St. Pete just killed parking minimums along the SunRunner corridor

If you spend any time on Central Avenue, you've probably noticed how quickly things are changing west of downtown. New apartment buildings, breweries, boutiques — the corridor has been building momentum for a few years now. Last week, St. Petersburg City Council officially threw gasoline on that fire.

What just happened

St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved a major shift in the city's development strategy, eliminating minimum parking requirements for new projects along the SunRunner corridor and signaling a continued move toward denser, transit-oriented growth with less emphasis on personal vehicles.

The new overlay changes what can be built along Central Avenue west of 19th Street and nearby streets served by the SunRunner — the city's 10-mile bus rapid transit line connecting downtown to the beaches. It creates a transit-oriented development district, giving property owners the option to follow a new set of rules designed to support transit use, increase development intensity, and allow a wider mix of uses than what is permitted under existing zoning.

Importantly,

owners of affected properties could still build with parking, but would have the option of forgoing it. "This is a strictly voluntary, opt-in option," said Derek Kilborn, manager of the city's urban planning and historic preservation division.

What the corridor actually looks like under these rules

The SunRunner Bus Rapid Transit overlay introduces a Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) framework within a quarter-mile of designated stations. Within these zones, projects may reach up to 5.0 FAR with bonuses, parking minimums may be reduced or eliminated, and height allowances can extend up to 150 feet in select areas.

If approved, the ordinance would apply to properties along Central Avenue and within a quarter-mile of SunRunner stations from 19th Street west to Pasadena Avenue.

That's a big stretch of the city — running right through Grand Central, the EDGE District fringe, and into neighborhoods that have historically been more suburban in character.

Supporters say this is long overdue.

"We'll see each station of the SunRunner become its own destination where there are things to do, offices, jobs, apartments, restaurants to eat at,"

said Garrett Marple with Activate St. Pete.

Where it gets complicated

Not everyone is on board, and honestly, I get it.

Opponents questioned whether the city's infrastructure and parking capacity are prepared for the kind of density leaders are encouraging — Historic Kenwood Neighborhood Association President Nicholas Igneri warned council members that nearby residential streets could absorb overflow parking from future developments built with fewer spaces.

Residents in several neighborhoods have increasingly voiced concerns that redevelopment along the SunRunner corridor is outpacing infrastructure, particularly around Central Avenue. District 1 Council Member Copley Gerdes responded that "if Grand Central was the only place we were going to have this mixed-use retail and residential, then that concern is true, but the changes we are making will spread this out westward."

That westward spread is actually one of the more interesting angles here.

One resident who lives near the President Barack Obama Main Library said: "This package of reforms, including getting rid of the parking mandates, is going to be a really great step in revitalizing the west side of 34th Street and getting us a lot of the same amenities that people on the east side currently get to enjoy."

I drove Central last weekend from the pier all the way out to Pasadena, and the west end of that corridor still has a lot of ground to cover before it looks like the blocks near 600 Central. But that's exactly the point — the city is trying to pull investment further down the line.

Why this matters if you live (or are thinking about buying) nearby

Here's the honest read: zoning changes like this tend to precede a wave of new projects — and new projects tend to push values upward in adjacent streets, even before a single shovel hits the ground.

Planning officials and urbanist advocates argue parking requirements increase housing costs, consume valuable land, and discourage transit-oriented development. Removing the mandates gives developers more flexibility — less square footage on garage space means more units — while encouraging projects that place residents closer to jobs, restaurants, retail, and transit access.

If you're eyeing a home in Historic Kenwood or anywhere within a few blocks of Central Avenue, this vote is worth watching closely. More density along the corridor means more amenities, more walkability, and — depending on how the parking question plays out neighborhood by neighborhood — potentially more competition for street spots. Both of those things tend to show up in home prices, usually sooner than people expect.

For buyers thinking about what St. Pete neighborhoods are best for walkability, this corridor just got a whole lot more interesting.