May 12, 2023

Third Lake offers to purchase 1.5 acres of city-owned land in downtown St. Pete

May 12, 2023/ Brian Zucker

Third Lake Partners, a Tampa-based investment advisory firm, has offered to purchase a prime downtown property from the City of St. Pete. The 1.53-acre parcel is located on the southwest corner of 800 1st Avenue South, directly west of UPC Insurance’s former headquarters building, which Third Lake purchased in 2022 for $10.5 million.

The property, which is currently a surface parking lot, was once part of a $200 million mixed-use proposal that would have included a 75,000-square-foot Moffitt Cancer Center, a 30-story residential tower, and a 14-story hotel.

However, Mayor Ken Welch rejected the deal in 2022 citing inadequate affordable and workforce housing. The developers had proposed designating 17.5% of the residential units as affordable and workforce housing, but Welch wanted at least 30% to be deemed affordable.

May 11, 2023

St. Pete’s first dog waterpark Mutts and Martinis sets opening date

May 11, 2023/ Brian Hartz

Mutts and Martinis didn’t open in March as planned, but rest assured, dog parents — the highly anticipated canine waterpark and full-liquor bar will open on Friday May 26th, according to updates posted on its Instagram page.

The 5,000-square-foot facility, located at 2900 Central Avenue, was developed by Natalie Conner, owner of Love My Dog Resort and Playground, which has locations in downtown St. Pete and northern Pinellas County.

The grand opening celebration starts at noon on Friday May 26th with a live DJ, a light food menu, and a full bar.

May 11, 2023

Topgolf St. Pete nears completion, prepares to open next month

May 11, 2023/ Anthony Close

The high-anticipated Topgolf facility in St. Petersburg’s Carillon office park is nearing completion and has set a tentative opening date of June 30th.

The entertainment complex is under construction at 220 Carillon Parkway North on a 12-acre parcel owned by RealtyLink, LLC, a full-service real estate development company that has developed several Topgolf facilities.

Topgolf St. Pete was announced in 2019 and began construction in 2022.

May 11, 2023

Pinellas County approves $12.5 million for new affordable housing developments

May 11, 2023/ Brian Zucker

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.”

May 08, 2023

Duckweed Urban Grocery plans downtown St. Pete store

May 08, 2023/ Brian Zucker

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.

May 08, 2023

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

May 08, 2023/ Anthony Close

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.”

May 05, 2023

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

May 05, 2023/ Brian Zucker

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.”

May 04, 2023

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

May 04, 2023/ Brian Hartz

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.

May 02, 2023

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

May 02, 2023/ Anthony Close

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.

April 28, 2023

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

April 28, 2023/ Brian Hartz

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.