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

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

St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission approved the site plan for a 21-story, 200-unit apartment building proposed for 699 1st Avenue North, on the southwest edge of the Mirror Lake neighborhood in downtown St. Pete.

The developer, Gravel Road Partners, also plans for the building to have 10,843 square feet of commercial space and a 264-space parking garage.

First reported by St. Pete Rising in December, the development encompasses 685 1st Avenue North and 694 Arlington Avenue North and is currently occupied by a vacant office building, a vacant triplex, and surface parking lot.  

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Construction reaches milestone on 400-unit Marina Club Apartments in Skyway Marina District

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Construction reaches milestone on 400-unit Marina Club Apartments in Skyway Marina District

A construction milestone has been reached on a major multifamily development in St. Petrsburg’s Skyway Marina District where new building techniques allowed eight floors of construction to be raised in one month.

The Marina Club Apartments, which is under development at 4311 34th Street South, was first announced in July 2021 and was approved in August 2021.

The 400-unit apartment building consists of an eight-story structure with six residential floors sitting atop two floors of parking. An amenity deck will be located on the third floor and a resident sky lounge will be located on the eighth floor that will overlook Boca Ciega Bay.

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The Vinoy to open a new poolside restaurant, Parasol, this summer

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The Vinoy to open a new poolside restaurant, Parasol, this summer

A new open-air poolside restaurant, with unrivaled views, Parasol is coming to The Vinoy Resort and Golf Club, Autograph Collection. Featuring a menu packed with Latin cuisine favorites, it’s expected to debut this summer at 501 5th Avenue Northeast in downtown St. Pete, according to Vanessa Williams, general manager of the iconic downtown St. Pete property.

“We should have it wrapped up and ready to go by the end of May,” Williams told St. Pete Rising. “The focus, as well, will be on the curated beverage program that we have there. I think that’s going to be a big piece of it.”

Parasol will be open to the public, she adds, like Paul’s Landing, another restaurant and bar located near the resort’s pool deck, between the two hotel towers.

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70s-themed nightclub Good Night John Boy opens this Friday in downtown St. Pete

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70s-themed nightclub Good Night John Boy opens this Friday in downtown St. Pete

A disco inferno is coming to the Sunshine City this Friday April 27th! 

After passing final inspections on Thursday afternoon, the highly anticipated 1970s-themed nightclub, Good Night John Boy, will finally open its doors at 16 2nd Street North on the famed Jannus Block, downtown St. Petersburg’s most active area for nightlife.

St. Pete Rising broke the news about Good Night John Boy coming to town last February.

Paying homage to the days of “Saturday Night Fever,” the 4,000-square-foot Good Night John Boy will feature a lit-up, tiled dance floor complete with mirror balls, multicolored neon lights, and the largest Farrah Fawcett poster you’ve ever seen. 

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Local group proposes to purchase, revive Science Center in west St. Pete

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Local group proposes to purchase, revive Science Center in west St. Pete

A local St. Petersburg organization has offered to purchase the long-shuttered former Science Center of Pinellas County with plans to reactivate and reimagine the facility for STEAM-based learning.

The facility, which debuted in 1959, played a pivotal role in many Pinellas County student’s lives for the 55 years the facility was in operation. For decades, the center offered after-school and weekend classes for students from kindergarten through middle school in subjects such as biology, chemistry, electronics, and astronautics. At its peak, about 22,000 children visited the Science Center each school year.

The St. Petersburg Group, led by Irv Cohen and Joe Hamilton, has proposed to purchase the 3.89-acre Science Center property located at 7701 22nd Avenue North from the City of St. Petersburg for an appraised value minus $100,000.

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City of St. Petersburg launches new electric bike share system in partnership with Lime

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City of St. Petersburg launches new electric bike share system in partnership with Lime

If you’re in downtown St. Petersburg, you may notice bright green electric bikes neatly corralled throughout the city. That’s because the City of St. Petersburg recently partnered with Lime to deploy 300 new shared e-bikes in downtown St. Pete.

The cost to use the electric bikes is similar to downtown’s existing electric scooters. The bikes cost $1 to unlock and $0.39 per minute, which is Lime’s lowest rate in Florida.

Lime is deploying their Gen 4 E-Bike which includes several features such as an adjustable seat, integrated smart lock, 350-watt motor with 2-speed transmission, a 25-mile lithium-ion battery, cell phone holder, and a front basket.

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Massive indoor pickleball club coming soon to Pinellas Park

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Massive indoor pickleball club coming soon to Pinellas Park

The Pickleball Club, a Sarasota-based company that develops and operates private membership-based high-amenity indoor pickleball facilities throughout Florida, will be opening an expansive pickleball club in Pinellas Park.

The company is under contract for its seventh site, an 8.07-acre parcel located at the Gateway Centre Business Park in Pinellas Park. The land purchase is expected to close in December 2023 for $1.75 million.

The 40,000-square-foot climate-controlled facility, which is slated to open in early 2025, will offer members 16 indoor pickleball courts made of the same material as those found at the U.S. Open Tennis Championships. The new club will also feature an outside activity area, players’ lounge mezzanine, a pro shop, and a cafe.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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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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