May 16, 2024

17-story apartment tower Park & Main opens in north St. Pete

May 16, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

The first residents have started moving into Park & Main, the recently completed 17-story luxury apartment complex in north St. Petersburg’s emerging Echelon City Center.

First announced in the early 2000s, Echelon City Center is a 20.5-acre mixed-use project being developed in the Carillon Office Park by St. Pete-based real estate company Echelon.

Park & Main is the newest residential building to open in the neighborhood at 221 Main Street North.

At 187 feet tall, the 176-unit apartment tower is one of the tallest buildings in St. Petersburg outside of downtown.

South Florida-based general contractor KAST Construction broke ground on the building in 2022.

May 15, 2024

Historically St. Pete: The fascinating history of St. Pete’s 100-year-old Princess Martha hotel

May 15, 2024/ Rui Farias

At St. Pete Rising, we are constantly providing comprehensive coverage on everything new and coming soon to the Sunshine City, but we think it’s also important to take a look back at our city's rich history.

Introducing Historically St. Pete, a new monthly column on St. Pete Rising written by Rui Farias, Executive Director of the St. Petersburg Museum of History, which will cover everything from the legend of underground mobster tunnels to the buildings and people that created the Sunshine City.

This month we explore the history of the 100-year-old Princess Martha, one of the city’s first luxury hotels.

May 15, 2024

8-unit townhome community planned for 14th Street in downtown St. Pete

May 15, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Local developer Jeff Craft with Tampa Bay City Living has cleared multiple parcels near St. Pete's EDGE District for his latest project - a new upscale townhome community.

Amid a spur of new developments breaking ground on the 14th Street corridor, Craft plans to build an eight-unit townhome complex at 364 14th Street North.

"This is what we do - we follow certain developments happening in these pocket areas and build townhomes speculatively," Craft said to St. Pete Rising.

Craft, who resides in the Crescent Heights neighborhood with his wife, has developed over 700 townhomes in Tampa Bay, including the newly built townhome community, The District on 9th.

May 14, 2024

39-acre youth sports park to undergo $23.5 million transformation in Pinellas Park

May 14, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

The aging athletic facilities and fields at Pinellas Park's youth sports center will be completely removed and a new upgraded sports campus will take its place.

A newly filed stormwater application permit calls for demolition of the existing 39-acre youth park site at 4100 66th Avenue North located just off U.S. Highway 19 and Interstate 275.

The park currently consists of three natural grass baseball fields, a tennis court, a roller hockey rink, visitor seating, and parking.

May 13, 2024

Rays and Hines inch closer to striking deal with city on Gas Plant development agreement

May 13, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

A nine-hour discussion ensued Thursday as St. Pete City Council members meticulously combed through the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines' 183-page development agreement for the Historic Gas Plant District.

It took over a decade and countless hours of negotiations to reach this milestone conversation about the $6.5 billion development that will transform 86 acres in the heart of downtown St. Pete into an 8-million-square-foot mixed-use district anchored by a new ballpark - becoming the largest project to ever commence in Tampa Bay.

If ultimately approved, the new 30,000-seat enclosed stadium will open in 2028 as part of the first phase of the 30-year planned development.