St. Petersburg, FL Zoning Overlays & Bonuses: Downtown Design Guide (2026)

St. Petersburg regulates downtown building design through the Downtown Center (DC) provisions of Chapter 16, not a separate voluntary style guide. 8, "Building design," applies inside the DC-C, DC-1, DC-2, DC-3 and DC-P districts that make up the downtown core along Central Avenue and Beach Drive. The section requires new construction to utilize an identifiable architectural style, and renovations or additions to either match the existing structure's style or create a complete, compatible new style; building materials and finishes must be consistent throughout the building.

Street-facing glazing is quantified: ground-level façades along primary streets need at least 50 percent transparency, secondary streets at least 30 percent, with window bottoms no higher than two feet above grade and window/door tops no lower than eight feet above grade. Upper floors above ground-level storefronts must carry at least 30 percent total fenestration, two-thirds of it transparent glass. No street façade may have a blank wall segment wider than 36 feet and the height of the floor. Parking structures must be wrapped in an architectural style matching the principal building, or encased by a liner building, with exterior openings screened to diffuse vehicle headlights; surface lots visible from the street need a solid knee wall at least 36 inches high.

Curb cuts are barred outright on Central Avenue, Beach Drive, and 2nd Avenue North east of Fifth Street, and detention/retention ponds must sit behind the principal building. 4 as amended by Ord. No. 876-G (2008), Ord. No. 985-G (2010), Ord. No. 1029-G (2011), Ord. No. 287-H (2017), and Ord. No. 9.