Showing posts with label south St. Petersburg. Show all posts
Showing posts with label south St. Petersburg. Show all posts
34th Street South Continued...
Ok, back to 34th Street South in St. Pete...
So one of the things that is sure to come out of the 34th Street redevelopment is streetscaping - wider/decorative sidewalks, seating, light fixtures, pavement designs, etc.
I spent a family vacation in Orlando this past week - specifically Lake Buena Vista and Kissimmee. While there, I saw what should NOT be done with 34th Street. Take a trip down US 192 in Kissimmee, better known as Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, and you will see. What may have been a neat-looking installation of brightly colored light posts, mile markers and bus shelters, now looks tacky and dated in my opinion. The same could be said, dare I say, for the stretch of Central Avenue right here in St. Petersburg between MLK and 16th Street in the formerly Dome District, now called EDGE district. The bright colored sidewalks and light fixtures are more appropriate for the beach community or some cheesy tourist district than an established (or establishing) urban district in a major city.
When approaching things like streetscaping - which is the main thing the municipality can do in terms of direct impact on the built environment in the 34th Street South district - planners and involved residents should look to turn 34th Street South into a "complete" street. Complete streets address all modes of transportation - private vehicles, bicycles, public transportation and pedestrians. There is landscaping, shade and seating.
To do this, I recommend the following
I may expound on these ideas more within this post. There are lots of good resources on Complete Streets. As planning moves forward, I highly recommend these be consulted.
But more to come on 34th Street South about potential funding mechanisms and other regulatory ideas.
So one of the things that is sure to come out of the 34th Street redevelopment is streetscaping - wider/decorative sidewalks, seating, light fixtures, pavement designs, etc.
I spent a family vacation in Orlando this past week - specifically Lake Buena Vista and Kissimmee. While there, I saw what should NOT be done with 34th Street. Take a trip down US 192 in Kissimmee, better known as Irlo Bronson Memorial Highway, and you will see. What may have been a neat-looking installation of brightly colored light posts, mile markers and bus shelters, now looks tacky and dated in my opinion. The same could be said, dare I say, for the stretch of Central Avenue right here in St. Petersburg between MLK and 16th Street in the formerly Dome District, now called EDGE district. The bright colored sidewalks and light fixtures are more appropriate for the beach community or some cheesy tourist district than an established (or establishing) urban district in a major city.
When approaching things like streetscaping - which is the main thing the municipality can do in terms of direct impact on the built environment in the 34th Street South district - planners and involved residents should look to turn 34th Street South into a "complete" street. Complete streets address all modes of transportation - private vehicles, bicycles, public transportation and pedestrians. There is landscaping, shade and seating.
To do this, I recommend the following
Consider the road diet
This may be the most "radical" thought. However, 34th Street South operates far below capacity, and may continue to do so, even with the redevelopment of properties along the stretch. Removing a lane of vehicular traffic would not create any bottlenecks or significantly impact congestion at all, in my opinion.Replace a vehicular lane with a buffered bicycle lane
Adding a buffered bicycle lane adds an amenity not found anywhere else in the city. It is also an opportunity for additional landscaping beyond the medians, and adds an additional buffer between vehicles and pedestriansWiden sidewalks and add seating in various locations
Although alone they may not increase pedestrian activity, they certainly make walking a more pleasant experience. Combined with the bicycle lane, pedestrians should feel good about walking the district. Also, seating should be added at various locations. This can be in the form of free-standing benches as well as seating built into retaining walls near intersections.Theme
Of course landscaping, lighting, paving, bus shelters, way finding and seating should be built around a theme for the district. My only recommendation is to choose a timeless theme and use timeless decorative features that will not look outdated in 10 years. A tropical look with lush landscaping as the main feature supported by lighting, paving and seating I think will fit well in this area surrounded by waterfront neighborhoods to the west, and wooded neighborhoods to the east. It will also be a nice, distinctive contrast to the harder-surfaced areas of 34th Street to the north.I may expound on these ideas more within this post. There are lots of good resources on Complete Streets. As planning moves forward, I highly recommend these be consulted.
But more to come on 34th Street South about potential funding mechanisms and other regulatory ideas.
34th Street South Redevelopment Revisited
So, before I get started, this will likely be a multi-post discussion.
