OPINION: Bezu is Back, Here’s Why it Should be Approved

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OPINION: Bezu is Back, Here’s Why it Should be Approved

City Council, Preserve the Burg, developer Michel Regignano and residents of the Flori de Leon. They’ve all been players in the Downtown St. Pete development saga that has played out over the last eighteen months. We’re talking about the controversial Blue Lotus (formerly Bezu) condominium project.

While many of you think you’ve been staying up to date, you probably don’t know all of the details. Or maybe you don’t know any details. Regardless, over the past year, we’ve heard comments such as “Wait… I thought that project was denied?” Or “Hasn’t that been approved already?” Well the answer to both is yes. Confused? We are here to help.

There are a lot of details to this story, let’s take a step back and remember how we got here…

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Brass Bowl Kitchen and Juicery Joins the 600 Block Next Week

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Brass Bowl Kitchen and Juicery Joins the 600 Block Next Week

Have you ever craved fine dining cuisine, but didn’t have time to sit at a table for over an hour? A new Downtown St. Pete restaurant wants to give you the best of both worlds — flavor and speed. And they open Monday April 1st.

Brass Bowl is a new kitchen and juice bar concept located at 656 Central Avenue. Their aim is to offer one of the best chef-driven, organic, flavorful, and gourmet menus St. Pete has ever seen.

"We believe in protecting the environment, responsibly sourcing our ingredients, and supporting as many local businesses as possible,” says Executive Chef Jason Gordon, who was previously the chef at Sunset Grill in Ruskin, FL.

Brass Bowl is a 100% gluten-free scratch kitchen, so there isn’t anything pre-made coming into the restaurant. Everything from the almond butter to the hummus is made in-house. Even more impressive, there are no freezers, no fryers, and no heat lamps. All food is made-to-order with the freshest ingredients.

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Renovations to 1110 Central to Add Boutique Office Space to EDGE District

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Renovations to 1110 Central to Add Boutique Office Space to EDGE District

There aren’t many neighborhoods in Tampa Bay that are growing faster than Downtown St. Pete’s booming EDGE District, which is identified as the area around Central Avenue between 9th Street and 16th Street. In the past few months, we’ve witnessed the completion of 930 Central Flats which brought 218 new apartments to the neighborhood, the opening of Green Bench Brewing’s Webb’s City Cellar, which boasts Florida’s largest beer cellar, and just last week we celebrated the grand opening of the new $79 million headquarters for the St. Pete Police Department.

On top of that, the area has also seen the opening of multiple retail shops like Atlas Body + Home, a men’s clothing boutique, and Retrograde Goods, a shop selling locally handmade products. Some businesses, like Kalamazoo Olive Company, which was located closer to the downtown core at 449 Central Avenue, have relocated to the EDGE District. Kalamazoo’s new store opened last Friday at 1010 Central Avenue.

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WEPA! Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine Lands in St. Pete

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WEPA! Authentic Puerto Rican Cuisine Lands in St. Pete

Soon you won’t have to travel far to eat like you are in Puerto Rico. WEPA, St. Petersburg’s first authentic Puerto Rican restaurant, opens to the public this Saturday March 16th in the Warehouse Arts District. Located at 2149 3rd Ave South, WEPA is situated directly across the street from 3 Daughters Brewing.

“WEPA” (pronounced weh-pah) is a Spanish colloquialism used to express excitement, similar to “Wow!” or “Oh Yeah!” And as customers take their first bite of food, owner Jean Totti hopes to hear this exclamation all day, every day.

The menu at WEPA is inspired by Totti’s memories of growing up in San Juan, Puerto Rico, where he spent many afternoons by his mother’s, aunt’s and grandmother’s side in the kitchen. Many of the dishes available at WEPA come from hand-written recipes passed down over three generations. “Working with these recipes for months, we’ve selected a range of dishes that will represent our culinary history,” Totti adds. 

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Downtown Developments March 2019: A Trio of Coffee Shops Open and More!

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Downtown Developments March 2019: A Trio of Coffee Shops Open and More!

As many of you are aware, we write a column every month called Downtown Developments for Green Bench Monthly, a local community magazine. In the column, we highlight everything coming soon to Downtown St. Pete, including new restaurants, bars, and coffee shops. We also reveal new tower renderings, announce townhome projects, and much more. Last month we started publishing that column right here on St. Pete Rising, in addition to Green Bench Monthly!

Want this news first? Be sure to follow us! Most of what we discuss in Downtown Developments has already been posted to either our website, newsletter, Facebook or Instagram. With Downtown Developments, you’ll never miss the latest Downtown St. Pete news.

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