St. Pete City Council unanimously approved W-Architecture to lead design and construction administration services for the Pier Approach project. The vote allocates $500,000 from the Downtown Redevelopment District Fund into the General Capital Improvement Fund to pay for concept design services and other project costs.
The total cost for the initial design phase is not to exceed $318,030, however. The amount will come out of the $20 million budget set aside for the Pier Approach project.
W-Architecture along with the local firm Wannemacher-Jensen, was selected from a shortlist of firms in October. They beat out Rogers Partners and ASD Architects for the project despite that team being the selected group to carry out design and construction administration for the new Pier.
The firm will be responsible for establishing a design concept for the Pier Approach that is symbiotic with the planned design for the Pier formerly known as Pier Park. Though a design concept has not been established, some basic parameters have been.
The downtown waterfront master plan includes some specifications to the area serving as a grand entryway to the Pier and a transition between Beach Drive and Bayshore Boulevards to the Pier. It will likely include areas for public art, an open-air market and two restaurants.
The design concept phase is expected to take about four or five months with immediate outreach to stakeholders like downtown museums and the St. Pete Chamber of Commerce. Though designs for the new Pier are already well-underway, the city expects the Pier Approach project to quickly catch up.
The city expects it to take about a year to obtain environmental permits for the Pier Approach, which will help align the two projects’ timelines.
The city is currently soliciting a construction manager at-risk for the project. Skanska was already chosen for the Pier project. If a different company is selected for the approach, the two will have to work closely with one another to align the two projects.
“The idea is for the public not to know where the line is,” said city architect Raul Quintana about the transition between the Pier Approach and the Pier.
