Construction crews have topped out The Henry at Whitney Village, a 325-unit apartment project rising at 3200 1st Avenue South in St. Petersburg's Grand Central District. The five-story building sits on 3.37 acres carved out of the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg's larger 12.9-acre campus, and it's the first phase of a much bigger live-work-play redevelopment planned for the site.
The project is a partnership between Greystar and Griffin Capital, according to Florida YIMBY, which reports the building will offer studio through three-bedroom layouts alongside amenities including a swimming pool and deck, a sauna, a pet spa, shuffleboard courts, fire pits, and a 600-space parking garage. Construction began in April 2025, and developers plan to start pre-leasing at the beginning of 2026 with full completion targeted for March 2027, per the same outlet's reporting.
The land beneath The Henry didn't come cheap, and the money behind the sale is central to the whole project's logic. Greystar purchased the 4.5-acre eastern portion of the YMCA's site for $12 million in early 2025, and the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg is funneling those proceeds into a renovation of its 25-year-old, 55,000-square-foot Jim & Heather Gills YMCA facility, according to Axios Tampa Bay. That renovation includes upgraded locker rooms, expanded parking, and a new lighted artificial turf sports field along 1st Avenue South.
A Built-In Perk for Future Residents
In exchange for giving up part of its land, the YMCA is baking itself directly into the new development's identity. Residents of The Henry will receive complimentary memberships to the adjacent Jim & Heather Gills YMCA as part of the project's live-work-play agreement, St. Pete Rising reports. The fitness center next door includes an indoor pool, a rock climbing wall, and a full-size gymnasium, giving tenants a wellness amenity most apartment complexes can't match on their own.
The site's location wasn't chosen at random either. It sits directly across from a Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority SunRunner bus rapid transit station at 32nd Street, according to a 2022 announcement from the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg, positioning the project as a case study in transit-oriented development along the dedicated-lane BRT corridor connecting downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach.
Phase Two Plans Have Already Shifted
While The Henry represents phase one, a second phase led by Blake Investment Partners is set to bring a 60-unit apartment building alongside a pedestrian-only retail village, per Florida YIMBY's reporting. That retail component has already shrunk on paper: the same outlet reported the space at 24,000 square feet, down from the 32,000 square feet originally planned. St. Pete Rising's coverage of a January 2026 submission to the city's Development Review Commission ties that reduction to a broader density increase, with developers proposing to raise total residential capacity across Whitney Village to 385 units by adding a 60-unit mid-rise building called The Vessel at Whitney Village. Even at that higher count, the total remains well under the site's zoning cap of 688 units, the outlet notes.
The project's design pulls together several local and regional firms. FK Architecture led design on the commercial and residential buildings, working alongside Tim Clemmons of St. Pete-based Place Architecture, civil engineering firm George F. Young Inc., and WJ Architects, which handled the YMCA facility makeover, according to St. Pete Rising's reporting.
How the Plan Has Evolved Since 2024
The residential piece of Whitney Village looked different when it was first unveiled. When initial plans were revealed in May 2024, the residential component was named The Bellamy at Whitney Village and included 50 smaller studio units above retail, designed specifically to offer attainable housing for local workers and YMCA staff, according to Florida YIMBY's earlier coverage of the project. That branding and workforce-housing focus has since given way to the larger Henry and Vessel buildings now under construction and in planning.
The development's momentum is also feeding into one of Tampa Bay's biggest civic debates. In January 2026, Greystar publicly endorsed Blake Investment Partners' redevelopment proposal for the nearby 95.5-acre Historic Gas Plant District surrounding Tropicana Field, citing their active partnership on Whitney Village as proof the two firms can execute jointly, according to Tampa Bay Business Woman. That Gas Plant District project is one of the largest public-private urban renewal efforts in the region's history.
Part of a Bigger Building Boom
The Henry also extends Greystar's growing footprint in St. Petersburg. The developer completed Ascent St. Petersburg in 2023, a $117 million, 36-story tower with 357 apartments and a 172-key AC Hotel by Marriott, as reported by the Tampa Bay Times, and built at the time as the tallest rental high-rise in the Tampa Bay area.
Whitney Village also marks the western anchor extension of St. Petersburg's Grand Central District, a designated Florida Main Street corridor established in 2000 that includes more than 450 walkable businesses between 16th and 31st Streets. High-density residential and retail growth has steadily pushed westward from downtown along Central Avenue, per St. Pete Rising's local reporting.
That growth is part of a much larger regional wave. Yardi Matrix data reported in April 2025 showed the Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater metro area had 75 multifamily projects actively under construction, adding nearly 19,620 new units upon completion, according to Multi-Housing News. The region had an additional 108,000 planned or prospective apartment units in the pipeline at the time, underscoring just how much competition The Henry will face once its doors open in 2027.
