In my previous writeup about the potential for redeveloping the Gas Plant District, I
touched on the boundaries of what is downtown. The zoning map shows the Downtown
Center (DC) Zoning boundaries as this (areas highlighted in red):
Overlaying the DC Zoning onto the Intown CRA Map you can see how much more area is covered by the Downtown Center Land Development Regulations than are covered by the Intown Redevelopment Guidelines:
Lastly, looking at the special overlay districts such as the Target Employment Center (TEC) Overlay that was recently approved for the 22nd Street Sunrunner Station as well as the Intown Activity Center, there are different boundaries again:
I only show these maps to reinforce the lack of consistency of what constitutes the Downtown Center as none of the boundaries match with one another.
Within these boundaries are the Edge Business District (between the 1st Avenues from MLK St to 16th Street), the Waterfront Museum District, the Central Arts District, and a few blocks of the Grand Central District (begins at 16th Street). Touching these districts are the Innovation District to the south of downtown and the Warehouse Arts District to the west of downtown. The Deuces Live District runs along 22nd Street and while it doesn’t directly abut the Downtown Center zoning districts, the proximity and importance of this district, specifically as it relates to the Gas Plant Redevelopment, should be considered in this exercise as well.
Maybe it’s time to clean this up? Maybe as a City we can better define what the downtown center is and align that zoning with the business and arts districts that it encompasses? Currently the DC Zoning stops at I-275, which is around 18th Street, while the delineation for the Edge Business District and the Grand Central District is 16th Street. Maybe it’s time to align those district boundaries.
Likewise, the Intown Activity Center boundaries go south all the way to Salt Creek and it encompasses the area around Jamestown and Methodist Town neighborhoods. According to the City’s Comprehensive Plan, the City may permit additional densities and intensities in Activity Centers. According to LU2.2 in the Comprehensive Plan the City shall concentrate growth in designated Activity Centers and prioritize infrastructure improvements. How do the goals of the comprehensive plan align with that of the current zoning? Maybe it’s time to look at historically under zoned areas and bring them into compliance with the long range goals of the City that are stated in the Comprehensive Plan?
Lastly, for purposes of this article, the County owned parking lots for Tropicana field at the southwest corner of the overall property could add an extra 11 acres to the redevelopment of the Gas Plant District. More importantly, those 11 acres bring connectivity to the Warehouse Arts District and bring this project to within a couple of blocks of the Deuces Live District. If we get the opportunity to look at the potential redevelopment of Tropicana Field again, maybe it’s the perfect opportunity to bring our County partners in for potential inclusion of their lots into the overall development?
The 3 interstates in St. Pete geographically define our Downtown Center, with I-175 being the southern boundary, I-275 as the western boundary, and I-375 as the northern boundary. The Intown Activity Center aligns with this geographically. It’s time to reevaluate the Land Development Regulations and make them consistent with the Comprehensive Plan and define the boundaries of downtown.