Though somewhat revised, plans to build a new St. Petersburg Pier and spruce up the area leading up to it from downtown cleared a crucial hurdle Thursday with members of the City Council unanimously voting to fund the next phases of the projects.

The ease with which the measure passed and the generally positive tone offered during public comment marks a sea change in a process that has, until recently, been best described as acrimonious.

Members of the group Concerned Citizens of St. Petersburg, the group that helped torpedo the controversial Lens design concept in 2013, came out in support of the new Pier concept, which recently had been subject to a few changes to remain within budget.

Some of the process's strongest critics praised the design team, ASD/Rogers Partners Architects and Urban Designers, on their willingness to meet and discuss their concerns.

“We are generally happy with changes in the Pier design,” said Gene Smith, an active member of that group. “This design is significantly improved.”

Carter Karins, also of Concerned Citizens, said he's happy with the way the project has evolved.

“Its pleasing to see how the project is morphing a little bit, and it will be a much more successful addition to our city,” Karins said.

That's not to say the approval was without its skeptics.

Some, former councilwoman and mayoral candidate Kathleen Ford among them, were turned off by the fact that some things presented with the original design concept a year ago are now considered optional.

A popular splash pad feature was scaled back in the most recent version of the design (again, to reflect the budget), and a premium water feature was suggested as an "add-alternate" in the event there's money to do more with it. A boathouse and a collection of floating docks were also presented as optional, but paying for them would require finding a separate funding source apart from the $46 million left to fund the project.

“Quite honestly what I saw today is not what I saw a couple of days ago,” said Dan Harvey. “I'm confused about these add-alternates that are being shown.”

Smith and others suggested that bridging the gap between a basic splash pad and a premium one could be done with a corporate sponsorship.

Councilwoman Amy Foster cautioned the design team against presenting glossy renderings of the concept that include features that ultimately many not be part of the finished product.

"If we continue to show imagery, we need to be cautious about the imagery we show," she said, "so that there's no concern of bait and switch as we continue along in this project.”

In asking the council to approve the funds, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman reminded them of the long process of gathering public input on what the Pier is supposed to do, not what it will look like.

“We've been pretty clear right from the get go ... that function was going to be the primary focus over form," he said. "That's the way we've started the process and that's the way we're going to finish it.”

The council's unanimous approval will allow Rogers/ASD to finalize the concept and move into construction later this year.

The new Pier is expected to be complete in 2018.

