Sometimes it seems as if land developers must be closely related to lemmings. They all march off in one direction (condos, condos, condos!) until they fall over a cliff. After a while, the survivors regroup and its off in another direction (hotels, hotels, hotels!).

In Downtown St. Petersburg, the latest seems to be rental apartment complexes. In recent weeks, two seemingly solid proposals have been announced, with rumors heard of at least one more.

The first announcement came from Mill Creek, a national apartment developer, which is proposing a project of about 330 units on the vacant half block just north of 3rd Avenue North between 2nd and 3rd Streets. The land was previously owned by Grady Pridgen, who had proposed an enormous condominium/hotel project there. The Mill Creek project would be eight stories tall, wrapped around an interior parking garage and courtyard. The entrance would be on 3rd Avenue North, across from the Indigo Hotel.

According to Alan Kolar, a spokesman for the developer, all of the apartments would be one or two-bedroom units, renting for $1,300 to $1,400 per month. He said the interiors would be well appointed, with such things as marble countertops and upgraded appliances. Mr. Kolar said that construction could begin by the end of this year, and that occupants could begin to move in by the end of 2013. Representatives of DNA met with Mr. Kolar to review preliminary plans. The association did not take a position on the project, but did ask that consideration be given to adding more green space, and setting the parking garage back from the alley to lessen the impact on the adjacent Huntington Townhomes.

The other announcement came from the NRP Group of Cleveland, which wants to build some 300 apartment units in a four story project, also wrapped around an internal parking garage. This project would be on the block bounded by 4th and 5th Streets and 3rd and 4th Avenues South. That block is now a surface parking lot used by the Tampa Bay Times.

According to an announcement in the Times, the apartment units would be from one to three bedrooms, with rentals ranging from $800 to $1,800. During the recent housing boom, most of the activity in Downtown St. Petersburg was in condominium construction, although there was some apartment construction. One project, the Madison, began as a rental project but was converted to condominiums. The newly-proposed projects are most like the Fusion, an apartment complex near Tropicana Field that was begun at the end of the boom.

The situation in St. Petersburg seems to mirror what is happening nationally. A recent New York Times article on the subject pointed out that nationwide, the apartment vacancy rate stood at 5.2 percent, the lowest in more than a decade. At the same time, rents were increasing, up 2.4 percent in the previous year. All of which adds up to good news for landlords, if not for the renters.

Or to a Different Drummer

Restoration projects are usually (but not always) smaller in scale than those done by the big developers, and thus get less attention. But they can certainly have an impact on the neighborhood, adding character and helping the economy, too.

At least two such projects are worth noting – the expansion and renovation at the Birchwood Inn), and the restoration of what used to be known as Bay Gables.

The BIRCHWOOD project recently was approved by the city and work began in late February. The 3-story hotel, at 340 Beach Drive NE, was built in 1924 and for many years operated as the Lantern Lane apartments. More recently, it had operated as Grayl’s Hotel, with a restaurant on the ground floor and rooms on the top two floors. Expansion plans at Grayl’s never materialized.

Two floors will now be added and the existing rooms will be upgraded, but reduced in number from 22 to 20. The new 4th floor will include a kitchen and room for such functions as wedding receptions and business meetings. The new 5th floor will include storage and mechanical space, and feature a large outdoor terrace. Elevator service will be added to the upper floors.

The Watergarden is just around the corner from the Birchwood, on 4th Avenue NE. The project comprises the former Inn at the Bay bed and breakfast with the neighboring Bay Gables building. A decade ago, Bay Gables was a successful bed and breakfast with a tea room. Succeeding the B&B was the Chateau France restaurant. Bay Gables included a separate building to the rear with additional rooms. That was torn down several years ago. That lot has now been upgraded with a swimming pool and patio for the Watergarden guests. The complex has a total of 14 rooms and suites.