April 25, 2023

Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Learning commences construction in downtown St. Pete

April 25, 2023/ Brian Hartz

It was a beautiful day this past Sunday as the Chabad Jewish Center gathered with friends and community members to celebrate the groundbreaking of its new state-of-the-art facility that will serve as a hub for Jewish culture and education in downtown St. Pete. To the accompaniment of the traditional “Siman Tov” tune, shovels were turned to commemorate the momentous occasion.

The new two-story, 13,000-square-foot Chabad Center for Jewish Life and Learning, which is being constructed at 533 4th Street North, will include a sanctuary, social hall, classrooms, kosher kitchen, library, and rooftop deck. The building was designed by Mike Muroff of Purdy + Muroff Architecture and Heshy Hecht of HH Designers.

Celebrating the groundbreaking was a crowd of 300, including St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, City Council members Gina Driscoll and Ed Montanari, and other dignitaries.

April 21, 2023

Historic boutique hotel Cordova Inn breaks ground on expansion in downtown St. Pete

April 21, 2023/ Brian Zucker

A year and a half after being announced, the Cordova Inn’s planned expansion has broken ground.

The owners of the historic boutique hotel, New Hotel Collection and TDZ Capital Partners, held a ceremonial groundbreaking this morning at the hotel, which is located at 253 2nd Avenue North in downtown St. Pete.

The five-story expansion will more than triple the number of available rooms from 32 to 97 while also adding a restaurant to the first floor and a 5th-floor rooftop bar.

Between the old and new wings will be a lushly landscaped mid-block courtyard. Both the courtyard and porch will be open to anyone, whether they are staying in the hotel or not. The addition will also expand the front porch of the Cordova Inn into a dramatic wraparound balcony with lush streetscaping.

April 21, 2023

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

April 21, 2023/ Anthony Close

“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.

April 18, 2023

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

April 18, 2023/ Anthony Close

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.

April 17, 2023

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

April 17, 2023/ Brian Zucker

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.

April 13, 2023

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

April 13, 2023/ Anthony Close

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.

April 12, 2023

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

April 12, 2023/ Brian Hartz

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.

April 07, 2023

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

April 07, 2023/ Brian Zucker

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!”

April 07, 2023

Intermezzo Coffee and Cocktails to relocate by end of year

April 07, 2023/ Brian Hartz

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."

April 05, 2023

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

April 05, 2023/ Anthony Close

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.