ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (WFLA) — The city of St. Petersburg approved a condo that could become the tallest tower in downtown. The Waldorf Astoria tower would be 49 stories tall and more than 500 feet high.
People living next door where it would be built said they are on edge because of possible safety concerns during demolition and construction. A parking garage on the corner of 2nd Avenue South and University Way would be torn down.
“I’m hoping that if they are the good neighbors they say they are they will work with us to get us in a situation where we don’t feel afraid. Right now we’re afraid,” said Cynthia Smith, a resident of Saltaire. She showed a 10 foot distance between the parking garage of her building to the garage that will come down for the new project.
“It’s way too close to tear this down, put construction equipment here,” said Smith. “If they’re going to go forward with this behemoth building we want some precautions taken for our safety.”
Smith points to the safety of the structure, the shifting soil underneath, the dangers of applying support for the new building, and the two cranes needed to assemble it, considering the recent crane collapse.