Board members raise height, rooftop and parking concerns for 17‑unit lodging proposal at 702 Pass‑a‑Grille Way

City planning staff presented a site plan for a proposed 17‑unit, four‑story temporary lodging building at 702 Pass‑a‑Grille Way and members of the St. Pete Beach Historic Preservation Board raised detailed questions about height, rooftop use, parking and neighborhood compatibility.

Brandon Berry, planning staff, told the board the project is a permitted use in the Community Redevelopment District (CRD) under land development code section 40.2(b) and that the submission to technical review is the same site plan the city reviewed last week. “This is a site plan. It is a commercial development for a temporary lodging facility at 702 Passer Girl Way. It is proposed to be a 17 unit project, 4 stories,” Berry said during the presentation. He also said the applicant has provided 17 on‑site parking spaces, including one accessible stall, and that the applicant had been asked to respond to several technical review comments and will resubmit modifications.

Board members repeatedly questioned how the project fits the CRD and the Pass‑a‑Grille historic context, and whether existing code provisions allow the rooftop amenity program shown in the plans. Chair Lowry pressed staff on rooftop limits and public‑safety implications: “I’m not quite understanding what we’re allowing on…