July 03, 2024

Affordable housing for homeless and low-income breaks ground near downtown St. Pete

July 03, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Two nonprofits are joining forces to create more affordable housing and resources for St. Pete's low-income and homeless population.

Nonprofits St. Vincent de Paul CARES, which strives to end homelessness, and Ability Housing Inc., a developer of affordable multifamily housing — operating as a joint venture Ability SVdP LLC — have commenced site work for a new 73-unit affordable housing project.

The six-story development, dubbed Vincentian Village, is under construction at 401 13th Street North adjacent to St. Vincent de Paul CARES’ Center of Hope shelter.

July 01, 2024

New mixed-use tower being planned for site of 12-story office building in downtown St. Pete

July 01, 2024/ Anthony Close

A prime parcel in downtown St. Petersburg could soon be redeveloped, according to a notice sent to tenants of the City Center office building at 100 2nd Avenue South.

The 12-story office building is owned through a joint venture by City Office REIT, Feldman Equities, and Tower Realty Partners. The owners recently announced plans for a multi-million dollar renovation to City Center’s atrium lobby, entrances, and landscaping.

The 242,115-square-foot Class A office building sits on nearly a full city block fronting 2nd Avenue South between 1st Street and 2nd Street. The parcel is located in Downtown Center-1 (DC-1) zoning which allows for intense mixed-use development and a maximum floor area ratio (FAR) of 7.0 with no height restrictions.

July 01, 2024

Massive 1,000-unit apartment project proposed for west St. Pete seeks $14.8 million from city and county

July 01, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

After years of retooling plans for a 29-acre vacant industrial property in west St. Petersburg, a new proposal has been filed to redevelop it into a massive 1,000-unit apartment community.

Landowner Porter Development, headed by Les Porter, and joint venture partners Falcone Group and Metro Development Group, have submitted funding requests to the City of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County for the project now called Azalea Gateway, a proposed mixed-income multifamily project at 1501 72nd Street North, the former home of Raytheon Technologies.

"As our city grows, it is crucial that we ensure our teachers, first responders, hospitality workers, and others have access to safe and affordable living options," Porter said to St. Pete Rising.

The development group is requesting a $4.9 million contribution from the City of St. Petersburg and $9.9 million from Pinellas County’s Penny for Pinellas funds to help construct phase one of the project.

June 28, 2024

Done Deals: Hotel developer buys 1700 block parcels, Downtown St. Pete office lists, art studio opens

June 28, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Done Deals is a weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

June 27, 2024

40-unit Castille Urbana tops out on 3rd Avenue South in downtown St. Pete

June 27, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

The development team behind Castille Urbana, NJR Investment & Development Company, has completed vertical construction of the downtown St. Pete condominium building.

NJR, which is helmed by CEO and President Neil Rauenhorst, announced this week that the mid-rise 40-unit development at 600 3rd Avenue South is now more than 50% complete.

“We’re proud to be able to share the news that we’ve topped out on NJR’s latest downtown St.Petersburg project,” said Rauenhorst. “We are excited to bring more beautiful residences to the Downtown St. Pete area.”

June 27, 2024

New boutique selling Anthropologie items to open on 4th Street

June 27, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Shawna Ellis is entranced with the euphoric feeling of stepping into an Anthropologie store, known for its boho-chic clothing, shoes, accessories and home decor. She wants others to have a similar experience but with more wiggle room on price.

Ellis, an active commercial real estate agent in Tampa Bay, has signed a lease to open her new concept katie + hubbell, a retail shop selling new and pre-owned Anthropologie items, at 5320 4th Street North.

The new St. Pete boutique will carry items made by Anthropologie in addition to the 1,500+ brands that Anthropologie sells, including Maeve, BHLDN, and Farm Rio.

June 26, 2024

St. Pete native debuts local neighborhood bar The Kenwood

June 26, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

St. Pete is full of bars. Especially downtown, you'll find sports bars, cigar bars, karaoke bars, dog bars, axe throwing bars, 70s-themed bars, and more. The list goes on. But what if you’re just in the mood for a simple, laid-back bar with affordable drinks and consistently great service without all the bells and whistles?

For decades, smaller, simpler neighborhood bars have been scattered throughout the city, like Wilson’s Lounge, Mastry’s Bar, Emerald Bar, Flamingo Sports Bar, and Boardwalk Tavern.

Over the years, many of these neighborhood bars have shuttered or been at risk of closing due to rising costs, rent increases, and pressure from developers.

However, Ian Taylor, a lifelong St. Petersburg resident and owner of various bars in town, wants to keep the classic neighborhood bar alive.

June 24, 2024

Historically St. Pete: The Coliseum still shines after 100 years of concerts and conventions

June 24, 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 delve into the fascinating history of the 100-year-old Coliseum, St. Petersburg's most historic event venue and one of the south’s most popular concert destination from the 1920s to the 1950s.

June 21, 2024

Pro volleyball player to bring international acai bowl brand to downtown St. Pete

June 21, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

An international acai bowl brand will debut its first Tampa Bay location in downtown St. Pete.

Sarah Schermerton Murphy, a new franchisee of Oakberry Acai, which claims to be the No. 1 acai brand in the world, plans to open the downtown St. Pete restaurant at 205 1st Street North in a space formerly leased by HaleLife Bakery, which recently announced a location in the Warehouse Arts District.

Erica Delgado of Vector Commercial Real Estate Services represented Oakberry in the lease transaction.

"I play professional volleyball and my teammates and coaches from Brazil taught me about acai," said Schermerton Murphy, a St. Pete resident who plays volleyball internationally and domestically.