Heritage Oaks, an 80-unit affordable senior apartment community, opens in Largo

/
Heritage Oaks, an 80-unit affordable senior apartment community, opens in Largo

The Rainbow Village neighborhood in Largo’s Greater Ridgecrest community marked a major milestone Thursday morning with the ribbon cutting of Heritage Oaks, the first of four phases planned for the Rainbow Village redevelopment.

Officials from the Pinellas County Housing Authority and Newstar Development joined residents and elected leaders to celebrate the opening of the 80-unit affordable senior apartment community at 13060 Washington Drive in Largo.

“I remember looking at the master plan for Rainbow Village from 2007,” said Neil Brickfield, executive director of the Pinellas County Housing Authority, during the ceremony. “Here we are 18 years later, about to cut the ribbon.”

Heritage Oaks replaces 48 aging, block-style duplex and triplex units.

The new three-story apartment building contains 74 one-bed, one-bath units and six two-bed, two-bath units. The community includes 70 parking spaces.

All apartments are reserved for seniors earning up to 60% of the area median income (AMI), with monthly rents starting at $1,507.

Read More

After hours of debate, 21-story, 370-unit luxury apartment tower wins approval in downtown St. Pete

/
After hours of debate, 21-story, 370-unit luxury apartment tower wins approval in downtown St. Pete

A cluster of small affordable apartment buildings could soon be demolished to make way for a 21-story, 370-unit luxury apartment tower in downtown St. Petersburg.

After hours of debate, the city’s Development Review Commission voted 6-1 Wednesday evening to approve the project planned for a 1.3-acre site along 5th Avenue North between 4th and 5th Streets.

In addition to 370 apartments, the project, known as The Pelican, would also include 3,819 square feet of ground-floor commercial space and a 485-space parking garage.

St. Pete-based Stadler Development, led by John Stadler and his son Chris, is spearheading the $134 million project, which would share a city block with the Hollander Hotel and Trinity Lutheran Church.

Stadler is under contract to purchase the property from local investor Michael Andoniades, who owns the Hollander Hotel and several other properties throughout the city.

Read More

Orlando-based Tabla Indian Restaurant to open St. Petersburg location

/
Orlando-based Tabla Indian Restaurant to open St. Petersburg location

A new restaurant bringing a modern twist to traditional Indian cuisine is headed to St. Petersburg.

Florida-based restaurant group Tabla, which operates several concepts throughout Central Florida and beyond, plans to open Tabla Modern Indian Cafe at 10324 Roosevelt Boulevard in the north St. Pete’s Ibis Walk plaza. The new concept will replace the closed Indian eatery, Cafe Masala.

Tabla describes itself as a place where “bold, authentic Indian flavors meet modern favorites,” offering traditional Indian, Indo Chinese, and Thai dishes in addition to fun reinterpretations of familiar American comfort foods like a Indian-inspired pizza and burgers.

In 2008, owners Anshu and Nora Jain opened the first Tabla location in Orlando as a fine dining restaurant, but rapidly expanded with additional fast-casual and fine dining locations in the following years. 

The Indian restaurant became a franchise in 2024, and now has over ten locations throughout Florida, Texas and Illinois. 

An official grand opening date and menu for the St. Petersburg location has not yet been announced.  

Read More

Revised plans proposed for retail village and five-story apartment building in the Grand Central District

/
Revised plans proposed for retail village and five-story apartment building in the Grand Central District

The development group behind a new live-work-play neighborhood in St. Pete’s Grand Central District is tweaking plans.

The previously approved mixed-use project called Whitney Village is currently under construction on 4.5 acres on the east side of the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA at 3200 1st Avenue South.

The pedestrian-centered development, featuring a retail village with 32,000 square feet of retail space and a 600-space parking garage, may now have a total of 385 apartments across the property.

Plans for a mixed-use redevelopment featuring hundreds of apartments and a retail village in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central District are being modified as construction continues on the project’s first phase.

When Whitney Village was first announced in 2024, plans called for 380 apartments, a 32,000-square-foot retail village, and a 600-space parking garage at 3200 1st Avenue South, directly east of the existing Jim & Heather Gills YMCA.

Read More

Chipotle to replace Krispy Kreme on 4th Street North in St. Pete

/
Chipotle to replace Krispy Kreme on 4th Street North in St. Pete

After more than a decade of serving hot doughnuts on 4th Street, St. Petersburg’s only Krispy Kreme location is set to close.

Chipotle Mexican Grill, the fast-casual chain known for burritos and bowls, will replace the Krispy Kreme at 9100 4th Street North.

According to a newly filed application with the Southwest Florida Water Management District, remodeling work on the 2,430-square-foot building is expected to begin in March and be completed by September.

