Construction begins for St. Pete’s tallest residential tower

Construction has kicked off for what is planned to be St. Petersburg’s tallest residential tower.

The 46-story mixed-use tower, coined The Residences at 400 Central, will stand tall in the city’s downtown, on Central Ave. Now, with initial site work and extensive underground testing wrapped up, crews will begin construction work on the permanent foundation.

The foundation of the tower will be drilled, then reinforced with steel and high-strength concrete. Specifically, crews will drill a series of 89 cylindrical drilled foundation shafts, ranging from 48 inches in diameter and 87 feet deep to 6 feet in diameter and 166 feet deep — all to support the tower.

That’s in contrast to construction of other downtown towers, which often pound the foundation into the ground. This approach will minimize the disturbance to the project’s downtown neighbors, according to the developers.

“We are using the absolute state-of-the-art technology in construction for this iconic condominium tower,” said John Catsimatidis Sr., founder of Red Apple Real Estate, in a written statement. “We have deep family ties to the St. Petersburg community, and I am thrilled to see work underway to create a special new community in the vibrant city center.”

This first stage of foundation construction is expected to be complete within the next few months. Above-ground construction of the 515-feet condominium tower is expected to begin in early 2023.

Developers noted that in preparation for Hurricane Ian, the team at Suffolk Construction Co. lowered and secured all construction equipment. The site sustained no damage and construction has now resumed. The site is not within a flood zone and was located in a non-evacuation zone.

In August, Red Apple Real Estate signed Suffolk Construction Co. as the tower’s general contractor.

The Residences at 400 Central will have 1.3 million square feet of interior space, including 301 condominiums, retail and office space, restaurants and a rooftop observatory with views from Tampa Bay to the Gulf of Mexico.

A sales gallery across from the site at 465 Central Avenue was established by Red Apple and Michael Saunders & Company this past October and is continuing the ongoing process of facilitating the sales of luxury condominiums.