April 12, 2021

Fo’Cheezy Twisted Meltz opening new location in downtown St. Pete

April 12, 2021/ Amy Kochek

Today is National Grilled Cheese Day and Fo’Cheezy Twisted Meltz is celebrating by announcing plans to open a second brick and mortar location this summer in Downtown St. Pete at 111 3rd Street North, formerly occupied by Five Guy’s Burger and Fries.

This location will be in addition to the Fo’Cheezy food truck and their first restaurant at 6305 Gulf Boulevard on St. Pete Beach.

To celebrate the new location and National Grilled Cheese Day, swing by the St. Pete Beach location from 3 pm to 6 pm today to grab a free triple OG. Be sure to bring the kiddos too -- kids eat free all day with a paying adult.

April 09, 2021

Fado to bring authentic Portuguese cuisine to downtown St. Pete

April 09, 2021/ Amy Kochek

The music, food, wine, and culture of Portugal is about to make its way into St. Pete’s ever-growing food scene with the opening of an authentic Portuguese restaurant – Fado (Fah-doo) – which is opening in May at 435 5th Avenue North. The building was previously home to Sake 23, a pan-Asian and Japanese-style restaurant.

The interior of Fado will be full of traditional Portuguese Azulejo décor, which is characterized by blue and white ceramic tilework embossed by colorful terra cotta trim.

Portuguese food is similar to Spanish food with simple, yet flavorful, ingredients that emphasize fish, meat, olive oil, bread, tomato, herbs, and spices.

April 06, 2021

A coworking company, COhatch, has purchased the historic Harlan Hotel in downtown St. Pete

April 06, 2021/ Brian Zucker

An Ohio-based coworking company has purchased the historic Harlan Hotel in downtown St. Pete. The 4-story, 14,000 square foot building, located at 15 8th Street North, will be converted into a coworking facility with a restaurant and bar on the ground level. The sale of the building closed on April 2nd for $2.25 million.

“We are going to make a significant investment in the building,” said John Watkins, Co-Principal at COhatch Regional Development Ventures, which is the development arm of COhatch. “We haven’t gotten permit approval yet, so I don’t know what the final cost will be, but it’ll be well into the seven figures.”

The Harlan Hotel was originally built in 1925 during a time of extraordinary growth for the city. The building was added to the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places in 1997.

April 05, 2021

The Cake Drip, a unique dessert boutique, is coming soon to the EDGE District

April 05, 2021/ Amy Kochek

The Cake Drip, a unique dessert boutique that offers a DIY chocolate bar and cake decorating experience, is coming this summer to 1104 Central Avenue in the EDGE District. The space was previously home to Plain Jane, a women’s boutique, which recently moved five blocks away to 621 Central Avenue.

Get ready to escape into a magical world filled with bright colors, flowers galore, and dreamy decor that doubles as the perfect backdrop for Instagram-worthy selfies. Once you step foot inside The Cake Drip, the fun really begins.

A reservation guarantees you an hour’s experience of sweetness and enjoyment. When you book your reservation at The Cake Drip, you can choose one of two options — the DIY chocolate bar flight tasting or DIY cake decorating.

March 30, 2021

Orlando-based Foxtail Coffee is coming soon to 4th Street in St. Pete

March 30, 2021/ Brian Zucker

In the not-too-distant past, the only place to get a cup of coffee in St. Pete was from one of the big national chains. Today, it seems like there is a coffee shop on every block. Not only is the Sunshine City home to mass-produced drive-thru coffee for when you need a quick early morning jolt, but St. Pete also has carefully roasted small batch coffee for when you want to appreciate every nuance of this incredible caffeinated bean.

In a few short months, another coffee shop will be joining the fray. Orlando-based Foxtail Coffee Co. recently signed a lease at 730 4th Street North. The space was previously occupied by Mini Doughnut Factory, which closed its doors in early 2019.

March 25, 2021

Local developer proposes 20-story condo tower on 4th Street in downtown St. Pete

March 25, 2021/ Samantha Flanagan

A mixed-use high-rise outfitted with smart technology is coming soon to Downtown St Pete. The Blake, which aims to be LEED Silver certified, will feature advanced energy and safety innovations designed to appeal to working professional home-owners in a post-Covid world and will replace the former Masonic Temple building at 114 4th Street South.

The $40,000,000 project, developed by Blake Investment Partners and designed by architects Antunovich Associates, will consist of 20 floors, including 16 residential floors above a four-floor base that includes three levels of parking, commercial space, and lobby on the ground floor.

March 24, 2021

21-story residential building planned for 17th Street in downtown St. Pete

March 24, 2021/ Anthony Close

In a sign of confidence in the future of downtown St. Pete, a 21-story residential building has been proposed for the western edge of downtown. Mill Creek Residential Trust, a Boca Raton-based real estate developer, is planning to build a multifamily project on 17th Street South between the Pinellas Trail and 3rd Avenue South.

Mill Creek, which previously developed Modera Prime 235, now known as Cottonwood Bayview, at 235 3rd Avenue North, has generally built high-rise apartment towers under its “Modera” brand.

According to the company’s website, the buildings in the Modera brand offer a “premier location, gorgeous design, luxe finishes, spectacular amenities and innovative, make-your-life-easier services.” The company is current building Modera Tampa, a 353-unit apartment building which will feature approximately 13,000 square feet of ground floor retail, in downtown Tampa.

March 23, 2021

26-unit townhome community to be built just north of the EDGE District

March 23, 2021/ Brian Zucker

Indianapolis-based developer Onyx+East is proposing a new townhome community located just steps away from the EDGE District in Methodist Town.

The 26-unit project, dubbed “Alante”, will be built on 1.1 acres of land at 302 15th Street North, which was formerly home to the St. Pete Eco-Village. The property was sold to Onyx+East in January for $850,000.

This will be Onyx+East’s second project in St. Petersburg. Their first development, Six Point Row, is currently under construction at 2611 1st Avenue North in the Grand Central District. The 19-unit townhome project sold out in February.

March 19, 2021

5-story mixed-use development proposed for the Grand Central District

March 19, 2021/ Anthony Close

St. Pete’s Grand Central District continues to attract new businesses and pique developer interest as demand for commercial space and new housing radiates from the downtown core. A recent land sale in the heart of the neighborhood will pave the way for the District’s next mixed-use development.

Vertica Commercial Advisors, a subsidiary of Vertica Partners, a Tampa-based real estate advisory and investment firm, has announced the sale of a parcel at the southwest corner of Central Avenue and 28th Street to ASH Developers. The site is nearly a quarter acre and sits in an Opportunity Zone – it sold for $740,000, or $70 per square foot.

March 16, 2021

Innovative shipping container apartments coming soon to downtown St. Pete

March 16, 2021/ Brian Zucker

Shipping container construction has been on the rise lately. Whether being used for hydroponic farming, a drive-in movie theater, an outdoor market, or housing, there seems to be no limit to what can be done with these steel boxes.

Although the idea of building with repurposed shipping containers was conceived decades ago, the trend didn’t start to gain steam until the mid-2000s. Container homes are generally built off-site, which increases construction speed, and their modular design makes them more efficient and durable. These benefits, along with a smaller floorplan, allow for lower rents when used to create housing.

Recently, St. Pete-based Path Communities announced plans for a 31-unit micro-apartment project built entirely out of shipping containers. The development, titled Path Communities at Booker Creek, will be located at the southwest corner of Burlington Avenue and 17th Street North.