Ok. With that said, let's get started. As some of you may know, the City of St. Petersburg has started an effort to create a redevelopment plan for 34th Street South. This is quite exciting, and long overdue. The stretch the city is looking at runs from 30th Avenue South to the Skyway Bridge. This stretch has great potential, but has some challenges. Here are my thoughts:
34th Street South is under capacity as a 6-lane major arterial. This is mainly due to three parallel routes within 10 blocks. I-275 runs right next to it, and serves as the main north-south route through the area. Also, to the east and west are 31st Street and 37th Street - 2-lane alternatives that also run the stretch of the area. These three all siphon potential traffic away from 34th Street South, as opposed to 34th Street North where 31st and 37th Streets do not run all the way through, and I-275 runs further to the east.
Residents want more retail. While the area has good demographics in terms of disposable income, retailers look at the stretch and likely do not see the traffic numbers they want to see to strongly consider the corridor.
This brings me to the second biggest obstacle - perception. Anything with "South" in the address has a negative perception. However, the neighborhoods surrounding this stretch of 34th Street South are solidly middle class, and in some cases upper class. They are also very racially and ethnically diverse area. They are also very stable - these are destination neighborhoods that families look to move into and stay. It is actually demographically comparable to the favored 4th Street North corridor that has seen much redevelopment over the last 10 years.
So what can be done to improve the area? How can the stretch draw traffic and change perception?
Let's start with the exciting stuff:
In the continuation, I'll discuss some of the easier things that can be done, like landscaping, lighting and sidewalk improvements as well as some ideas on how to financially incentivize redevelopment in the area. I'll also go back and add some photos to this post. Just wanted to get the ideas out there.
Thanks for reading!
Ok. With that said, let's get started. As some of you may know, the City of St. Petersburg has started an effort to create a redevelopment plan for 34th Street South. This is quite exciting, and long overdue. The stretch the city is looking at runs from 30th Avenue South to the Skyway Bridge. This stretch has great potential, but has some challenges. Here are my thoughts:
Challenges
The biggest obstacle to redevelopment, I believe is traffic, or should we say the lack thereof...34th Street South is under capacity as a 6-lane major arterial. This is mainly due to three parallel routes within 10 blocks. I-275 runs right next to it, and serves as the main north-south route through the area. Also, to the east and west are 31st Street and 37th Street - 2-lane alternatives that also run the stretch of the area. These three all siphon potential traffic away from 34th Street South, as opposed to 34th Street North where 31st and 37th Streets do not run all the way through, and I-275 runs further to the east.
Residents want more retail. While the area has good demographics in terms of disposable income, retailers look at the stretch and likely do not see the traffic numbers they want to see to strongly consider the corridor.
This brings me to the second biggest obstacle - perception. Anything with "South" in the address has a negative perception. However, the neighborhoods surrounding this stretch of 34th Street South are solidly middle class, and in some cases upper class. They are also very racially and ethnically diverse area. They are also very stable - these are destination neighborhoods that families look to move into and stay. It is actually demographically comparable to the favored 4th Street North corridor that has seen much redevelopment over the last 10 years.
So what can be done to improve the area? How can the stretch draw traffic and change perception?
Let's start with the exciting stuff:
Target large empty/underutilized tracts for specific redevelopment
There are three properties that I think are key to the redevelopment of 34th Street south: the old Econolodge site (cleared years ago and was once slated to become a Home Depot), the old Kmart property (currently serving as a flea market of sorts), and the old Maximo Mall site (currently a haphazard mix of uses from flea market to storage space). Rather than let the market totally decide, there should be a vision for what these properties can become, and city leaders should work with property owners to make this vision a reality. Here is what I think should be done with each of them:Econolodge site
While I would love to see it become part of a large major mixed-use development described in an earlier post, I think this would be a great site to redevelop as multi-family. Apartments are hot right now, and there has been no new product in southern St. Pete. This would be a great site for 300 units of market rate or mixed-income units, with two or three retail spaces fronting 34th Street to serve the apartment dwellers as well as the students and employees at St. Pete College and Ceridian. A Kawa Coffee and a sandwich shop would do well. New multi-family, particularly market rate, would help prove the desirability of the area. There are some local developers that would probably be interested in doing this, such as The 908 Development Group or The Wilson Group.Kmart Site
The old Kmart currently serves as a flea market space. While this serves a purpose, offering cheap space to small businesses, this is under-utilizing that site. This would be a great site to attract another employer to the stretch, to bring in another 200 to 300 workers to the area - a call center for one large employer would be a great economic booster, bringing much-needed jobs to the area, and providing more daytime customers to area restaurants. It could also be used as incubator space for small businesses, including another location for CoCreative. The strip at the corner of 34th Street and 38th Avenue should be leveled, and the outparcel marketed for a single-use restaurant or retail building.Maximo Mall site
This is another old shopping center that has essentially taken anything that will fill the space and pay the rent - part flea market, storage space and other low-traffic uses. This site I see as the perfect location for a "restaurant row" development similar to Orlando's Sand Lake Road. Now of course, it would not be nearly as upscale, but this would be the space to cluster the restaurants the neighborhood wants. I can see 3 to 5 larger restaurant pads at the rear of the site, with a strip directly along 34th Street with outdoor seating. Parking would be in the center of the site. The focus should be to draw familiar faces that people generally drive to Tyrone or Pinellas Park for, like Applebee's, Chilli's, Golden Coral (which would "clean up", as the say) and something simi-upscale like Bonefish Grill for the large pads, and maybe restaurants like 5 Guys, Moe's, Little Greek, Jersey Mike's or Chipotle fronting 34th Street.Stay tuned...
