A scaled-back proposal to redevelop the Tierra Verde Marina has been submitted to the city of St. Petersburg after residents pushed back against an earlier plan last
TIERRA VERDE, Fla. — A proposed redevelopment of the Tierra Verde Marina that sparked strong pushback from residents last year is back on the table.
The developer has submitted a revised plan they say addresses community concerns while still modernizing the aging marina.
The updated proposal reduces the size and height of the project compared to the plan residents saw last fall, but it would still significantly expand dry boat storage at the marina. The developer says that expansion is needed as boating continues to grow in Pinellas County.
After pulling its original proposal last fall amid community backlash, Greenleaf Capital has submitted a new application to redevelop the 40-year-old Tierra Verde Marina.
The revised plan focuses on modernizing the marina and expanding dry boat storage, but at a smaller scale than what was previously proposed.
“What we heard consistently from the residents was please bring the height down within the code,” said Rick Kriseman, spokesman for Greenleaf Capital.
Under the new proposal, two additional dry-rack buildings would bring the marina’s total dry storage capacity to about 500 boats, down from the more than 700 spaces proposed in the previous version.
The maximum building height would also drop from 90 feet to 72 feet, and the project would move forward as one phase instead of two.
Greenleaf says those changes came directly from community feedback.
“We took that information and pulled the application off the table and reworked it in a way that still is within the code and listened to the residents but also makes the project still make operational sense,” Kriseman said.
The plan also includes public-facing features, including retail space and a three-story “Harbor House” with a restaurant and bar overlooking the water.
Developers say expanding dry storage addresses growing demand from boat owners in Pinellas County.
Kriseman said the developer has not yet met with community groups about the latest proposal but plans to do so.
“There was no point in meeting with anyone until we’d made some decisions. We knew what their concerns were because we’d had a number of meetings,” Kriseman said.
Kriseman also said the project is fully within the city’s code and the developer plans to move forward.
“I don’t see them withdrawing it,” he said.
Members of the residents group Tierra Verde NEXT, which opposed the last plan, said they have not yet had a chance to review the new proposal in depth. In a statement, the group said they have concerns and that “many statements appear misleading or materially inconsistent with documented facts.”
The group said it plans to have a more in-depth response Thursday.
The project is scheduled to go before St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission on May 6. If approved, permitting could take six to nine months, with construction expected to take at least a year.