this blog? I started this blog to share my ideas and thoughts on urban development, particularly here in my city. I like to read and observe what other places are doing and think about how similar things would work here. This is also a place for you to share your ideas with me. This stuff really excites me! So I look forward to the dialogue that will take place here! I'll be back soon with my first idea post: what to do with Tropicana Field in St. Pete.