Stuart Rogel, President and CEO of Graylan Ventures, chaired the first-ever Tampa Bay Urban Land Institute (ULI) Technical Assistance Panel (TAP) to address a critical neighborhood need for the transformational South St. Petersburg community.
The panel was sponsored by the City of St. Petersburg and the property owner, Brixmor Property Group.
to explore current and future opportunities for Skyway Plaza, an underutilized neighborhood retail center located in the southernmost portion of the City of St. Petersburg, Florida.
Working with ULI’s Tampa Bay District Council, Rogel assembled a group of accomplished ULI members with expertise in development, market analysis, neighborhood planning and design for an intensive two-day workshop to address reuse and redevelopment opportunities for the 10-acre site and surrounding community. Rogel worked with ULI staff, the city, property owners and community leaders through the months of March and April to prepare for the panel which was conducted onsite on May 4 & 5, 2017.
Questions the sponsors asked the TAP panel included:
- What is the highest and best use for the property? What does the market dictate? Is retail viable and if so, what kinds?
- What are the future redevelopment opportunities for the site, particularly in relation to the surrounding neighborhoods?
- What steps need to be taken to successfully revitalize the site?
The panel identified three thematic use categories for Skyway Plaza that can spur future development, evolve over time and promote gradual growth at a pace the market can support.
- Food
- Health
- Innovation
To bring these themes to reality, the panel provided development scenarios for short-term, temporary uses to create immediate place making, mid-term reuses for stage setting and long-term redevelopment to fully realize the vision for the center and surrounding community.
Under Rogel’s guidance, the panel also prepared tangible next steps to assist the property owner, city and community to successfully revitalize and redevelop the site. These recommendations included renaming, branding and marketing the property as well as infrastructure investments, design guidelines and a detailed action plan.
The final recommendations were presented to the community by Rogel and the team at a public presentation on May 5th. A detailed written report and action plan was delivered to the city and property owner on July 18, 2017. The city is currently incorporating the report’s findings into neighborhood and city plans and organizing a task force to redevelop the site. With Rogel’s guidance, ULI will continue to assist and advise, as needed, to ensure the project’s success.
For more information about this project or to read the entire report, click HERE.