Sugar Hill Community Partners

01/30/2023

01/27/2023

A Thank You to the City of St. Petersburg from Sugar Hill Community Partners

On the eve of what will be one of the most important decisions in the history of the City, we want to take this moment to express our thanks to Mayor Welch for his leadership and vision, to City staff members for their diligence and partnership throughout the process, to our team members and friends who have worked tirelessly on this pursuit for more than two years, and to the residents of St. Pete who have been so consistently generous with your time and feedback.

All great projects start with a vision. It was the Mayor’s bold vision for the Historic Gas Plant District – built on equity, inclusion, and affordable housing – that defined this process. We listened carefully to the Mayor and the community to build out our plan: an inclusive and sustainable urban neighborhood that will spur economic growth, catalyze job and wealth creation, and provide the city with an engine of empowerment, inspiration, and enrichment that lifts up all of St. Pete.

01/24/2023

There is a divisive and misleading narrative being advanced that claims affordable and workforce housing is a drag on economic growth and that a city must choose between investing in affordable housing and maximizing economic development. In fact, a lack of affordable housing presents a critical obstacle to economic growth and stability. Hardworking, industrious people live in affordable housing; they just don’t make enough money to afford St. Pete rents that have increased more than 25% over the past three years, now placing amongst the highest in the country. These are our nurses, teachers, emergency responders, recent graduates, hospitality and service workers, city employees, and others that form the backbone of our city.

As a growing chorus of economists have highlighted, a shortage of affordable housing in the productive and dynamic urban centers that drive our regional economies is a major inhibitor to maximizing and sustaining growth.

In fact, this unmet need has already begun to drain St. Pete of productive, essential workers. Since 2010, St. Petersburg added 50,000 jobs and 15,000 residents. During that same period, the percentage of households making $75,000 or less has decreased from 75% to a little over 50%. This tells us that large numbers of hard-working residents are being priced out and leaving St. Pete.

The Historic Gas Plant redevelopment is our city’s most important economic development opportunity in a generation and it presents a unique opportunity to take a significant step toward properly balancing our housing stock. This should not be a box to be checked or a “concession” to make, this is an investment in the economic future of our city and a recognition of what employers are asking for, what local educational institutions need, and what is required to develop an authentic, dense, urban, district that will ensure our city becomes one of the leading economic engines in the Southeast.

01/24/2023

“….with the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant site, a choice is not being made between housing and economic growth. Instead, it recognizes that one cannot be had without the other.” Read the full article at Business Observer Fl- Link in story.

Ashon Nesbitt is the CEO of Florida Housing Coalition and a St. Pete native.

01/20/2023

Sugar Hill team member Sara-Jane Vatelot talks about shaping the built environment and the importance of remembrance and reconnection

01/17/2023

Yesterday we honored his legacy through community service and celebration. It was a beautiful day!

01/16/2023

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

01/15/2023

We are very proud to participate in Through Our Eyes, an annual exhibition by which showcases the talented work of journalism
students. We were very impressed with the students we met on Friday evening. The
skills they are learning and applying transcend the classroom - critical
thinking, writing, public speaking, etc....

01/14/2023

What a wonderful community event celebrating the beautiful work of journalism students at Melrose Elementary, John Hopkins Middle and Lakewood High. Pinellas County Schools

01/12/2023

In our proposal, we share our plans to create a memorial park to recognize three historic cemeteries that have been identified on or just off the Historic Gas Plant site in St. Petersburg.

The cemeteries include Moffett and Evergreen (located under the I-175 spur) and Oaklawn, located just west of 16th Street South along the project’s southern boundary. SHCP will set aside the majority of the historical Oaklawn Cemetery land to create Laurel Heritage Park, preserving the memory and dignity of the people laid to rest there through the seeding of a native meadow. SCHP’s plans envision a boardwalk over the southern portion of the park, providing a place for remembrance and reflection. The northern part of the park, adjacent to land that SHCP has set aside for a new African American History Museum, will function as a multi-use space for gatherings and events. At the request of the City of St. Petersburg, Stantec conducted a multi-instrument ground penetrating radar survey on a portion of the former Oaklawn Cemetery site in 2021 after preparing similar studies at Robles Park in Tampa, and North Greenwood and St. Matthew’s Baptist Church cemeteries in Clearwater.

01/10/2023

First Ave Gardens.
1st Avenue S. is the "front door" of the development and a classically great downtown address for residential and other uses.