SunRunner celebrates record ridership, announces new station near Beach Drive in downtown St. Pete

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SunRunner celebrates record ridership, announces new station near Beach Drive in downtown St. Pete

“Beach to Burg” is a tagline used by the SunRunner bus rapid transit system, the $44-million, 10.3-mile route that debuted in October and links downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach via dedicated lanes running along 1st Avenue North and 1st Avenue South.

But soon the slogan may need to be “Beach to Bay.” That’s because the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), which oversees the SunRunner — Tampa Bay region’s first and only bus rapid transit line — plans to add a new station near Beach Drive, one of St. Pete’s most popular areas for shopping and dining and just a block away from the St. Pete Pier and the Tampa Bay waterfront.

In announcing the new station, PSTA also announced that it plans to purchase two new buses and put them into service along the SunRunner route. The new buses will make service more reliable and ease congestion on peak days.

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Mixed-use apartment building proposed for Central Avenue near 34th Street

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Mixed-use apartment building proposed for Central Avenue near 34th Street

A team of developers has closed on the purchase of a large shopping plaza located at the crossroads of Central Avenue and 34th Street in St. Petersburg’s Union Central District.

St. Pete-based real estate developers Blake Investment Partners and Eastman Equity along with Virginia-based developer Kettler have closed on the Central Plaza Shopping Center at 3365 Central Avenue for $13.3 million.

The three-acre shopping center occupies two city blocks along Central Avenue between 32nd Street and 34th Street. Currently, the retail center has 73,200 leasable square feet and is home to several tenants including a Family Dollar, Hibbett Sports, Citi Trends, and Octapharma.

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Sirata Beach Resort plans massive expansion with two new hotels on St. Pete Beach

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Sirata Beach Resort plans massive expansion with two new hotels on St. Pete Beach

The Sirata Beach Resort’s new ownership group unveiled a massive expansion project that not only includes an extensive renovation to the existing hotel but calls for the construction of two new hotels on its property at 5300 Gulf Boulevard on St. Pete Beach.

Columbia Sussex, a hotel management company based in Crestview Hills, Kentucky, presented the full proposal at a community meeting held Thursday, April 13th, at the St. Pete Beach Community Center. It acquired the 13-acre property from Fort Worth, Texas-based Crescent Real Estate, which also owns the Westshore Grand Hotel in Tampa, in late 2022 for $207 million, which remains the highest hotel sale on record with the Pinellas County clerk’s office.

According to a site plan that passed out at the meeting, the existing Sirata resort will be renovated, and two additional hotels will be built: a 290-key luxury hotel to the north and a 130-key, select-service hotel to the south.

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Aerial St. Pete: Downtown St. Petersburg's tallest residential developments are reshaping the skyline

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Aerial St. Pete: Downtown St. Petersburg's tallest residential developments are reshaping the skyline

This month’s edition of Aerial St. Pete shows the progress on several real estate developments throughout St. Petersburg, FL. Aerial St. Pete is a column by St. Pete Rising which features exclusive aerial photography of projects under construction in St. Pete. To accomplish this, we have teamed up with AB3 Visuals. 

In this article we are taking a look at Art House, Ascent St. Petersburg, Evo, Modera St. Petersburg, The Residences at 400 Central, and Saltaire.

Each of these developments is a residential tower project that is helping reshape the downtown St. Petersburg skyline. They are all above 20 stories tall and are in various stages of construction – some of the towers are nearing completion while others are just beginning to rise.

St. Pete Rising looks froward to continuing to be your source for St. Pete real estate development news and we will continue to track these projects as they near completion.

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357-unit apartment tower Ascent St. Pete opens in downtown St. Pete

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357-unit apartment tower Ascent St. Pete opens in downtown St. Pete

Two years after breaking ground, Ascent St. Pete, a luxury apartment tower that also features a hotel, has started moving in residents.

The $117 million, 36-story Ascent, located at 225 1st Avenue North, began pre-releasing its apartments in September last year, a few months after the project topped out at 378 feet.

