New 12 Story Hotel Approved on St. Pete Beach

The Sugar Sands Resort is Coming To St. Pete Beach

This new 12-story resort coming to St. Pete Beach has been proposed by the TradeWinds Resorts and spans across 3 acres of beachfront property and features a parking garage. Also, this hotel would be the first major redevelopment project in more than 10 years.

The TradeWinds CEO Tim Bogott says, “We are really excited. The last major project in the city was in 1999 when the Sirata added its tower”.

What will the new Hotel coming to St. Pete Beach be called?

The new Hotel will be called the “Sugar Sands at TradeWinds Island Resorts on St. Pete Beach”

Where will the new Hotel be located?

The Sugar Sands will be build where the 200-room Coral Reef Hotel was located. The hotel was condemned by the city and purchased by the TradeWinds in 2014. This location is in the Large Resort and Gulf Boulevard Community Redevelopment zoning districts.

When will the new hotel be complete?

Plans call for the project construction and sewer renovations to begin this summer. Both the sewer work and the Sugar Sands are targeted for completion by the end of 2018.

How much will the Sugar Sands Resort Cost?

Sources say that the construction of this resort will cost between $60 million – $70 million.

What will the new hotel on St. Pete Beach include?

The Sugar Sands will cost an estimated $55 million and will include 217 hotel rooms, an 810-space multi-story parking garage, a timeshare sales center, a spa and fitness center, a marketing office, a bar and a reception area. The hotel will also include a 12-story tower at the rear.

Can the City’s infrastructure handle another hotel of this size?

According to Cynthia Tarapani, a certified planner with Florida Design Consultants, the project falls within the current allowable density for the area, which is 75 units per acre.

The location of this project places it in the Large Resort and Gulf Boulevard Community Redevelopment zoning districts. This means that it will be subject to the conditions set forth by a settlement agreement that St. Pete Beach signed last year when local resident Jim Anderson sued to block development, claiming it would be beyond the capabilities of the City’s sewer system and other infrastructure.

As part of the deal with the city, the owners of the TradeWinds will contribute $6 million in sewer system improvements from 55th Avenue northward. A certificate of occupancy for Sugar Sands will not be issued until the sewer work is complete.

“If new redevelopment is not allowed to occur, then as older properties reach the end of their economic life, they will be forced to convert to residential condominiums,” Bogott said. “That will result in a loss of tourism and transient lodging units, significantly eroding the county’s tax base.”

Contents of this article were gathered from the Tampa Bay Times and the Beach Beacon.

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