ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – August 14, 2017 – Last week, the St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously to place a referendum question on the November 7th city-wide ballot to build a privately financed one-story parking garage on the Vinoy Renaissance Resort and Golf Club’s property.
The ballot language only allows for the construction of a privately financed one-story parking garage with tennis courts on top. The proposal does not involve taxpayer funding, will not alter the hotel’s footprint or St. Petersburg’s waterfront parks system, and will add about 270 new parking spaces.
The referendum has also earned the support and endorsement of Mayor Rick Kriseman, City Council, mayoral candidate Rick Baker, and a number of community and business groups such as St. Petersburg Preservation, Historic Old Northeast Neighborhood Association, the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce, the St. Petersburg Downtown Neighborhood Association and the board of directors of the St. Petersburg Downtown Business Association.
FelCor Lodging Trust, the hotel’s ownership group, is conducting an educational campaign to provide information to voters about the project, including meetings with the Waterfront Parks Foundation, the Council of Neighborhood Associations (CONA) and other civic and neighborhood associations.
History:
As a historic part of downtown St. Petersburg, approximately 2.4 acres of The Vinoy property are subject to deed restrictions and require approval from the City’s residents for construction.
The voter approval process was put in place during a 1984 agreement when The Vinoy helped complete the city’s waterfront park system by trading its waterfront property for some of the area immediately behind the hotel. Voters approved similar improvements to The Vinoy in referendums in 1997 and 2007.
About the Vinoy referendum:
The Vinoy’s redevelopment project tied to the November referendum includes the construction of a one-story parking garage with eight tennis courts on top on the 7th Avenue NE side of The Vinoy property in downtown St. Petersburg. For more information, visit www.VinoyImprovements.com.