Hurricane Helene flooded the existing homes at 421 15th Ave. S. in St. Petersburg. All images: Screengrabs, city documents.
A developer will soon demolish several storm-damaged, 101-year-old apartments to build an environmentally resilient complex in the Bartlett Park neighborhood of South St. Petersburg.
The city’s Development Review Commission approved the approximately $2 million project at 421 15th Ave. S. on Wednesday. St. Petersburg-based Storyn Studio for Architecture designed the new 11-unit community, which encompasses two buildings around a shared courtyard with a water feature.
Local developer Jamie Duncan of Cowabungalows, LLC, purchased the .23-acre property in 2022 and subsequently completed multiple improvements. However, Hurricane Helene inundated what is now known as The Burg’ Bungalows in late September 2024.
Braydon Evans, a principal planner who spoke on the developer’s behalf at the hearing, said the aging, 11-foot-tall structures received five feet of water. “Unfortunately, the buildings weren’t able to be resuscitated after the storm.”
The developer will elevate residences in the new 32-foot-tall buildings, which remain well below the 48-foot maximum zoning allowance. Several commissioners credited the project for maintaining the surrounding neighborhood’s character while mitigating flood risks.
“I actually think this project is really a unicorn, and I applaud the development team,” said Commissioner Will Conroy.
“When you think about the hardening of our housing stock, raising things out of the flood zone … and you’ve pulled parking on-site, which is always a conversation that we have with these types of developments, and you agreed to improve the alley – I think this is an outstanding project.”
St. Petersburg-based Storyn Studio for Architecture designed the new buildings.
The complex will feature studio, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom apartments with street-facing balconies. Amenities include a bicycle locker room to promote multimodal transportation and self-storage space.
A city building official said the developer would eventually install a pool. The development will provide nine parking spaces rather than the eight required by code.
While current zoning only permits three units, the developer can maintain the previously allowed density and build 11 new apartments. The commission also approved variances to front, side, and rear setbacks – the required distance between a structure and roads or property lines.
The development team could have met the setback requirements by constructing one significantly taller building than the two they proposed, Evans said. “We weren’t able to design it in a way that was complementary to the existing structures.”
A map of the area.
Commissioner Sarah Jane Vatelot appreciated the developer’s sensitivity to the surrounding neighborhood, which primarily consists of older homes that remain below the current floodplain. “I think this is a thoughtful application,” she said.
Some of her colleagues did not share the same sentiment. Commissioner Michael Kiernan, who passes the site several times weekly, said he felt conflicted due to setback concerns.
He also thought, “This is what the area could really use – it will kickstart it, I think,” and ultimately approved the project. Commissioner Charles Flynt, who noted that other new multifamily developments in the area have complied with setback requirements, cast the sole opposing vote.
“I understand they’re grandfathered – they have the right to build 11 units on the property,” Flynt said of the proposed project. “That doesn’t necessarily mean you have to do it if you can’t meet the setbacks.”
Commissioners approved the redevelopment in a 6-1 vote. The developers must commence “substantial” construction by April 2029, according to city documents.
Another view of the redevelopment.
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