Developed by South Carolina-based Greystar Real Estate Partners, the building features 357 apartments and a 172-key AC Hotel by Marriott, which Greystar recently sold to OTO Development for $60 million.

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Resort boutique Pink Soleil debuts on downtown St. Pete's Beach Drive

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Resort boutique Pink Soleil debuts on downtown St. Pete's Beach Drive

A new boutique celebrating the sunny, Florida lifestyle has opened on Beach Drive.

Pink Soleil debuted last week at 400 Beach Drive NE, Suite 146, a space formerly home to Wyland Galleries.

Inspired by Palm Beach, Pink Soleil offers resort-style clothing, accessories, home décor, and gifts. The new boutique carries brands such as Lilly Pulitzer, Sail to Sable, Julie Vos Jewelry, Kenny Flowers, Pink Soleil Home Décor, and more.

Kelly Homman, owner and curator of Pink Soleil said, “Pink Soleil is a beautiful space that makes customers feel bright, sunny and welcome. Each shopper will enjoy the experience of shopping and leave feeling like their best self. We are excited to become part of this community and offer high quality pieces!”

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Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails to relocate by end of year

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Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails to relocate by end of year

Intermezzo Coffee & Cocktails, located at 1111 Central Avenue in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg’s EDGE District, will be on the move by the end of the year.

Owner Jarrett Sabatini recently signed a lease for 1049 Central Avenue, which had previously been the home of the Independent Bar. The move will situate Intermezzo, which opened in 2016, less than 350 feet to the east, but in an interview with St. Pete Rising, Sabatini said the new digs will also allow the popular coffee and cocktail bar to clear up some uncertainty about its future, because the building in which it’s currently located is likely to be razed to make way for a proposed hotel.

"I always knew my time at 1111 Central Avenue was limited,” Sabatini said of the move. “We started as a pop-up to begin with, I didn't expect to stay for more than three months, so I'm grateful I was able to stay for six years."

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14-story Tempo by Hilton hotel approved for downtown St. Pete

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14-story Tempo by Hilton hotel approved for downtown St. Pete

St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission unanimously approved a site plan to construct a 14-story Tempo by Hilton hotel with 192 hotel rooms. The development is slated for a 0.53-acre site at 232 and 256 2nd Street North.

St. Pete Rising first posted about the hotel earlier this year. 

The new hotel is expected to reach a height of 172 feet with a ground floor lobby fronting 2nd Street and three floors of parking containing a total of 127 parking spaces.

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American Stage gears up for new outdoor season in Demens Landing Park with Ragtime

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American Stage gears up for new outdoor season in Demens Landing Park with Ragtime

Demens Landing Park is again abuzz with the sounds of construction as American Stage gets ready for its 38th park production, which runs from April 12th to May 14th and will feature a production of “Ragtime,” a Tony Award-winning musical that debuted in 1996 in Toronto.

Since 1986 for the debut of the theater company’s production of Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew, American Stage’s park production has been a fixture of springtime in St. Pete. The only exception being in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic prevented performances from being held.

The performances attract an average of 17,000 attendees over a five-week period, according to Production Director Timon Brown, who said the American Stage’s park production crew starts the planning process 12 to 18 months in advance.

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Pilates and yoga studio Rare Body Studio moves into larger space in downtown St. Pete

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Pilates and yoga studio Rare Body Studio moves into larger space in downtown St. Pete

St. Petersburg residents who would like to build their core strength and mobility with Pilates or yoga; or even refresh their bodies with a nice cold plunge or infrared sauna treatment might want to check out Rare Body Studio’s new 4,000-square-foot facility in downtown St. Pete.

Previously located at 900 Central Avenue, the new space is situated at 276 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street North, between Ekeko Gallery and the former Coney Island Grill. Jessica Dwyer of Dalton Wade represented the landlord and tenant in the lease transaction.

Rare Body Studio recently had a soft opening and has planned a grand opening party for April 6th from 6:30pm to 8:30pm that will include live music, food and beverages, chair massages, Invigorate IV’s and permanent jewelry making by local artists.

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