Mayor Kriseman Unveils Deuces Rising Plan Focused on 22nd Street South

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Mayor Kriseman Unveils Deuces Rising Plan Focused on 22nd Street South

When the vision for Commerce Park was first unveiled in 2007, it filled many residents with hope. Hope for economic development and jobs along St. Pete’s 22nd Street South corridor, which is home to the Deuces, a historic African-American entertainment and business district. Commerce Park was originally envisioned as a 13-acre business park that once promised to bring high paying manufacturing jobs on land assembled by a loan from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). 

Over the last decade, delays and setbacks have dimmed that original hope. Community leaders grew tired of hearing excuses from those involved as to why the project kept getting postponed. While Downtown St. Pete and the nearby Warehouse Arts District and EDGE District were teeming with new development — Commerce Park sat still. 

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Downtown St Pete's First Blow Dry Bar Coming to the EDGE District

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Downtown St Pete's First Blow Dry Bar Coming to the EDGE District

Leases were signed last month for two retail parcels on the ground floor of 930 Central Flats, a recently completed 6-story 218-unit apartment community in Downtown St Pete’s popular EDGE District. The spaces will be occupied by a blow dry bar and a pharmacy. EJ Barkett of Barkett Realty was the representing agent on the deal.

Blo: Blow Dry Bar will move into a 840 square foot corner unit on the east side of the apartment development at 930 Central Avenue Suite A. This will be the 10th Florida location for the blow dry bar, who operates over 130 locations across three countries. The EDGE District outpost will be run by locals Alice Burnett and Matt Konstantinis.

What’s a blow dry bar? Don’t feel bad for not knowing; it’s a pretty new thing! Blo, known as the original blow dry bar, opened their first location in Canada in 2007. Put simply, a blow dry bar specializes in washing, blow drying, and hair styling. They do not cut or color hair.

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The Blend to Serve Coffee and Wine Inside Downtown’s 490 First

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The Blend to Serve Coffee and Wine Inside Downtown’s 490 First

Imagine getting a perfect cup of coffee before taking the elevator up to your office. And then once the clock strikes five, heading downstairs to enjoy happy hour with your coworkers. Those who work inside the Tampa Bay Times building in Downtown St Pete won’t need to imagine any longer. 

In early December, The Blend: Coffee & Wine will open at 490 First Avenue South, inside the lobby of the Tampa Bay Times building.

The Blend is being launched by Stacha Madsen, who is no novice to the coffee industry, and her daughter Nichole McVicar. Madsen began her career years ago in her hometown of Seattle, Washington, where she owned multiple coffee shops, also called The Blend, in one of the nation’s coffee capitals. 

Although it’s located in an office building, Madsen doesn’t want The Blend to feel too corporate. “I want people to be able to walk in wearing flip flops or a suit jacket,” says Madsen.

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45-Story Mixed-Use Tower Clears Another Hurdle in Downtown St. Pete

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45-Story Mixed-Use Tower Clears Another Hurdle in Downtown St. Pete

400 Central went before St Petersburg’s Development Review Commission (DRC) earlier today seeking approval of the site plan, floor area ratio (FAR) bonuses and additional building height. It was approved unanimously.

Although the city’s report didn’t reveal any new information, it included never-before-seen renderings of the development. We’ve requested higher quality versions of these images and will update this article once they are available.

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Micro-Brewery and Restaurant Breaks Ground on Former Taco Bus Spot

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Micro-Brewery and Restaurant Breaks Ground on Former Taco Bus Spot

A new micro-brewery and restaurant are headed to St. Pete’s up-and-coming Grand Central District.

Located next to Dog Bar, at 2324 Central Avenue, the 0.41 acre lot was purchased for $860,000 in September 2019 by Grand Central Property Holdings, a limited liability company controlled by insurance executive and philanthropist Kevin Milkey.

Shortly after closing on the land, the existing structures were demolished and plans for a two- story, 10,270 square foot development were announced. The site was previously home to a Taco Bus restaurant, which closed in September 2017.

