Developer selected to turn St. Petersburg building into teacher apartments

Pinellas County Schools has selected a team of developers, Tomlinson Community Partners, to transform a former school building in St. Petersburg into housing for teachers and staff.

The Washington D.C.-based real estate firm Dantes Partners will partner with the Fort Lauderdale-based firm Alexander Goshen and the Tampa-based firm Cornerstone Strategic Partners to turn the 1920s-era Tomlinson building in Mirror Lake into apartments.

“To attract and retain the best teachers and district employees, we must proactively provide accessible and appealing housing choices,” Kevin Hendrick, Superintendent of Pinellas County Schools, said.

There will be 225 apartments in total, with 113 of the units reserved as workforce housing for school district employees making 90 to 120% of the area’s median income. Rent for those units will range between $1,263 and $2,160, according to a news release from the school district.

Rent for the remaining 112 units will start at $2,156 and go up to about $2,771.

“We are honored to begin this project for our teachers and educators who are often overworked and underpaid,” Leonard Burke, Managing Partner of Cornerstone Strategic Partners, said in a statement. “Our goal is to create a space where teachers are proud to live.”

Only a small portion of the units will be built in the original 3-story Tomlinson building. The developers also plan to build a 14-story tower and a 10-story building on the 1.36 acre site.

The Tomlinson building was originally St. Petersburg Junior High. It became a vocational high school in the 1930s and then an adult education center before eventually closing in December 2021 due to low enrollment.