Onyx+East wins development rights for landmark St. Petersburg church

Church and state might have remained separate but they were nevertheless on the same side of an infill development that aims to bring 60 units of housing to a 5-acre patch of the Old Pasadena enclave.

The St. Petersburg City Council overrode its own Community Planning and Preservation Commission to approve the project proposed by Onyx+East, the Tampa Bay Business Journal reported. 

The Indianapolis-based developer has a deal to buy the land for the project from Pasadena Community Church, a historic institution in the city.

The church plans to use the undisclosed amount Onyx+East will pay for the parcel to renovate various buildings and relocate a preschool it operates.

The green light to add 60 units of what is billed as missing middle housing — 40 apartments and 20 single-family homes — on the nearly 100-year-old church campus near Pinellas Trail drew significant outcry from residents of the area. Opponents submitted a petition with 641 signatures objecting to a zoning change to enable the project. City Council members heard from parades of speakers on both sides of the issue.

The City Council took up the rezoning application after the Planning and Preservation Commission denied the developer’s request by a 7-0 vote in May. The City Council needed a two-thirds vote in favor to override the prior decision, which it hit with a 5-2 tally in favor of the zone change.

“We’re not talking about a tall condo building,” City Councilmember Gina Driscoll said. “This is the type of moderate density increase that we’ve talked about and that I have supported all the way.”

The city has given Onyx+East “marching orders” to make sure the project fits well with the existing design and atmosphere of the Old Pasadena neighborhood.

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