The property is also located within the Downtown St. Petersburg National Register Historic District, bounded by 5th Avenue North, Beach Drive, Central Avenue, and 9th Street North.
While all seven existing buildings are considered “contributing” to the district, that designation does not protect them from demolition, as none are individually designated historic landmarks at the local or national level.
Preserve the Burg Executive Director Manny Leto was among a handful of speakers and also submitted a letter to the Development Review Commission, writing, “We believe this project proposes to demolish more contributing structures to the Downtown National Register District than any other previously approved development that we can recall.”
“Regarding the scale of the proposal, Commissioners should consider how approval of this 200-foot-plus project, proposed within the midst of three National Register historic districts, could alter the neighborhood’s predominantly low-rise character,” the letter continued.