The project is being led by Mississippi-based Streamline Development Partners, a commercial real estate group that has developed multiple Chipotle locations nationwide. The firm is working alongside Vero Beach-based design and engineering company Quick Concepts Group LLC.

Read More

Nearly $100 million invested as developer continues buying spree along Salt Creek in south St. Pete

/
Nearly $100 million invested as developer continues buying spree along Salt Creek in south St. Pete

Clearwater-based real estate firm Prometheus Partners has acquired another property along Salt Creek, pushing its total investment in the area to nearly $100 million over the past year and a half.

Prometheus purchased a 4.63-acre property at 263 13th Avenue South for $28.215 million from Bayboro Partners LTD on December 31st.

The site is home to Bayboro Station, an 80,991-square-foot, three-story office building originally constructed in 1924 as one of St. Petersburg’s first power plants, and an adjacent surface parking lot.

Today, the building houses several tenants, including Pinstripe Marketing, Carbon Design & Architecture, and the Southeast regional headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries.

With this latest purchase, Prometheus has now spent more than $93.8 million acquiring nearly 23 acres in the Salt Creek area, making it one of the largest private landholders in the neighborhood.

Read More

Historically St. Pete: The remarkable history of the 100-year-old Vinoy Hotel that nearly never was

/
Historically St. Pete: The remarkable history of the 100-year-old Vinoy Hotel that nearly never was

At St. Pete Rising, we are constantly providing comprehensive coverage on everything new and coming soon to the Sunshine City, but we think it’s also important to take a look back at our city's rich history.

Historically St. Pete, a monthly column on St. Pete Rising written by Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History Rui Farias, covers everything from the legend of underground mobster tunnels to the buildings and people that created the Sunshine City.

Follow us each month as we explore how these projects shaped St. Pete into the city we know and love today.

This month we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the opening of The Vinoy, which debuted on New Year’s Eve 1925. What began with a party, a bet, and a game of golf became a 375-room hotel completed in just under 10 months.

Read More

St. Pete Rising’s top stories of 2025 captured a changing city navigating growth and nostalgia

/
St. Pete Rising’s top stories of 2025 captured a changing city navigating growth and nostalgia

In 2025, St. Petersburg gave us plenty to talk about and, judging by the clicks, you were paying close attention.

From splashy redevelopment proposals and high-stakes Rays drama to beloved dive bars, beachfront icons, and even a dinosaur perched above downtown, readers gravitated toward stories that captured a city changing in real time.

The most-read articles of the year were not just about shiny renderings or breaking news. They focused on the follow-up questions, the fine print, and how big ideas actually play out on the ground.

Whether tracking the future of the Tropicana Field site, examining housing policy shifts, or following the next chapter of long-standing local institutions, these stories reflected the curiosity and healthy skepticism of St. Pete Rising readers.

Below are the 10 most-read St. Pete Rising articles of 2025.

Read More

A 75-year-old church in St. Pete’s Euclid St. Paul’s neighborhood will be converted into apartments

/
A 75-year-old church in St. Pete’s Euclid St. Paul’s neighborhood will be converted into apartments

After decades of Sunday services, a 75-year-old church on the southern edge of the Euclid St. Paul’s neighborhood is preparing to take on a new role in the neighborhood by becoming housing for local residents.

The former Pinellas Vietnamese Church of the Nazarene, located at 1225 9th Avenue North, will be adaptively reused into 20 workforce housing apartments.

The project is being led by local property owners and real estate investors Joshua and Danielle Neitz, who purchased the church and its adjacent parking lot for $1.325 million in February.

“My wife was a teacher for many years, and all of our friends were middle-class people trying to earn a living and stay in the area,” Joshua Neitz said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We need more options to make life a little more affordable for residents.”

In October, the church was added to the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places, protecting the building from demolition while allowing for adaptive reuse under the city’s code.

Read More

Vietnamese coffee shop Say Coffee House planned for the Grand Central District

/
Vietnamese coffee shop Say Coffee House planned for the Grand Central District

Known for TikTok-worthy slow-dripped brews topped with colorful cold foams and inventive add-ins, Vietnamese coffee shops have been popping up in major U.S. cities like New York, Portland, and Los Angeles.

Now, it’s St. Pete’s turn.

Last week, a banner appeared in the window of 2414 Central Avenue in the Grand Central District announcing Say Coffee House, set to open in March in the space formerly occupied by the Crisp Waffle Company.

The name “Say” translates to “obsessed” in Vietnamese.

“It means you drink it so much that you’re obsessed with it,” said owner Haley Huynh in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “That’s why we chose the name.”

Vietnamese coffee is traditionally brewed using a small metal drip filter called a phin, producing a bold, slow-dripped coffee.

Read More