400 Central clears inspections, begins move-ins in downtown St. Pete

400 Central has cleared city inspections and is ready to welcome its first residents to downtown St. Pete.

The Residences at 400 Central, soon to be the tallest residential tower on Florida’s Gulf Coast, has passed its major construction inspections and received a Temporary Certificate of Occupancy for its first 25 floors, clearing the way for residents to begin moving in this month.

City officials granted the TCO after reviewing the mixed-use tower’s initial residential levels, lobby and amenity areas.

With that approval in place, developers will begin the first round of condominium closings and coordinate move-ins with buyers.

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“This is the moment we’ve all been waiting for,” said John Catsimatidis Sr., founder of the New York-based Red Apple Group, which is developing the project. “We wanted to create a ‘wow building’ that adds to the neighborhood life of St. Petersburg, and now we are welcoming our first wave of buyers.”

Catsimatidis and St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch hosted media tours showcasing completed portions of the 46-story tower, including the lobby, amenity deck and model residences.

The tour also offered a preview of a penthouse more than 500 feet above Tampa Bay.

A major milestone for downtown

Located along the Central Avenue corridor, the 1.3 million-square-foot project spans an entire city block. When finished, 400 Central will include:

  • 301 condominium residences
  • Ground-floor retail and restaurants
  • Class A office space
  • A 46th-floor sky observatory, the highest publicly accessible point in St. Petersburg

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Most of the condos are sold, according to the developer, and the remaining inventory continues to draw interest as construction progresses.

FirstService Residential has been contracted to manage the property and will oversee key distribution and move-in scheduling as closings begin.

Momentum for office and retail tenants

The ground-floor commercial spaces are also filling out.

In June, Dynasty Financial Partners signed a lease for 45,000 square feet of office space for its global headquarters — one of the largest office leases in St. Petersburg in recent years.

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In July, local retailer Volta Wine + Market announced plans for a 2,000-square-foot wine shop and specialty market with an intimate bar along Central Avenue.

Additional retail and office tenants are finalizing agreements as construction continues.

Community support and local ties

Catsimatidis marked the construction milestone by presenting a $15,000 charitable donation to the St. Petersburg Police Athletic League.

The contribution, his largest yet to the organization, will help buy holiday gifts for local children.

Looking ahead

Construction on the upper floors continues, with full project completion expected in the coming months. The developer aims to welcome additional residents throughout the winter as remaining floors are cleared for occupancy.

400 Central is being developed by Red Apple Real Estate and designed by internationally recognized architecture firm Arquitectonica.

For more information, visit click here.

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