June 09, 2023

400 Beach Seafood and Tap House to temporarily close for renovation

June 09, 2023/ Brian Zucker

Big changes are coming to one of Beach Drive’s most prominent restaurants. 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House is about to embark on a top-to-bottom renovation that is sure to enhance the dining experience for its patrons.

Starting on June 12th, the 8,200-square-foot restaurant will close for an estimated six months to undergo the extensive makeover.

“We are excited to be renovating and reimagining our dining space at 400 Beach Seafood and Tap House,” said owners Shawn and Jeanna Damkoehler in a release. “We know the restaurant has been a staple on Beach Drive for over 10 years and we are looking forward to many more years of creating memories with our guests.”

June 07, 2023

Developer chosen to bring affordable housing to former Tomlinson Adult Learning Center in downtown St. Pete

June 07, 2023/ Brian Hartz

The nearly century-old Tomlinson Building in downtown St. Petersburg’s Mirror Lake neighborhood will get a new lease on life thanks to a plan that’s been greenlit by Pinellas County Schools (PCS), which owns the property and in fall 2022 issued a request for proposals for the property at 296 Mirror Lake Drive.

According to a news release, a group called Tomlinson Community Partners (TCP), a joint venture between Dantes Partners and Goshen + Cornerstone, has been chosen to transform the 1.36-acre site, which includes two surface parking lots and the three-story, 40,942-square-foot Tomlinson Building.

The Tomlinson Building opened in 1924 as St. Petersburg Junior High School and became a vocational high school in 1931. In 1935, the name was changed to Edwin H. Tomlinson Vocational School. Another name change occurred in 1978, when it became known as the Tomlinson Adult Learning Center.

June 07, 2023

Construction set to begin on two new apartment buildings in downtown St. Pete

June 07, 2023/ Anthony Close

Construction is set to begin on a pair of apartment building that are slated to bring 220 smaller, more attainable apartments to downtown St. Petersburg.

Named Ellington Place, the buildings are being developed by Florida-based REM Capital and are situated at 770 4th Avenue North and 200 17th Street North. REM Capital owns and operates 24 properties across the southeastern United States.

This will be the group’s first ground-up development says REM Capital’s President Robert Ritzenthaler. “I never dreamed we’d be developing in St. Petersburg,”says Ritzenthaler, who is a Tampa Bay resident.

June 06, 2023

Construction begins on Bear Creek Commons, an 85-unit affordable apartment building, in west St. Pete

June 06, 2023/ Anthony Close

Construction has begun on an 85-unit affordable housing development in west St. Petersburg.

The building, named Bear Creek Commons, will be located on a 4.66-acre site at 635 64th Street South adjacent to Bear Creek, a 2.7 mile stream that flows to Boca Ciega Bay. The property was previously home to Grace Connection Church.

The building is being developed by Blue Sky Communities, an affordable housing developer who most recently opened Skyway Lofts, a 65-unit affordable apartment complex in the Skyway Marina District of St. Pete. Due to overwhelming demand, a second Skyway Lofts phase is in the works which will consist of an additional 66 apartments.

June 05, 2023

Nostalgic summer camp-themed bar coming to the Grand Central District

June 05, 2023/ Brian Zucker

Remember when the days were longer and the summer seemed endless? When your parents would send you off to summer camp and the only worry in the world was whether your team would win color wars?

Well, you may have outgrown your camp years, but a new restaurant and bar is coming to St. Pete that will allow you to channel all those summer camp vibes again.

Camp is in session this fall when Summer Camp debuts at 2060 1st Avenue South in the Grand Central District.