Pinellas County approves $12.5 million for new affordable housing developments

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Pinellas County approves $12.5 million for new affordable housing developments

On Tuesday, the Pinellas County Board of County Commissioners approved additional funding for four affordable housing developments proposed for Pinellas County.

The four projects, which were granted a total of $12.5 million at Tuesday’s meeting, will add over 300 affordable rental units to St. Petersburg, Lealman, and Largo over the next few years.

“I just wanted to say this is fabulous,” said Commissioner René Flowers during Tuesday’s meeting. “We are approving these [funding requests]. Some people may not watch our meetings, so they may not know what we are doing. But we consistently hear from people in the community. People who are at 80% AMI or below, they want to see projects in that arena. We are continuing to build upon the decisions that were made some time ago by this body to really look at those areas.”

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Duckweed Urban Grocery plans downtown St. Pete store

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Duckweed Urban Grocery plans downtown St. Pete store

Duckweed Urban Grocery has revealed to St. Pete Rising that it plans to open a new store in downtown St. Pete, its first outside of Tampa, by the end of the year.

Tampa’s favorite neighborhood grocery store has inked a deal to debut inside 2,200 square feet on the ground floor of the Tru by Hilton hotel at 1650 Central Avenue in the Grand Central District. 

Duckweed will join Noble Tavern off the Farm, a new restaurant concept by the owners of Noble Crust, on the first floor of the Tru by Hilton. Noble Tavern is also expected to open by the end of the year.

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Clearwater developer proposes mixed-use development in downtown St. Pete

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Clearwater developer proposes mixed-use development in downtown St. Pete

Valor Capital, a Clearwater-based estate development firm, has announced that its latest development will be in downtown St. Petersburg. The proposed mixed-use development will feature luxury condominiums.

The group previously developed The SkyView condominiums at 412 Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater and is current building Serena by the Bay, an 80-unit project at 1020 Sunset Point Road, also in Clearwater. In late 2022, Valor announced that Serena by the Bay had sold out.

Moises Agami, CEO of Valor Capital, says the development team is, “always on the lookout for up-and-coming areas like St. Petersburg, which offers a thriving atmosphere of opportunities, bursting with arts, culture, and high-tech industry.”

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Mixed-use project Ad Lofts launches sales, set to break ground in the Grand Central District

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Mixed-use project Ad Lofts launches sales, set to break ground in the Grand Central District

Three years after being announced, a mixed-use project proposed for the heart of the Grand Central District of St. Petersburg is finally moving forward and expected to break ground by the end of the year.

Situated at 2250 Central Avenue, the eclectic, design-centric Art District Lofts, better known as Ad Lofts, was put on hold while the developer, Modern Tampa Bay Homes, built a similar project five blocks west at 2700 Central Avenue.

“In building 2700 Central, we found several small adjustments that will make Ad Lofts that much better,” said Lance Moore, Director of Design at Modern Tampa Bay Homes. “These adjustments were partition locations, door locations, size of skylight, lighting placements, etc.”

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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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