July 19, 2024

Exclusive: Morean Arts Center plans to build new five-story building to expand offerings, relocate Chihuly Collection

July 19, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Each year, The Morean Arts Center welcomes more than 90,000 visitors to its downtown St. Pete property. Now, the arts hub looks to the future with expansion plans that would greatly increase its footprint on Central Avenue.

The Morean Arts Center, which contains an amazing contemporary art gallery and offers art classes, is in the early planning stages for a new five-story state-of-the-art building.

The plans call for demolishing the current 27,000-square-foot facility at 719 Central Avenue to make way for the new building, which would contain more gallery space, offices, parking, and an expanded Chihuly Collection.

July 18, 2024

St. Pete City Council approves new Rays stadium and redevelopment of the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District

July 18, 2024/ Anthony Close

In a historic vote, St. Petersburg City Council voted 5-3 to approve an agreement to build a new 30,000-seat stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays and redevelop the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District site in downtown St. Pete.

The vote caps off decades of discussion surrounding the team’s future. Council members Deborah Figgs-Sanders, Copley Gerdes, Brandi Gabbard, Ed Montanari, and Gina Driscoll voted in favor of the agreement while Council members Lisset Hanewicz, John Muhammad, and Richie Floyd voted against it.

In total, the project will include nearly 8 million square feet of mixed-use development anchored by a new baseball stadium and cost north of $6.5 billion over 20 years.

July 18, 2024

Potbelly Sandwich Works to open first St. Pete shop on Fourth Street

July 18, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

The Midwest restaurant chain Potbelly Sandwich Works is bringing its toasty sandwiches and shakes to St. Petersburg.

Potbelly has started the interior buildout for its first St. Petersburg shop at 5004 4th Street North, a space previously occupied by Earl of Sandwich.

The new shop, which is expected to open on July 30th, will be the chain’s third location in Tampa Bay, joining existing locations on Dale Mabry in Tampa and at Tampa International Airport.

July 17, 2024

Amid concerns, $6.5 billion Rays stadium deal heads to final vote on Thursday

July 17, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Flexible language around promises to bring affordable housing to the area and the lack of transparency on the Tampa Bay Rays partnership agreements are at the top of city council members' minds.

St. Petersburg City Council members met as the Committee of the Whole (COW) Tuesday morning to analyze the details and recent tweaks made to agreements for both the proposed Rays stadium and the Historic Gas Plant redevelopment just two days before they cast their final vote.

The $6.5 billion development, which is being spearheaded by The Rays and Hines, would 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.

July 16, 2024

Aerial St. Pete: Downtown St. Pete’s tallest towers continue to rise

July 16, 2024/ Brian Zucker

This month’s edition of Aerial St. Pete shows the construction progress on seven residential towers currently under construction throughout downtown St. Petersburg.

Aerial St. Pete is a column by St. Pete Rising which features exclusive aerial photography of projects under construction in St. Petersburg, FL. To accomplish this, we have teamed up with AB3 Visuals.

In the article, we show the construction progress for projects including The Nolen, Modera St. Petersburg, Art House, 3rd & 3rd, Residences at 400 Central, Reflection, and Viv Apartments.