A stretch beneath Interstate 275 that is now mostly asphalt and parking could become a major new public space in St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n
The proposed Trails Crossing would turn roughly 12 acres beneath and alongside the interstate near Central Avenue into parks, trails and gathering spaces, with playgrounds, public art, markets, event space and a pedestrian and bicycle route along 18th Street.<\/p>\n
The project would stretch from Fifth Avenue South to Burlington Avenue North, with a possible future extension to Fifth Avenue North. The Pinellas Trail cuts through the middle.<\/p>\n
Getting there could take a decade and an estimated $55 million.<\/p>\n
St. Petersburg\u2019s Public Services and Infrastructure Committee got a detailed look at the draft master plan Thursday and agreed it could move toward the full City Council without another committee review.<\/p>\n
The concept reached City Council in 2022. The city later hired LandDesign to develop a master plan and agreed to split planning costs with the nonprofit Friends of Trails Crossing.<\/p>\n
John Barkett, co-founder and president of Friends of Trails Crossing, said the idea was never simply to dress up the underside of an interstate.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s more than a park,\u201d Barkett said. \u201cIt\u2019s a trailhead. It\u2019s a pedestrian trail. It\u2019s a way to safely get St. Pete residents up and down to the Pinellas Trail and along the Pinellas Trail safely.\u201d<\/p>\n
Designs divide the long, narrow property into different areas. The southern end would include green space, public art and room for performances. Near Central Avenue, a lawn and plaza could handle larger events. Farther north, plans call for a children\u2019s playground and water feature.<\/p>\n
The project would also remake 18th Street with safer crossings and a roughly 16-foot-wide corridor for people walking and biking.<\/p>\n
That north-south connection caught the attention of Councilmember Copley Gerdes, who said it could become increasingly important as the Historic Gas Plant District is redeveloped east of the interstate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe other thing that I really like is we\u2019re creating another very intentional connection south, which we should be doing on the Gas Plant,\u201d Gerdes said. \u201cCreating a second connection there is a really big deal to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Designers also went backward before drawing what might come next.<\/p>\n
A 1923 Sanborn map shows houses and outbuildings lining the west side of 18th Street before the interstate occupied the area. The master plan traces some of those former building footprints into the park, where they could appear as planters, gathering areas and play structures.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe started out by looking at the historic maps,\u201d said Ken Smith, LandDesign\u2019s principal landscape architect. \u201cThe 1923 Sanborn map that we got from the university showed \u2026 all of the houses and outbuildings that were on the west side of 18th Street at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Turning those drawings into a park presents a more immediate problem: St. Petersburg doesn\u2019t own most of the land.<\/p>\n
The property beneath I-275 belongs to the Florida Department of Transportation. The city has controlled the lots through an agreement with FDOT since the 1970s, but that agreement would have to be changed to accommodate Trails Crossing.<\/p>\n
Councilmember Mike Harting asked how the city could be sure FDOT would continue allowing the property to be used years into the future.<\/p>\n
Transportation Director Evan Mory said FDOT has participated in the planning process and reviewed the proposal without raising major concerns.<\/p>\n
\u201cNegotiating an agreement with them will be a pretty heavy lift,\u201d Mory said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve had one with them since the 1970s where the city\u2019s controlled these lots. So the idea is that they would likely be amenable to doing that into the future.\u201d<\/p>\n
The city also has an existing business to work around. Vertical Ventures, the climbing gym along the Pinellas Trail, relies on parking beneath the interstate.<\/p>\n
Mory said the city has negotiated a five-year agreement with Vertical Ventures that is awaiting final FDOT approval. Early phases would preserve some of the company\u2019s parking.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think everybody wants this to happen, but nobody wants it to happen at the cost of what is, I think, a thriving business,\u201d Gerdes said. \u201cNow it gives them time to figure it out.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then there is the $55 million question.<\/p>\n
The first two pieces are estimated at roughly $23 million combined, followed by phases estimated at $16 million and $15 million. No funding package is in place for the entire project.<\/p>\n
When Harting asked how it could be funded, Mory said grants would likely play a major role, while city funding could also come before council in future budgets. Barkett said Friends of Trails Crossing would pursue other funding sources as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cFunding is coming from all buckets,\u201d Barkett said.<\/p>\n
The finished park is envisioned as more than a city-maintained neighborhood park. Consultants have recommended a public-private model in which Friends of Trails Crossing or another nonprofit could help operate and maintain a space designed for regular markets, festivals and other programming.<\/p>\n
Councilmember Richie Floyd said those arrangements will require closer scrutiny as the project moves forward, particularly around management and public access.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s going to be something I\u2019m interested in,\u201d Floyd said, adding that the city needs \u201ca real firm grasp on how issues will be handled and access will be handled.\u201d<\/p>\n
The committee did not approve construction or commit $55 million Thursday. Its direction allows the master plan to proceed to the full City Council, while agreements with FDOT and the nonprofit and the search for construction funding would follow.<\/p>\n
For Barkett, the ambitions extend beyond the park itself. He pointed to potential pedestrian connections farther south toward Johns Hopkins Middle School, Campbell Park and Booker Creek, part of a broader effort to improve north-south connections across the city.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve really stitched back together all of it and not just downtown,\u201d Barkett said. \u201cWe\u2019ve stitched South St. Pete back into downtown.\u201d<\/p>\n
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