August 13, 2014

St.Pete "Pocket Projects"

August 13, 2014/ Anthony Close

Pocket parks are small parks that are accessible to the public, but they are usually very tiny in comparison to larger parks (think Central Park). However, despite their size, they can create a network of green space to help enhance neighborhoods and communities. I see smaller real estate developments the same way. These so-called "pocket projects" can enhance urban corridors and revitalize neighborhoods. Because many pocket projects lack the size and scale of larger developments they usually receive less publicity, but I think they are just as important. While there's no definition of what makes a development a "pocket project" I'm going to share a few local developments I would consider pocket projects that you may not have heard about.

July 10, 2014

Project: Arlington Townhomes

July 10, 2014/ Anthony Close

The Arlington
Stories: 4
Units: 34 townhomes

A new townhome project in Downtown St.Petersburg is under development a few blocks west of Mirror Lake. This 34-unit development will feature homes between 1,700-2,100 square feet. Looking at the renders it appears that each townhome will be 3 stories with a 4th floor terrace, some of which will offer striking skyline views. This project will be a great addition to downtown.

A statement from The Arlington St.Pete website:

We are excited to announce that The Arlington St Pete is coming soon to Downtown St Petersburg! Located at 8th Street North and Arlington Avenue North the urban contemporary community will offer thirty-four townhomes ranging in size from 1,700 to 2,100 square feet.

July 03, 2014

Downtown St. Pete Development Update: July 2014

July 03, 2014/ Anthony Close

Construction crews have been hard at work in Downtown St. Pete so far this year. Read more to get the latest construction updates!

June 05, 2014

Project: Bliss Condominiums

June 05, 2014/ Anthony Close

Just announced today, a new condominium tower called Bliss is under development less than a block off of Beach Drive. This project will replace the Buckley Moss gallery and is adjacent to Rowland Place- a 20 unit condo project currently under construction. Bliss will consist of 30 units across 19 stories with most units featuring 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms and 2,140 square feet of living space. According to this post, prices will start around

May 13, 2014

Mirror Lake Renovations Complete

May 13, 2014/ Anthony Close

What was once St.Petersburg’s main source for fresh drinking water, Mirror Lake, has served as lakeside retreat on the northern side of downtown for decades. However, over the past few years it has gone unappreciated leading it to be underutilized.

In 2012 the City of St.Petersburg took action and developed plans to invest nearly a half million dollars to renovate and revitalize the Mirror Lake Park. By widening and enhancing the sidewalk the lake is now surrounded by a unified trail that gives stunning views of Downtown St. Petersburg and Mirror Lake’s wildlife. In March most of the renovation were completed.

April 17, 2014

Project: The Hermitage Apartments

April 17, 2014/ Anthony Close

via the Tampa Bay Times:

ST. PETERSBURG — Builders will break ground soon on a downtown apartment building the size of a city block, adding to a flood of new rental construction in an area developers are betting is a gold mine of young urbanites.

Allen Morris Residential said Wednesday it would start construction in July on eight stories of apartments planned for 700 First Ave. S, where the Coral Gables development firm just bought 2 acres for $5.25 million in cash.

April 17, 2014

The Biggest News of the Day

April 17, 2014/ Anthony Close

If there's one thing for certain it's that Downtown St.Petersburg is booming. Almost daily there seems to be news of new construction or new restaurants or someone doing something big. The transformation seen in Downtown St.Pete over the past decade is almost unbelievable and it hasn't stopped. With all the development going on, someone has to argue: What does it take to be considered the biggest news of the day in Downtown St.Petersburg?

April 01, 2014

Snapshot St.Pete: Grand Prix vs Dali

April 01, 2014/ Anthony Close

I'll be starting a new mini-post series called Snapshot St.Pete. These posts will be shorter than regular posts and will offer a brief glimpse at an aspect relating to Downtown St.Petersburg! Last weekend the Firestone Grand Prix of St.Petersburg took place in downtown bringing thousands of spectators and racing fans. The Grand Prix is always an interesting time in Downtown St.Petersburg because of the chaos that occurs both before, after, and during the race. Between The Dali Museum and downtown businesses there tends to be a debate as to whether the race positively impacts downtown. Some business owners claim that the race scares locals away and leads to a decline in business while others see an increase in business.

March 28, 2014

How are Urban Landings and Harbour's Edge in the same complex?

March 28, 2014/ Anthony Close

The other day while viewing my site stats I noticed an interesting search term brought a viewer to this blog. The term was: "how are harbour's edge and urban landings the same apartment complex". It's a very valid question that I thought I'd clear up. Many times on this site I have referred to the "Urban Edge" apartment project. But Urban Edge is actually a complex consisting of two seperate communities. One community is Urban Landings and the other is Harbour's Edge. These two names combine to give the project name "Urban Edge".

March 18, 2014

Sundial St.Pete Releases Few Details

March 18, 2014/ Anthony Close

One of the biggest mysteries surrounding Sundial St.Pete is whether or not its tenant lineup will create a shopping and dining destination. In its heyday, Baywalk was a booming shopping center with bustling shops and restaurants but controversy sunk the retail complex and brought vacancy rates close to 90%. Sundial St.Pete hopes revive the shopping center and give it new glory. I'm confident that Bill Edwards will bring a strong tenant list to- once again- make the complex a top destination. Recently the Tampa Bay Times revealed that a Marilyn Monroe spa and possibly a Ruth's Chris Steak House will be among the tenants in Sundial. Joining these two tenants are the return of Chico's and White House Black Market.