PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. — The St. Pete Beach City Commission approved the expansion plans at the TradeWinds Island Resorts, after another marathon meeting on Tuesday night.
That final vote happened just after midnight, with members voting 3-2 to approve the massive expansion.
What You Need To Know
- St. Pete Beach City Commission voted 3-2 to approve TradeWinds Resort expansion
- Hotel officials have a $500 million, 20-year expansion project planned
- MORE: A closer took at the TradeWinds Resort plans
It’s a half-billion dollar project that would happen over 20 years.
The developer gave that timeline because they want to take pauses between construction phases.
Developers said the pauses are a way to have certainty as this project progresses over time if setbacks arise or if city ordinances change in the future.
The developer’s law firm said this will allow them to assess where things stand.
“The concern was constant construction from having phase built after phase built after phase built,” said Elise Batsel with Stearns Weaver Miller, a firm involved in the project.
“The second concern was an economic concern. And that is when you start a phase you want to make sure the market absorbs those rooms.”
Plans for the massive renovation include three new hotel towers with more than 600 additional rooms, three swimming pools, parking garages and a glass bottom observation deck that’s open to the public.
The developer says construction could start within the next 12 to 18 months.
Phase One will also include four beach access points. They anticipate it will take about two and a half to three years for Phase One to be completed.