ST. PETE BEACH — City commissioners unanimously approved a conditional use permit for the mixed-use Corey Landings condominium project after the developer agreed to a series of requests made during an earlier hearing.

The commission also unanimously approved allocating up to 25 residential units from the city’s Residential Unit Density Pool Reserve. Under the agreement, the developer returned 150 units allocated to the project under a different developer in 2022, resulting in a net return of 125 residential density pool units.

Before the vote, Mayor Adrian Petrila said, “For anyone looking to do something on St. Pete Beach, take a look at what this applicant is doing, and it gives you a good idea.”

Senior Planner Brandon Berry said a revised development agreement was negotiated between City Manager Fran Robustelli, staff and the developer over the past two weeks.

At an Oct. 14 hearing, the case was continued when commissioners presented the developer, KT Corey Ave., with a list of requested items.

Corey Landings is envisioned as a 133-unit residential condominium mixed-use project at the eastern end of Corey Avenue. It would include an 11,000-square-foot commercial area, a 4,500-square-foot restaurant, a 39-slip dock mainly for condo residents, and a public park.

Berry said major changes resulting from negotiations include:

• A one-time $150,000 contribution toward park maintenance and the cost of designing and constructing a park shade structure, independent of park impact fees. Amenities in the proposed park will include picnic tables in a pavilion.

• A one-time $100,000 contribution toward traffic calming, paid at the time of certificate of occupancy for the first mixed-use building, independent of transportation impact fees.

• Up to $250,000 for pipelining and manhole repairs between the project site and Pump Station 1, excluding the segment between the project and Boca Ciega Drive, which will be replaced. This cost also excludes sewer connection contributions that will be paid based on total unit count and square footage of commercial space.

• A preconstruction survey of road conditions along the construction traffic route, with repairs for any damage that exceeds normal wear and tear.

• Eight of the 39 Class A dock slips designated for transient use by visitors, with one containing a kayak launch if permitted by regulatory agencies. Each nonresidential boat slip will cost the developer more than $1 million in potential revenue from condo owners. The mayor had suggested more public boat slips would be a nice amenity.

• At Commissioner Lisa Robinson’s request, staff will contact the Florida Department of Transportation before issuing a certificate of concurrency to determine if extending the turn lane west of the Corey Causeway onto Mangrove Street is necessary. Robinson said she remains concerned about the development’s traffic impact.

The mayor said the city has seen its share of development proposals, but future developers should take note of the way KT Corey Ave. conducted itself through the process.

“The project that they came forward with gives you a good sense of what the community’s actually looking for — having permanent residents and condos versus transient apartments,” he said. “That’s something the community overwhelmingly seems to support. The reduction in density is certainly very much appreciated.”

Petrila added that while every developer presents attractive architecture, “more importantly are the community benefits.”

“Rarely do we have people come in and say, ‘Let’s be partners in this community because we want to be invested in this community. Here’s how we want to contribute,'” he said. “While I appreciate the monetary contribution as much as anyone does, I think there are intangible components that for the long term are worth far more to the community and to me — having a park that the community can use on a property that has been essentially useless for 20-plus years, having boat slips that the community can use that can benefit the businesses on Corey Avenue. These are lasting impacts.”

Commissioner Jon Maldonado said he was pleased to hear the developer’s comments “that they were looking at this as more than just a business transaction. That’s something that’s important to the community at large and certainly much appreciated.”

Berry noted the developer reduced the proposed unit count from 162 to 133 residential condominiums. The applicant also reduced the retail building size from 8,500 square feet to 6,000 square feet while increasing the restaurant square footage from 4,000 to 4,500 square feet.

Commissioner Karen Marriott said the project has received positive feedback.

“What I’ve heard from the public at meetings and around town is that people are by and large for it,” she said. “I know the folks that have businesses on Corey Avenue are very excited to have something like this happen at the end of Corey — to turn an area that right now is kind of nothing into something.”