Old Pinellas Park call center site approved for 552 apartments
An old office site in Pinellas Park is becoming apartments.
The short version
- City staff approved plans for 552 units on a 31-acre property.
- At least 221 apartments will be set aside as affordable housing.
- The project relies on Florida rules to build homes on industrial land.
An empty office property along McCann Lake in Pinellas Park is cleared for a massive transformation. City staff approved a preliminary site plan to turn the former MCI WorldCom call center at 10222 MCI Drive into the city's largest apartment community, with 552 units, including at least 221 affordable apartments, according to St Pete Rising.
The 31-acre site in the Gateway Centre Business Park will feature nine four-story residential buildings, two clubhouses, and pickleball courts in a two-phase development. The project relies on Florida's Live Local Act, which allows residential building on industrially zoned property if at least 40 percent of the apartments are reserved for households earning at or below 120 percent of the area median income for a minimum of 30 years.
Miami-based developer MAST Capital is behind the plans, which will replace a 124,983-square-foot office building that once brought hundreds of telecommunications jobs to the area. The first phase will bring 388 apartments and a large clubhouse, followed by a second phase adding 164 units.
The property has a long history, having been sold for $6.3 million in 2002 to a company with ties to New York City landlord Jay Podolsky before being transferred to related entities in 2025. The site plan does not yet provide a construction schedule or demolition date for the old office building.