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Vendors Announced for Inaugural St. Pete Pier Marketplace

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Vendors Announced for Inaugural St. Pete Pier Marketplace

Since the very beginning, St. Petersburg has had a pier. In many ways, as St. Pete has grown, its pier has grown with it. From the early days of the Railroad Pier to the infamous Inverted Pyramid Pier, the St. Pete Pier has come in many forms. And now, almost ten years after then-Mayor Bill Foster recommended demolition of the Inverted Pyramid Pier, St. Pete’s next pier is nearing completion.

After multiple delays and an increase in scope, to say the new St. Pete Pier is highly anticipated would be an understatement. Unlike prior iterations of the pier, the new pier won’t just have a singular focal point, but instead will activate a large portion of the 26 acre pier district. 

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Hoots, a Fast-Casual Restaurant by Hooters, to Open on Downtown’s Jannus Block

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Hoots, a Fast-Casual Restaurant by Hooters, to Open on Downtown’s Jannus Block

The company behind Hooters, the original “breastaurant”, will be opening one of the first locations of their new fast-casual concept, Hoots: A Hooters Joint, at 201 1st Avenue North in Downtown St Pete. The space is situated directly outside the entrance to Jannus Live and was formerly home to Jannus Market, a convenience store.

In an effort to attract a wider audience, specifically families and millennials, Hooters developed a concept called Hoots back in 2017. In addition to being fast-casual, where customers order from the counter instead of sit down for table service, Hoots also sets itself apart from Hooters by having their staff don a much more modest outfit compared to the traditional short shorts and low-cut top. Additionally, Hoots will be hiring both men and women, something Hooters has gotten flack for in the past.

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St. Pete Announces Plan for Police Station Site Redevelopment

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St. Pete Announces Plan for Police Station Site Redevelopment

The City of St. Pete is moving forward with a proposal for the redevelopment of a prime Central Avenue block in downtown’s booming EDGE District. 

Earlier this year, the St. Pete Police Department moved into a new 170,000 square foot headquarters building at 1301 1st Avenue North. The completion of the new $78.5 million facility paved the way for the redevelopment of the former police station, which sits on 2 acres directly across the street at 1300 1st Avenue North.

In January, with the new headquarters nearing completion, the City began the redevelopment process by issuing a request for proposal (RFP), inviting developers to submit their vision for the site. The RFP contained a list of items and uses that defined the type of development the city wanted to see on the site. In May, it was announced that seven groups had submitted proposals. And of those seven, two were invited to City Hall to present their proposals.

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Downtown Developments Nov 2019: Seven-story Apartment Building Planned for 8th St and More!

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Downtown Developments Nov 2019: Seven-story Apartment Building Planned for 8th St and More!

This city sure keeps us busy! Yet again, this month was full of new projects coming soon to St Pete. However, as we move into the holidays, look for things to slow before ramping back up again for the busy season in early 2020.

Along with the updates below, an Italian market and cafe was announced, a wine cocktail lounge opened, a barbershop re-opened, a brewery expanded, and an affordable housing tower topped out.

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!

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Apartment Construction Boom Spreads Throughout St. Pete

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Apartment Construction Boom Spreads Throughout St. Pete

St. Petersburg is in the midst of an apartment construction boom that is, so far, showing no signs of slowing down. Nearly 2,500 multifamily rental units are currently under construction in the Sunshine City, a number which may pale in comparison to some cities, but is significant given St. Pete’s historical growth. And it may surprise people that this building boom is not just happening in the downtown core, but in other corners of the city as well.

While St. Pete Rising has previously reported on apartment projects like 1701 Central, Artistry, Vantage, and The Exchange, which are all under construction in Downtown St. Pete, there are a number of projects going vertical outside of downtown. These projects are largely concentrated in two areas: the Skyway Marina District and the Gateway area. In aggregate, these units will add thousands of new residents to St. Petersburg. Here’s a summary of multifamily apartment developments being built outside of downtown.

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