Aerial St. Pete: Construction photos from St. Pete's newest real estate developments

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Aerial St. Pete: Construction photos from St. Pete's newest real estate developments

This month’s edition of Aerial St. Pete shows the progress on several real estate developments throughout St. Petersburg.

Aerial St. Pete is a column by St. Pete Rising which features exclusive aerial photography of projects under construction in St. Petersburg, FL. To accomplish this, we have teamed up with AB3 Visuals. 

In this article we are taking a look at ARK Innovation Center, Domus Urbana, Echelon Site 9, Marina Club Apartments, and Saltaire.

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Here are the biggest real estate development stories on St. Pete Rising of 2022

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Here are the biggest real estate development stories on St. Pete Rising of 2022

2022 was another banner year for real estate development news in downtown St. Petersburg.

Projects big and small moved through the development pipeline and continued to transform St. Pete’s urban neighborhoods. Here are the top real estate development stories from 2022 broken down into three categories by project stage: Ground Breakings, Proposals, and Nearing Completion.

The Ground Breakings section includes projects that began construction this year while Proposals is broader and includes projects that were either proposed or approved but have not yet begun construction. Projects that are under construction and are expected to be completed in the first half of 2023 are included in the Nearing Completion section.

There were many other townhome projects and smaller infill developments that progressed throughout 2022; however, these top stories only include the largest real estate developments in St. Petersburg.

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Here are the top 10 most popular restaurant and bar stories on St Pete Rising of 2022

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Here are the top 10 most popular restaurant and bar stories on St Pete Rising of 2022

This is it, St. Pete. Your top 10 most popular restaurant and bar stories on St. Pete Rising over the past 12 months.

For the past nine years, we’ve been living and breathing everything St. Pete to keep you in-the-know and serve as the authority on everything new and coming soon to the Sunshine City.

From fast-casual eateries to high-end cocktails bars and everything in between, this was a huge year for new restaurant and bar announcements brought on by pent up demand from the COVID-19 lockdowns.

If you aren’t hungry and thirsty before you start reading this story, you will be once you finish—we promise.

We’ve got a lot to look forward to in 2023. Now let’s dive in.

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Revised plans approved for 15-story mixed-use development in St. Pete’s EDGE District

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Revised plans approved for 15-story mixed-use development in St. Pete’s EDGE District

St. Pete City Council has approved revised plans for a $70 million mixed-use development at the southwest corner of 1st Ave North and Dr. MLK Jr. Street in St Pete’s EDGE District.

Developer Belpointe, which invests in Opportunity Zones, first announced plans for the project in early 2021.

Tentatively referred to as 1000 1st Avenue North, the development was set to feature two, 15-story apartment towers with a combined 254 rental units and 22,000 square feet of commercial space.

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The Annex Coffee House set to open in Gulfport

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The Annex Coffee House set to open in Gulfport

A new drive-through coffee shop will open before the end of the year on Gulfport Boulevard South, giving residents a locally owned alternative to the nearby Dunkin’ Donuts that opened a few years ago.

Located at 5133 Gulfport Boulevard South, The Annex Coffee House takes the place of Two Dads, a takeout restaurant that opened in early 2021. Before that, the 600-square-foot building, which neighbors the recently shuttered Smokin’ J’s barbecue restaurant, housed a produce stand.

Jenna Malowany of KW Commercial represented the landlord and tenant in the lease transaction.

Owner Johnny Ciani, a native of Tampa, has partnered with Johnny Ruetz, the owner of Three Birds Tavern in St. Petersburg, on The Annex. The two met through their work with TBS Beverage Solutions, a distributor of coffee and tea products servicing north and central Florida.

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33-unit apartment building approved for 4th Avenue South in downtown St. Pete

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33-unit apartment building approved for 4th Avenue South in downtown St. Pete

A vacant 0.2-acre parcel three blocks east of Tropicana Field could be developed into a seven-story, 33-unit apartment building.

Located at 630 4th Avenue South, the property is owned by Yaron Levi of Onyx St. Pete LLC, which, according to SunBiz, has a Valley Stream, NY mailing address.

Onyx St. Pete LLC purchased the site in August 2022 for $1.55 million. A now-cancelled four-unit townhome project, SOMA, was once proposed for the site.

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St. Pete Pier to get another restaurant with opening of Perry’s Porch

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St. Pete Pier to get another restaurant with opening of Perry’s Porch

Perry’s Porch, a new café concept created by Seed & Feed Hospitality Group, is coming next year to 335 2nd Avenue NE, a space adjacent to the St. Petersburg Museum of History on the St. Pete Pier. It will take the place of Hops and Props, a craft beer bar that moved to 225 2nd Avenue North last year and rebranded as Hops 2.0. 

According to a news release, Seed & Feed Hospitality Group, which also owns and operates local seafood restaurant Trophy Fish and the Mandarin Hide cocktail bar, has enlisted St. Pete-based Wannemacher Jensen Architects to redesign the space.

Jon Robben has been hired as executive chef and plans to offer a menu that features historical local craft cocktails and picnic-basket-style takeout food options for Pier visitors to enjoy in the amenity’s many green and recreational spaces. Robben is currently the executive chef at Trophy Fish and before that helmed the kitchen as Tryst.

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Developer uses new state law to increase residential density in Gandy Blvd mixed-use development

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Developer uses new state law to increase residential density in Gandy Blvd mixed-use development

St. Pete City Council approved a revised development agreement for a proposed mixed-use waterfront project on Gandy Boulevard that increases the number of residential units in the project.

In late 2021, developer Key Gandy LLC, a subsidiary of Miami-based Key International, announced a mixed-use proposal with 376 residences on a 39-acre parcel at 12000 Gandy Boulevard North, near the intersection with Snug Harbor Road. The development was approved earlier this year.

The project also includes a waterfront restaurant and marina with both wet and dry slips, some of which will be available to the public.

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Downtown St. Pete's first toy shop Runrun Kids Store debuts on the St. Pete Pier

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Downtown St. Pete's first toy shop Runrun Kids Store debuts on the St. Pete Pier

It’s not a full-fledged, brick-and-mortar store (yet!), but Runrun Kids Store, a new toy shop that debuted last month in a St. Pete Pier kiosk, fills a large gap in downtown St. Petersburg’s retail scene.

Although there are some shops in downtown St. Pete that sell a small selection of new toys, such as The Canary and Plain Jane, Runrun is the only toy store in the entire city dedicated to new toys and has already proven to be a popular stop for families with young children.

“I knew I wanted to start a kids’ store,” owner Jess Garvin says, “because I couldn’t find one, and I was like, ‘Am I crazy? Is there not a market for this?’ We have one of the largest downtowns in the entire state of Florida and we have zero local toy stores here. After doing some research, I realized there is a big market for this.”

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21-story apartment tower proposed south of Mirror Lake in downtown St. Pete

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21-story apartment tower proposed south of Mirror Lake in downtown St. Pete

A 21-story building with 200 apartments, 10,843 square feet of commercial space, and a 264-space parking garage has been proposed for 699 1st Avenue North, on the southwest edge of the Mirror Lake neighborhood in downtown St. Petersburg.

According to a Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) application filed by SPGRP II LLC, a limited liability company controlled by real estate investment and development company Gravel Road Partners, the project will also include open public space and possibly a covered plaza with an art installation on its northeast side, providing a buffer between it and the Unitarian Universalist Church of St. Petersburg at 100 Mirror Lake Drive.

“The resulting setback provides an even further separation between the project and the church than the existing approximately 30 feet which is provided by Arlington Avenue North, and significantly exceeds what is required by code,” as stated in the CRA application.

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