By, now many Floridians know that Home Shopping Network recently announced that it is leaving its longtime St. Petersburg, Florida headquarters that it occupied for forty-seven years for West Chester, Pennsylvania. The headquarters are large, at 369,000 square feet, and in a highly desirable area (near the Howard Frankland Bridge) leading to speculation as to what type of development might take the campus’ place. Because Floridians know that sometimes, empty space does not stay empty for long.
Real Estate Specialists Speculate On Future Mixed-Use Development On HSN Campus: The Home Shopping Network has indicated that it is in the process of determining what will happen to the campus once it relocates. However, one Florida real estate specialist believes that the highly desirable property could have a different future use than broadcasting, although there are infrastructure considerations. Mark Eilers, Executive Vice President of Colliers, who has 33 years of commercial real estate experience, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal that the property was what he called a “trophy property,” explaining:
“If I had to guess, it’s going to be a mixed-use project with residential, a bunch of retail and then some specialty uses. If I’m the owner, I’m figuring out, ‘How viable are the buildings? What’s their existing value? What’s the value of the land as a demo?’ You also have to make sure there’s sewer capacity, water capacity – that kind of thing.”
David Moyer, director of developer services at Smith & Associates, told the Journal that the property could be modernized and then made into a hotel.