In the continuation, I'll discuss some of the easier things that can be done, like landscaping, lighting and sidewalk improvements as well as some ideas on how to financially incentivize redevelopment in the area. I'll also go back and add some photos to this post. Just wanted to get the ideas out there.
Thanks for reading!
BRT Alternative for Tampa Bay
So, it appears HART (Hillsborough Area Regional Transit) is moving forward with Tampa Bay's first bus rapid transit (BRT) line, which will connect north Tampa (USF, Fowler area) with Downtown Tampa called MetroRapid. It's not as exciting as light rail, but it is progress. Thinking about how residents may be reluctant to support rail, particular the extensive network I previously proposed on a previous post, I thought about an extension of MetroRapid into Westshore and across the bay into St. Petersbug. With the expansion of I-275 in west Tampa to include a large median for future transit and the rebuilding of the northbound Howard Franklin bridge to include a transit envelope, this may be a good time to move forward with such an initiative.
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| Eagan Transit Station, Eagan, MN |
This is how it would work. The new Howard Franklin northbound would include two to four additional lanes. I propose making these tolled express lanes for carpools and accessible by buses. These lanes would continue through west Tampa in the new large median of I-275, which is purposely designed for this purpose. On the Pinellas side, it would require the construction of additional lanes on I-275 from the MLK/Ulmerton interchange to downtown St. Pete. Into south St. Pete, convert one lane of I-275 into the carpool/bus lane. The combined BRT line would connect all the major employment/activity centers in the metro area.
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| Major retail redevelopment near Brooklyn Center Transit Station, Brooklyn Center, MN |
With this BRT line, new "transit centers" would be created in north Tampa, Seminole Heights area and Westshore in Tampa along with Gateway, downtown St. Pete and 22nd Avenue S/I-275 area in St. Pete. Each would be park-and-ride centers, but also destinations of their own with restaurants, retail and multifamily housing. I good example would be the various transit centers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area.
The political appeal would be in the creation of carpool lanes. So it still supports our preferred method of transportation, the car. However, it provides capacity for buses to move more quickly and with a higher frequency, similar to rail. Economically, it would benefit all, in that our major employment and activity centers become more accessible (e.g. a south St. Pete resident might apply for a job in Westshore if there was the option to park and ride from 22nd Avenue S across the bridge rather than drive). I think this is a viable alternative to rail, and one worth exploring.
South St. Pete Redevelopment Part II: 22nd Avenue and I-275
So, in South St. Pete Redevelopment Part I, we outlined a plan for the development of a major mixed-use center, primarily retail, for south St. Pete. The development of this retail center involved several key things, mainly the realignment of SPC facilities and the ability of the city and/or private developer to obtain control of several properties along the 34th Street South corridor. However, if/when all the pieces came together, a major center would be developed that would change 34th Street South and south St. Pete forever, for the better!
Now, the other major proposal for south St. Pete is the redevelopment of the 22nd Avenue S and I-275 interchange area. This proposal involves a major re-construction of the interchange to allow for major redevelopment around it. The goal is to create a walkable, mixed-use district (retail, housing and office) around a proposed transit station that spans both sides of I-275. The area currently includes a mix of strip shopping centers, and industrial center and single-family homes on dead-end streets. The redeveloped area creates greater connectivity within the area, and redevelops all properties into an urban mixed-use center.
The first step involves the reconstruction of the interchange at 22nd Avenue S and I-275. This concept involves combining the 22nd Avenue S and 26th Avenue S interchanges into one, with one-way frontage roads on each side of the interstate. The second step is building a bridge for a 24th Avenue S underpass under I-275. This creates additional connectivity, with 24th Avenue becoming the center and pain pedestrian pathway east and west.
