May 16, 2023

Orange Station revises development plan, adds office space and announces a boutique hotel in downtown St. Pete

May 16, 2023/ Anthony Close

The team behind Orange Station, a mixed-use development planned for downtown St. Pete’s EDGE District, has announced major changes to the project which includes increasing the amount of office space, adding a boutique hotel, and removing the development’s luxury condominiums.

Orange Station was announced by Edge Central Development Partners in late 2019 in a request for proposal (RFP) process spearheaded by the City of St. Petersburg.

The project is a joint venture of J Square Developers, DDA Development, and Backstreets Capital, LLC, who have previously worked on other St. Petersburg developments like the Salvador, St. James Townhomes, and The Nolen.

May 15, 2023

Lolita’s Wine Market is moving to the Warehouse Arts District

May 15, 2023/ Brian Zucker

After six successful years in their current building, the popular eatery, known for its create-your-own charcuterie boards and small plates, will relocate to a space inside the Morean Center for Clay at 420 22nd Street South.

The new building has a storied history. It was originally built as a freight depot in 1926 and is the only substantially unaltered example of railroad architecture left in St. Petersburg. According to the Morean’s website, the building, “houses 60 artists at any given time and includes a retail space, galleries, private artist studios, and a nationally renowned artist-in-residence program.”

We could not be happier to hear that Lolita’s has found a new home and will be a fixture in St. Pete’s dining scene for years to come. Nine months ago, its fate was uncertain.

May 15, 2023

9-seat raw bar and tinned fish restaurant Barbouni debuts in the Grand Central District

May 15, 2023/ Brian Hartz

Hold the anchovies and flaked tuna — thanks to the arrival of a new restaurant in the Grand Central District, there’s much more to canned fish than the usual options.

Barbouni has opened as part of Baba, a Greek and Lebanese eatery located at 2701 Central Avenue. It’s a raw bar that serves freshly shucked oysters, of course, but its menu also features stone crab, crudo, and 48 different types of tinned fish — everything from mackerel, herring, salmon, trout, clams, and mussels to, of course, sardines and even barnacles. Craft cocktails, wine, and other alcoholic beverages are also available.

The restaurant, Barbouni, gets its name from a mildly sweet fish, also called “red mullet” that is a staple in Greek fish taverns. The fish is usually fried, grilled, or even served as tartare, drizzled with citrus and fresh herbs.

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.”