Consultants wowed City Council members Thursday with a plan to transform land under the Interstate 275 overpass near downtown into a park and walking trail.
As part of a nationwide trend to turn unused or underused land under highways and transit into park space, a 12-acre park and trail could replace surface parking and poorly lit areas from Fifth Avenue South to Burlington Avenue North. The effort mirrors Miami’s Underline, a park beneath the Metrorail transit line, and Orlando’s The Canopy, a planned 10-acre park under Interstate 4.
Council members saw renderings of playgrounds, art installations and lush greenery bisected by walking and biking paths. The project, which the city calls Trails Crossing, could connect to the Kenwood dog park and CSX line to the north, on its way to becoming its own trail, and Campbell Park and the Deuces corridor to the south.
The idea, first pitched to council members four years ago, is still a long way from reality. Consultants estimated a price tag of $55 million and a phased buildout of 10 to 12 years. It also would need agreements with the Florida Department of Transportation, which owns the land under the highway, and a not-for-profit to manage the site.
Consultants with LandDesign Inc. expect to submit a final report next month. After that, the council would likely need to hold a vote to accept the report and express support for the project. That could happen by the end of this year.
The council hired LandDesign in March 2025 to do a master plan for the project. The city spent $150,000 and split the total cost with Friends of Trails Crossing, a not-for-profit founded by real estate broker John Barkett.
Barkett started discussions about the plan during former Mayor Rick Kriseman’s administration. He said the project could be paid for with grants, private fundraising, sponsorships, events and some city funding.
Evan Mory, the city’s transportation director, said the council would likely hold another vote to approve funding for the project, though that may be more than a year away. LandDesign pitched holding temporary installations, events and community activities over the next three years to introduce the public to the vision of the park.
The first phase would cost $15 million and would take three years. It would focus on the block around the Pinellas Trail from First to Third avenues south. LandDesign pitched an outdoor market plaza, native plants and adult exercise.
That plan concerns Hal Thureson, owner of the rock climbing gym Vertical Ventures, who attended Thursday’s meeting. He subleases a parking lot under the overpass from the city, which leases the space from the state transportation department. Under the Trails Crossing plan, it would be eliminated to make way for the park and walking path.
“It’s unfortunate that we are where we are. Do I think that project would be nice for the city of St. Pete? Sure, in a lot of ways, yes,” Thureson said. “However, I also feel that if we lose a significant amount of our parking lot, we are going to lose our business.”
City Council member Copley Gerdes thanked city employees for working out a five-year renewal for Thureson to continue using the parking lot in the short term.
“I think everybody wants this to happen, but nobody wants it to happen at the cost of what I think is a thriving business,” Gerdes said.
