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.
The city said they are regulated at 145 mph winds for cranes. The developers said the cranes they use can sustain 149 mph.
The city said they share residents' concerns about the crane, but said they don't have the power to legally ask for more, and trying to exercise that power would put the city at risk.
Developers for this project said they would consider working with design teams on the crane. The city said it cannot enforce mandatory crane operation procedures.
"We will be radically transparent in what are geotechnical plans are, how we are doing this foundation, we have invited a third party architect an engineer that Saltaire wants to bring in to review our plans to comment on them," said Mack Feldman, the Owner of Waldorf Astoria. "We're not trying to hide anything. We want them to be comfortable in what we are doing."
Smith said she wants a third-party geotechnical engineer to monitor data and wants Waldorf to pay for it. She believes the building will be damaged with cracks in the walls and other foundational problems.
Developers said they will put monitors on Saltaire and other surrounding buildings to track vibration
In addition to those concerns, a developer in the downtown area just settled a lawsuit this year, because of construction that damaged a nearby building.
Feldman Equities said they will provide funding to the city's housing and capital improvement project trust fund, and the streetscape improvement fund.
They said the Waldorf will produce around 200 jobs with a higher median wage than expected.
Owners said it will be the first A-Class Office Space in downtown St. Pete.
The goal is to start construction sometime in 2025. It will take four years from the start of demolition to the end of construction.