St. Pete Housing Authority lands $1 million grant for affordable senior housing project at former Ed White Hospital site

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St. Pete Housing Authority lands $1 million grant for affordable senior housing project at former Ed White Hospital site

Plans to renovate the former Ed White Hospital building in St. Petersburg into affordable housing for seniors and administrative offices for the St. Petersburg Housing Authority's (SPHA) took a step forward with the approval of a $1 million grant.

The grant, provided by the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLBNY), brings SPHA closer to realizing its $29 million redevelopment project.

The shuttered Ed White Hospital building at 2323 9th Avenue North is expected to be renovated into 71 apartments catering for low-income seniors.

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Locally owned vegan, gluten-free HaleLife Bakery opens bistro in north St. Pete

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Locally owned vegan, gluten-free HaleLife Bakery opens bistro in north St. Pete

HaleLife Bakery opened for business on Oct. 30th at 11270 4th Street North, the former home of Brewers’ Tasting Room, which closed in May. A few days earlier, on Oct. 24th, HaleLife closed its Clearwater location but still has three other stores in the Tampa Bay region, including one in downtown St. Petersburg and two in Tampa.

The new St. Pete location is slated to become a full-fledged, bistro-style establishment in 2024, according to HaleLife’s Instagram feed. Until then, it will offer a “bistro express” menu that includes breakfast and lunch options in addition to bakery items, such as cupcakes, donuts, brownies, and breads.

Breakfast offerings include avocado toast, french toast bites, waffles, and a selection of breakfast sandwiches.

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10-unit townhome development proposed for Old Southeast in St. Petersburg

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10-unit townhome development proposed for Old Southeast in St. Petersburg

Plans have been announced for a new townhome community on 4th Street South in St. Petersburg’s Old Southeast neighborhood.  

Named 4th Street Gardens, the 10-unit townhome community is being proposed by IDYL Development, which previously proposed a 33-unit apartment building in downtown St. Pete.

4th Street Gardens will be located at 2100 4th Street South and will consist of two five-unit buildings divided by an interior motor court. Each residence will be 2,280 square feet with four-floors with three bedrooms.

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The Story Garden, a children’s bookstore, eyes 2024 opening in Historic Uptown

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The Story Garden, a children’s bookstore, eyes 2024 opening in Historic Uptown

A new locally owned children’s bookstore is coming to Historic Uptown in early 2024. It’s called The Story Garden and it will be located in an 800-square-foot space at 832 14th Street North.

According to founder and owner Megan Kotsko, though, The Story Garden’s business model will be about much more than just selling books. 

“It'll be two-thirds retail, and then the back third of the space will be a children’s play space,” Kotsko told St. Pete Rising. “Our programming and events are going to bring people in.”

In addition to weekly story times and book clubs for children, The Story Garden will host an eight-week program for toddlers called Play Me A Story. Each one-hour class will feature a read-aloud followed by intentional play experiences tailored to extend the story’s content and build connections to the world. Dates and times are still being ironed out, but those interested can sign up for updates on The Story Garden’s website. 

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Mixed-use townhome development Strum Place proposed for Central Avenue in west St. Pete

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Mixed-use townhome development Strum Place proposed for Central Avenue in west St. Pete

St. Petersburg-based J Square Developers and Backstreets Capital have announced a new mixed-use townhome project on Central Avenue in west St. Petersburg.

Named Strum Place, the development will be planned for Central Avenue and 64th Street and is being named after The Strum family, one of the pioneering families of west St. Petersburg who built the existing two-story house on the site in 1924. The developers purchased the 0.84-acre site in December 2022 for $1.45 million.

Strum Place will feature nine three-story townhomes, each with three bedrooms and three and a half bathrooms along with a two-car garage. The homes will feature 2,040 square feet and pricing will start in the $700,000’s.

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