Drugstores: A Success Story in St. Petersburg
Florida | Posted: 09/12/2002The Threat
In 2000 CVS/pharmacy submitted a proposal for a new 10,880 square foot drugstore in downtown St. Petersburg at a major intersection. The intersection is the gateway to the Old Northeast/North Shore area, one of the city’s foremost historic residential neighborhoods. The project required the demolition of two Craftsman Style buildings and the Allendale Apartment Building, all of which are eligible to the National Register of Historic Places as contributing buildings within the historic district, to make way for a 60 space parking lot.
The Planning Commission voted 7 to 1 in favor of the local developer’s application to rezone the area from multi-family to residential. The City Council approved the rezoning on June 15 but required a 150-foot setback, sparing one of the buildings. The other structures, however, remained threatened by the wrecking ball.
The Preservation Effort
During this time the Florida Division of Historical Resources (SHPO) and the North Shore Neighborhood Association organized in opposition to the planned razing. The National Trust Southern Office assisted these groups with $2,500 in intervention funds. This money was used to hire an architect who negotiated between the neighborhood and CVS on the design of the new drugstore. Through this intermediary the neighborhood convinced CVS to build a store in the Art Deco Style, better matching the surrounding, local architecture. The pharmacy also reduced the number of parking spaces from 60 to 54, moved the Allendale Apartment building 20 feet east to accommodate the parking lot, and built the store to the streetline. For landscaping, CVS incorporated an outlined sidewalk and constructed a wall between the site and the historic buildings, thus keeping the new construction and noise separate from these properties.
The Result
The drugstore that CVS ultimately built reflects the strength of local community groups in forcing creative solutions to problems of unwanted commercial development. With its Art Deco design and attention to detail, the store appears as a member of the community rather than as an aberration. Effective collaboration made this success story possible; the intervention funds provided by the National Trust built upon the early work performed by both the Florida Division of Historical Resources and the North Shore Neighborhood Association to demonstrate viable alternatives to the original proposal.
For more information contact:
James W. Martin, P.A.
111 Second Avenue N.E. #703
St. Petersburg, Florida 33701
www.jamesmartinpa.com
jim@jamesmartinpa.com
Tel: 727.821.0904
