St. Pete-Clearwater Sun

Residents of Tierra Verde turned out Tuesday for a community town hall to voice continued opposition to a revised redevelopment proposal for the Tierra Verde Marina, making clear that scaled-back plans from developer Greenleaf Capital have not satisfied their concerns.

Tampa-based Greenleaf Capital, the real estate division of HCI Group Inc., is seeking approval from the City of St. Petersburg to overhaul the 40-year-old marina at 100 Pinellas Bayway South. The approximately $33 million proposal calls for two new dry storage racks, a new restaurant, bar, pool, and marina office, while eliminating the existing retail plaza. The revised plan would add 173 dry storage spots, bringing the total capacity to 500.

The most recent revision reduced the height of the proposed dry storage racks from 90 feet to 72 feet, a change the developer said reflected community feedback. Former St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman, now a spokesman for Greenleaf Capital, said the aging marina is in need of significant upgrades and that the project addresses growing demand for boat storage, particularly in the wake of recent hurricanes.

Residents and members of the nonprofit advocacy group Tierra Verde Next say the changes do not go far enough. Melanie Coleman Simon, the group’s director, said the structures would still be too tall and visually out of place in a residential community. Residents also raised concerns about traffic, hurricane preparedness, and the loss of the retail center, which previously housed businesses where community members shopped and worked. Tierra Verde Next has characterized several of the developer’s public statements as misleading and expressed total opposition to the current application.

The St. Petersburg Development Review Commission is scheduled to hear the case on May 6.

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