St. Petersburg’s planned police K-9 facility has found itself at the center of an entirely different conversation. Governor Ron DeSantis recently vetoed $350,000 that would have helped fund the project on 22nd Avenue S.

According to St. Petersburg Police Department communications officer Ken Knight, the $350,000 would have been helpful, but they are now looking for alternative sources of funding. However, what those sources might be is not clear.

Commerce Park Proposals

Meanwhile, developers competing to redevelop nearby Commerce Park are now asking the city for the very parcel where the K-9 facility was planned. The St. Petersburg Police Department wants to build the facility on roughly 2.6 acres adjacent to Commerce Park, replacing aging kennels with a modern headquarters featuring training space, veterinary facilities, indoor and outdoor kennels, and administrative offices.

Two of the redevelopment teams, HP Capital and SkyView Companies, have proposed alternative solutions. HP Capital’s proposal, dubbed Corridor 22, asks the city to expand the redevelopment footprint to include the K-9 parcel. In return, the developer would purchase approximately 6.25 acres for $5 million and build 320 mixed-income apartments, a 75,000-square-foot innovation center, neighborhood retail, restaurants, a grocery store, and a 25,000-square-foot public plaza.

SkyView Companies offers a different solution, proposing to relocate the K-9 facility through a land swap. Under the proposal, the city would receive another parcel suitable for the K-9 facility while freeing the Commerce Park site for redevelopment. In exchange, SkyView would construct the largest residential project among the seven finalists: 422 apartments with ground-floor retail and structured parking.

Original reporting: St. Pete Catalyst — read the source article.