The majority of the commercial space would be focused on 34th Street. On the east side of the street would be mixed-use buildings (dark red), 3 to 5-stories in height with retail at the base and office and/or residential on the floors above. On the west side of the street would be purely retail space (light red). All parking (light gray) would be in the rear of the buildings. The fronts would have generous sidewalks and landscaping to encourage walking.
East of I-275, the concept calls for an office-building (blue) of 5- to 7-stories. This could be used by one large company or several smaller companies, bringing much needed jobs to the area. This would be served by structured parking (dark gray) to the north, that would also be public parking for transit riders. To the south would be a mixed-income apartment building (purple) surrounding structured parking (dark gray). Further south, at 31st Street and 26th Avenue S, would be brand-name hotel (orange) to serve the area.
This mixed-use center, combined with the new major center to the south would completely transform 34th Street S and lead to further redevelopment throughout south St. Pete.
Now, the other major proposal for south St. Pete is the redevelopment of the 22nd Avenue S and I-275 interchange area. This proposal involves a major re-construction of the interchange to allow for major redevelopment around it. The goal is to create a walkable, mixed-use district (retail, housing and office) around a proposed transit station that spans both sides of I-275. The area currently includes a mix of strip shopping centers, and industrial center and single-family homes on dead-end streets. The redeveloped area creates greater connectivity within the area, and redevelops all properties into an urban mixed-use center.
The first step involves the reconstruction of the interchange at 22nd Avenue S and I-275. This concept involves combining the 22nd Avenue S and 26th Avenue S interchanges into one, with one-way frontage roads on each side of the interstate. The second step is building a bridge for a 24th Avenue S underpass under I-275. This creates additional connectivity, with 24th Avenue becoming the center and pain pedestrian pathway east and west.
The majority of the commercial space would be focused on 34th Street. On the east side of the street would be mixed-use buildings (dark red), 3 to 5-stories in height with retail at the base and office and/or residential on the floors above. On the west side of the street would be purely retail space (light red). All parking (light gray) would be in the rear of the buildings. The fronts would have generous sidewalks and landscaping to encourage walking.
East of I-275, the concept calls for an office-building (blue) of 5- to 7-stories. This could be used by one large company or several smaller companies, bringing much needed jobs to the area. This would be served by structured parking (dark gray) to the north, that would also be public parking for transit riders. To the south would be a mixed-income apartment building (purple) surrounding structured parking (dark gray). Further south, at 31st Street and 26th Avenue S, would be brand-name hotel (orange) to serve the area.
This mixed-use center, combined with the new major center to the south would completely transform 34th Street S and lead to further redevelopment throughout south St. Pete.
South St. Pete Redevelopment Part I: New 34th Street South Mixed-Use Center
Sometimes redevelopment requires the buy-in, cooperation and coordination of several entities. This may be particularly true in areas that have suffered from disinvestment, and municipalities have taken an "anything is better than nothing" approach, allowing entities to come in with projects, oftentimes with very little coordination or thought for the future. Such is the case with southern St. Petersburg. The area has several areas that are ripe for redevelopment. However, there has been no real, compelling vision for the future to guide development. As such, we have ended up with poorly planned areas.
Our former mayor, Rick Baker, had a vision of a seamless city, where all parts of the city had the same types of amenities (shopping, restaurants, post offices, banks, parks). However, his vision, although good on its merits, in execution seemed to be about bringing suburban-style development to parts of the city that, although neglected or overlooked, should be developed in a more urban way.
With that said, I have a vision for two major redevelopment projects for south St. Pete that I will discuss over the next two blog posts. This first development is aimed at addressing the lack of quality retail and restaurants on the south side. This type of development has eluded or avoided the south side, mainly out of perception of a poor, crime-ridden area, when really this only applies to certain parts, and not the whole. At any rate, the south side needs a major shopping and dining destination.
So my proposal is to redevelop the land currently used by St. Petersburg College, a recently closed assisted living facility and the recently demolished old EconoLodge Hotel (once planned to be a home depot). These lots represent the last large lots along 34th Street, the main commercial thoroughfare through the south side of town. However, the vision is not to build more typical strip centers. The vision is for a multi-story retail center, with supporting residential developments. Below is a plan for the combined properties.
The red portion below is the current home to St. Petersburg College Allstate Campus. This will be the multi-story indoor retail center, similar to the Bronx Terminal Market. It will have big box retailers, such as Target, Best Buy and Marshalls, junior anchors like DSW Shoe Warehouse and Bed Bath & Beyond, smaller mall stores, such as Lane Bryant, Jimmy Jazz and Gamestop, a few fast-food restaurants, and a family entertainment center like Dave & Busters.
