December 20, 2019

Downtown Developments Dec 2019: Armature Works Coming Soon to Sundial and More!

December 20, 2019/ Brian Zucker

We thought the holidays would be slow for St. Pete, but we were wrong! Two large developments were announced for the EDGE District, big changes are coming to Sundial, and much more. As we look forward to the beginning of 2020, we are excited for the opening of the new pier and the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, as well as the groundbreaking of 400 Central and Saltaire.

Along with the updates below, a women’s boutique opened, a small-batch ice cream shop opened, a Mexican restaurant opened, a fast-casual restaurant by Hooters was announced, and the apartment boom started to spread beyond Downtown St Pete.

December 17, 2019

City of St. Pete Intends to Redevelop Two Prime City-Owned Lots in Downtown

December 17, 2019/ Anthony Close

The City of St. Petersburg has received an unsolicited offer for the purchase of the existing Municipal Services Center located in Downtown St. Pete. The Municipal Services Center, or MSC for short, is an 11-story city-owned office building at 1 Fourth Street North that serves as the primary office building for city services and houses departments such as the planning department, code enforcement, and parking management.

While the City is required to solicit other proposals before ultimately selling the building, the unsolicited offer comes from the Property Markets Group (PMG) a New York-based developer, which has offered the city $12.0MM to purchase the 0.8-acre site that sits on Central Avenue between 3rd Street and 4th Street.

December 15, 2019

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

December 15, 2019/ Anthony Close

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.

December 10, 2019

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

December 10, 2019/ Brian Zucker

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.

December 06, 2019

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

December 06, 2019/ Shannon Gasper

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.

December 04, 2019

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

December 04, 2019/ Brian Zucker

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.

December 04, 2019

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

December 04, 2019/ Anthony Close

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.

December 03, 2019

Vendors Announced for Inaugural St. Pete Pier Marketplace

December 03, 2019/ Shannon Gasper

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.

November 27, 2019

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

November 27, 2019/ Brian Zucker

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.

November 25, 2019

St. Pete Announces Plan for Police Station Site Redevelopment

November 25, 2019/ Anthony Close

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.