Developer closes on purchase of former St. Pete police HQ

Ellison Development closed on the purchase of the former St. Petersburg Police headquarters building this week after delays that have held up the deal. 

The developer says with the sale for the city-owned property now done, it can begin construction on the planned mixed-use development along Central Avenue in the city’s Edge District. 

According to Pinellas County property records, the local developer paid $6.4 million for the site in a pair of transactions. 

Plans for the development include the construction of Halcyon, a 10-story, 116,000-square-foot office building with more than 11,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. 

Cushman & Wakefield is handling the leasing efforts at the Halcyon. The global investment firm Ark Invest has already committed to moving its headquarters in the building. 

In addition to the office tower portion of the project, Ellison is also building a 165-room Autograph Collection hotel in the development, a residential component, a rooftop park and a central plaza that will connect all the hotel, office, residential and restaurant spaces. A 531-space garage was completed last year. 

There were no specific details given on what delayed the project, which was announced a few years ago, but a spokesperson described the process as "very complicated."

The project is being built on the site of city’s former police headquarters building, which was demolished in 2021, about a year-and-a-half after the department’s new headquarters opened across the street. 

The new development will include an art installation honoring the 12 police officers whose efforts led to the integration of the St. Petersburg Police Department on Aug. 1, 1968.

This story first appeared in CRE Central, the Business Observer's weekly commercial real estate newsletter.