The purple is a family apartment complex in the 5 to 7 story range. Similar to the Vintage Lofts at West Tampa or the Fusion 1560 apartments in downtown St. Pete
The orange is a senior housing building, in the 10 to 15 story range. The grey sections are structured parking that would serve both the retail and the residential buildings.
The retail would serve a s a regional shopping destination for southern St. Petersburg, as well as the beach communities, where there is no major shopping. It may also draw from other parts of the city that can more easily reach this center as opposed to centers to the north and west. The residential would meet a need for affordable senior housing. The family housing I envisions as mixed-income to appeal to young families and even young professionals. Eventually, I see this as a destination stop along an expanded light rail system.
To accomplish this would require lots of pieces to come together. First, my vision for a redeveloped Tropicana Field would need to happen. St. Petersburg College could then move its Health Science center to downtown, move its criminal justice center from the Allstate Center to the current location of the Health Science Center in Pinellas Park, and sell the Allstate Center to the developer of this new development (or the City of St. Petersburg to deed over to the developer). The owners of the other properties would also need to sell their properties to the developer or to the City to deed to a developer.
In conclusion, this new mixed-use center would breath new life and ultimately change the image of south St. Pete, making it an attractive place to settle in, raise a family, and even retire. The next post, we'll talk about a vision for further north along 34th Street, at the 22nd Ave S intersection. This is another major development involving a lot of moving parts. However, the two of these together will transform the south side, and open its potential for redevelopment.
Our former mayor, Rick Baker, had a vision of a seamless city, where all parts of the city had the same types of amenities (shopping, restaurants, post offices, banks, parks). However, his vision, although good on its merits, in execution seemed to be about bringing suburban-style development to parts of the city that, although neglected or overlooked, should be developed in a more urban way.
With that said, I have a vision for two major redevelopment projects for south St. Pete that I will discuss over the next two blog posts. This first development is aimed at addressing the lack of quality retail and restaurants on the south side. This type of development has eluded or avoided the south side, mainly out of perception of a poor, crime-ridden area, when really this only applies to certain parts, and not the whole. At any rate, the south side needs a major shopping and dining destination.
So my proposal is to redevelop the land currently used by St. Petersburg College, a recently closed assisted living facility and the recently demolished old EconoLodge Hotel (once planned to be a home depot). These lots represent the last large lots along 34th Street, the main commercial thoroughfare through the south side of town. However, the vision is not to build more typical strip centers. The vision is for a multi-story retail center, with supporting residential developments. Below is a plan for the combined properties.
 |
| The New 34th Street South Mixed-Use Center |
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| Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market |
The dark red is what I call "restaurant row". This would be the location of several sit-down restaurants, something sorely lacking on the south side. I envision Applebees, TGI Fridays, Chillis, Chipotle, Noodles & Co (a newcomer), Red Lobster and a Golden Coral (which would be hugely popular).
The purple is a family apartment complex in the 5 to 7 story range. Similar to the Vintage Lofts at West Tampa or the Fusion 1560 apartments in downtown St. Pete
 |
| Vintage Lofts at West Tampa |
The orange is a senior housing building, in the 10 to 15 story range. The grey sections are structured parking that would serve both the retail and the residential buildings.
The retail would serve a s a regional shopping destination for southern St. Petersburg, as well as the beach communities, where there is no major shopping. It may also draw from other parts of the city that can more easily reach this center as opposed to centers to the north and west. The residential would meet a need for affordable senior housing. The family housing I envisions as mixed-income to appeal to young families and even young professionals. Eventually, I see this as a destination stop along an expanded light rail system.
To accomplish this would require lots of pieces to come together. First, my vision for a redeveloped Tropicana Field would need to happen. St. Petersburg College could then move its Health Science center to downtown, move its criminal justice center from the Allstate Center to the current location of the Health Science Center in Pinellas Park, and sell the Allstate Center to the developer of this new development (or the City of St. Petersburg to deed over to the developer). The owners of the other properties would also need to sell their properties to the developer or to the City to deed to a developer.
In conclusion, this new mixed-use center would breath new life and ultimately change the image of south St. Pete, making it an attractive place to settle in, raise a family, and even retire. The next post, we'll talk about a vision for further north along 34th Street, at the 22nd Ave S intersection. This is another major development involving a lot of moving parts. However, the two of these together will transform the south side, and open its potential for redevelopment.
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