May 21, 2019

Downtown Developments May 2019: The Dali to Expand and More!

May 21, 2019/ Brian Zucker

Here’s the latest on what’s new in Downtown St. Pete. On top of what we’ve highlighted below, an Israeli burger chain will be coming soon to the ONE St Pete condo tower, a tea lounge opened up in the Grand Central District, a barbershop from Portland announced plans to open on the 600 block, pre-sales began for downtown’s next condo tower, and the historic McCrory building was sold.

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. A few months ago, we started publishing that column right here on St. Pete Rising, in addition to Green Bench Monthly!

April 30, 2019

Pre-sales Begin Next Week for 35-story St. Pete Tower

April 30, 2019/ Anthony Close

After the completion of ONE St. Petersburg, a 41-story condo tower which became the city’s tallest building last year, the developer behind it, Kolter Group, is preparing to quietly launch pre-sales for its latest Downtown St. Pete project.

Reservations will begin this week for Saltaire, a proposed 35-story condominium tower which is slated to be built on the current surface parking lot of the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront Hotel located at 300 1st Street South.

The building will be marketed exclusively to owners of units at ONE St. Petersburg for two weeks, according to an email that was sent to residents. ONE St. Petersburg’s 253 units sold out over six months before completion, and some of the units have already been resold for returns in the 30-40% range. Reservations for units at Saltaire open to the general public on May 9th.

April 29, 2019

Israeli Burger Joint to Open in Downtown St. Pete

April 29, 2019/ Brian Zucker

Burgerim, which translates to "many burgers" in Hebrew, will be opening on the ground level of ONE St. Petersburg, Downtown St. Pete’s tallest tower.

Started in Tel Aviv in 2011, founder Donna Tuchner discovered a way to set Burgerim apart from the other burger eateries – variety. Instead of the typical 7oz burger, Burgerim specializes in 2.8oz mini burgers that are completely customizable.

Build a simple burger for the kids and an unconventional masterpiece for yourself. Burgerim offers three buns, six sauces, ten patties, and nine toppings. The choice of patties includes beef, turkey, lamb, dry-aged, chicken, chorizo, salmon, merguez (spicy beef), wagyu, and veggie.

Dress your burger with traditional toppings like mixed greens, grilled onions, and sautéed mushrooms and then add specialty toppings such as pineapple, avocado, or a sunny side up egg. Each burger meal comes with a side of either fries, sweet potato fries, or onion rings.

April 25, 2019

USF St. Pete Breaks Ground on New Housing Project

April 25, 2019/ Anthony Close

The University of South Florida St. Petersburg embarks on its latest chapter of growth with the construction of a new residence hall and dining facility. Community leaders and local elected officials including Mayor Rick Kriseman, USFSP Regional Chancellor Martin Tadlock, and USF President Judy Genshaft gathered today to officially break ground on a project that will increase the campus’ housing population by nearly 70%.

The 125,000 square foot building will be six-stories and have 375 beds. Once complete it will join two other dormitories in expanding on-campus housing from 550 beds to more than 900, an important step for the university which has recently had to house students in the Downtown St. Pete Hilton Bayfront Hotel due to lack of capacity.

April 18, 2019

Here's What the Dali Museum's $39M Expansion Will Look Like

April 18, 2019/ Anthony Close

One of Pinellas County’s biggest tourism draws, the Dalí Museum, has submitted a capital projects funding request to the county’s Tourist Development Council in hopes of receiving $17.5 million in public funding to construct a $38.6 million expansion. Since opening in its current location in 2011, the Dali Museum has drawn between 360,000 and 450,000 visitors per year, over 75% of whom are from outside the area. The Dalí Museum is the largest single-artist museum in the United States and is the most-visited art museum in Florida.

But the museum has bigger plans for the future. They want to expand to accommodate 50% more visitors and they’re estimating the proposed expansion will bring in an additional 900,000 visitors over a ten year period. The expansion would consist of three components — a new digital Dali permanent exhibit, community & education space, and a parking garage...

April 15, 2019

Downtown Developments April 2019: New Details on Proposed 35-story Tower and More!

April 15, 2019/ Brian Zucker

We’re back with our monthly update on what’s new in Downtown St. Pete. On top of what we’ve highlighted below, the city’s new police headquarters officially opened, a historic building in the EDGE District announced plans to renovate into office space, a new yoga studio opened in Historic Uptown, and a vegan pop-up eatery started service inside Baum Avenue Market.

Want the 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.

April 11, 2019

Bishops Barbershop Coming Soon to the 600 Block of Downtown St. Pete

April 11, 2019/ Brian Zucker

Bishops, a barbershop with an avant-garde identity from Portland Oregon, is moving into the Green-Richman Arcade located at 689 Central Avenue. The parcel has been empty since Anglo Couture vacated the space in early 2017.

The Green-Richman Arcade was purchased in 2016 for $1.2 million by Steve Gianfilipo, who also owns Station House, a five-story, mixed-use property with dining, event and coworking space. The first floor of the arcade is also occupied by Urban Creamery and the second floor houses a smaller version of the popular coworking space, called Station House Arcade.

Bishops is a new twist to the old school barbershop. According to their website, “We love art, music, and good beer. We’re minority owned & women/LGBTQIA+ led and staffed. Most importantly, we’re here to empower you to be whoever you want to be, judgement free.”

April 09, 2019

Downtown St. Pete’s Historic McCrory Building Sold to Miami Investor

April 09, 2019/ Anthony Close

Last week a Miami real estate investment group closed on the purchase of Downtown St. Pete’s historic McCrory Building at 433 Central Avenue. The sale, which is one of many recent transactions in the immediate area, sold to Tricera Capital for just under $6 million.

The sale represents the ninth acquisition for the group in the greater downtown area. In addition to 433 Central Avenue, Tricera also owns 658-670 Central Avenue which houses restaurants such as Pacific Counter, Maple Street Biscuit Company, and Brass Bowl & Juicery as well as the Furnish Me Vintage building at 1246 Central Avenue. The group’s St. Pete holdings are primarily focused on the Central Avenue corridor in the Central Arts District, EDGE District, and Grand Central District.

Built in 1904, the McCrory Building served as the backdrop for many historic photos of St. Pete’s iconic green benches. The building’s current tenants include Pin Wok & Bowl, La V Vietnamese Fusion, and Luna Loca in the ground floor and the Rising Tide Innovation Center in the 2nd floor office space.

April 05, 2019

Matter of Fact Brings Men’s Fashion to the EDGE District

April 05, 2019/ Brian Zucker

Occasionally, I’ll ask the St. Pete Rising audience, “What do you think Downtown St. Pete is missing?” For a while, one of the most popular answers was, “a men’s store”.

The first shop specializing in menswear opened about two years ago. But not everyone has the same style or price point. Downtown needs a variety of menswear offerings. And today, with the help of one of Downtown St. Pete’s most popular women’s boutiques, another men’s shop has finally opened.

Matter of Fact is a joint venture between Matthew Baker and Amanda Henderson, owner of Ashe Couture. “The style of Matter of Fact will be for the everyday St. Pete gentleman, whether you're grabbing a drink at Intermezzo or having dinner on Beach Drive” says Matt.

April 03, 2019

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

April 03, 2019/ Anthony Close

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…