January 06, 2020

Chicken Salad Chick Planned for 4th Street in St. Pete

January 06, 2020/ Anthony Close

A fast-growing restaurant chain is planning a new location on St. Pete’s popular 4th Street. Chicken Salad Chick, which was started in 2008 in Auburn, Alabama, will soon open at 1221 4th Street North.

Since being founded by Stacy Brown in 2008, the chain has grown to more than 140 locations in 16 states. The St. Pete restaurant will be owned and operated by local franchise team Paul and Linsay Rohr, who also own a Chicken Salad Chick location in Palm Harbor.

December 30, 2019

Traditional Irish Tavern is Coming Soon from Owners of The Galley

December 30, 2019/ Brian Zucker

St. Petersburg residents are known for being religiously committed to buying local. We take pride in the homegrown businesses that make our neighborhoods such incredible places to live, work and play. However, one of the byproducts of Downtown St Pete’s meteoric growth over the past 5-10 years has been a sharp rise in commercial rents.

Some are concerned that local shops will be priced out of downtown and what has made St. Pete special will fade away. While the city is doing its best to keep St. Pete local, with initiatives such as the Storefront Conservation Corridor Plan, they cannot legally force downtown landowners to rent exclusively to locals.

In the end, the residents and visitors decide who goes and who stays. In essence, we vote with our wallets. And although rising rents have put pressure on local businesses, some have continued to thrive, and others have even expanded.

December 23, 2019

After Icon Central, Related Group Looking for Next Project in St Pete

December 23, 2019/ Brian Zucker

Now that construction is complete on Icon Central, a 15-story 368-unit apartment community in Downtown St. Pete, Jorge Perez, CEO of Related Group, has his sights set on the company’s next project in the Sunshine City.

Prior to his trip to Tampa Bay last week, Mr. Perez had only expressed interest in another Downtown St. Pete project if it was on the water. But his recent trip may have changed his mind.

“While he would love to find a site on the water, after today’s visit, I think he’s going to look everywhere,” says Jessica Suarez, VP of Development. “Mr. Perez is in love with St. Pete. We are absolutely bullish on finding something else here.”

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.