St. Pete Commons | Start With the Park

The idea is simple: start with the park.

At 86 acres, the Trop site is the largest downtown piece of land our city will ever get to shape. Instead of handing it to a single developer, the city keeps the land, sets aside a 30-acre public park at its heart, modeled on the amazing 50-acre Boston Common park, sets aside parcels for public uses decided on by the community, and sells the remaining parcels to multiple developers at fair prices. The parcel land sale proceeds would be applied to fund the park and road infrastructure development, fund a trust to maintain the park forever, and support other priorities identified by the city. Build the park first and the whole city wins.

acres of public park

the size of Vinoy Park

3×

the size of North Straub Park

5×

years our parks legacy has grown

125

Five reasons to start with the park

See the park at night, or by day

Most of the renders below have a daytime and an after-dark version. Tap Night to light the park up, Day to bring the sun back.

Start with a 30-acre, community-designed park

Rendering of shaded walking and biking trails along the creek at St. Pete Commons, with joggers and cyclists crossing a footbridge. — Artist’s conception. The community will design the park.

Rendering of the creek-side trails at St. Pete Commons at dusk, lit by lamp posts and string lights. — Artist’s conception. The community will design the park.

Think Boston Common, or New York’s Central Park: great public spaces that belong to everyone. St. Petersburg Commons would be roughly three times the size of Vinoy Park and five times North Straub Park, and its features would come from residents, not a boardroom: playgrounds, splash pads, amphitheater, fountains, gardens, live music, farmers markets, sidewalk cafés, a walk-up coffee kiosk, and welcoming gathering spaces. Free to enjoy, whatever your budget, because our green space is what makes St. Pete special. The St. Petersburg Commons will benefit and attract people from throughout our city, north, south, east and west.

Restore the street grid

Site plan of the 30-acre St. Pete Commons park on the west side of the Trop site with Booker Creek running through it, development parcels to the east, and the restored street grid connecting in every direction. — Concept site plan by REP Architects. The community will design the park.

For decades this land has been a sea of parking, walled off from the neighborhoods around it. Reopening the old street grid means you can walk, bike, or drive straight into the district from every direction, and it becomes a seamless, living part of downtown again.

Save room for the community’s own places

Rendering of an elegant modern museum building at the edge of St. Pete Commons, with banners, palm trees, and families walking toward the entrance across the park lawn. — Artist’s conception. The community will design the park.

Rendering of the museum at St. Pete Commons at dusk, glass facade glowing warmly over the park lawn. — Artist’s conception. The community will design the park.

After the park is created and the road grid is put in place there remains roughly 46 acres of land divided into an estimated 20 parcels. Before a single parcel is sold, the city and community decide upon and set aside parcels for places that belong to all of us: museums, arts and cultural spaces, performance venues, parking, or others. That’s how this plan keeps trust with the community: the public park and other community assets come first.

Sell the remaining parcels at fair market value

Rendering of a wide open lawn at St. Pete Commons with families relaxing under live oaks and palms. — Artist’s conception. The community will design the park.

Rendering of the great lawn at St. Pete Commons at twilight, with families picnicking under string lights and lit towers beyond. — Artist’s conception. The community will design the park.

Once the park, streets, and community spaces are established, the city, which keeps ownership and control of the land, sells the remaining parcels to multiple developers, not one master developer, at fair market value. That’s a fair deal for taxpayers, and it opens the door to new homes, hotels, offices, and ground-floor shops, restaurants, and sidewalk cafés, built well. This is pro-park and pro-progress: density done right downtown, balanced by green space that belongs to everyone.

Put the proceeds to work for the whole city

Rendering of a sidewalk café and walk-up coffee kiosk in front of a building at St. Pete Commons, with tables under colorful umbrellas along a brick path. — Artist’s conception. The community will design the park.

Rendering of the walk-up coffee kiosk at St. Pete Commons in the evening, awning lit warmly with neighbors gathered at café tables. — Artist’s conception. The community will design the park.

Every dollar from those land sales goes back to the community: paying for the park, streets and infrastructure, funding a long-term trust that maintains the park forever, and supporting priorities identified by the community, with benefits that reach far beyond the site itself. A park that pays its own way, and land that keeps giving back for generations.

Imagine what we could build together

Every image below is an artist’s conception. The real park will be designed by the community.

See the park at night, or by day

Nearly every picture below has an after-dark twin. Tap Night to see the park lit up, Day to bring the sun back.