Tierra Verde Marina faces demolition for private boat club and expanded boat storage

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Tierra Verde Marina faces demolition for private boat club and expanded boat storage

A retail plaza, home to several local businesses, and a boat yard located just beyond the Pinellas Bayway Bridge at the entrance to Tierra Verde may be demolished to make way for a private boat club and expanded boat storage.

On Monday, Michael Coffey, Executive Vice President of Greenleaf Capital, presented a preliminary redevelopment plan for the Tierra Verde Marina, located at 100 Pinellas Bayway South, during a Tierra Verde Community Association meeting.

Tampa-based Greenleaf Capital, the real estate division of HCI Group, Inc., purchased the seven-acre marina property for $5,000,100 in 2011.

Coffey outlined a phased plan to demolish the existing facilities and construct a larger boat storage facility, a modern boat club with a new restaurant, bar, and pool, as well as upgraded landscaping, security, and additional amenities.

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Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal is dead

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Tampa Bay Rays stadium deal is dead

In a stunning turn of events, the Tampa Bay Rays have abandoned plans to construct a $1.37 billion stadium in downtown St. Petersburg, citing unforeseen challenges stemming from back-to-back hurricanes and delayed negotiations. The decision halts a long-negotiated deal to replace Tropicana Field and redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District, a project once seen as a catalyst for the city's future.

The Rays’ development partner, Hines, will no longer move forward with the ambitious transformation of Tropicana Field’s vast parking lots into a vibrant mixed-use district. That plan aimed to pay homage to the Black community displaced by the original stadium’s construction. While the deal is now off the table, Rays owner Stuart Sternberg left open the possibility of a restructured agreement.

"After careful deliberation, we have concluded we cannot move forward with the new ballpark and development project at this moment," Sternberg said in a statement. "A series of events beginning in October that no one could have anticipated led to this difficult decision."

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Century-old Playhouse Theatre to be demolished for redevelopment in the Grand Central District

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Century-old Playhouse Theatre to be demolished for redevelopment in the Grand Central District

Boarded-up windows and crumbling stucco line the exterior of the former Playhouse Theatre—a once-thriving venue for the latest Hollywood movies and traveling performers.

The long-vacant, 100-year-old theater at 1850 Central Avenue may soon be demolished to make way for a new development featuring office space and retail.

The site is located next to an Interstate 275 overpass and adjacent to the Trails Crossing development, a proposed linear park featuring public art and event spaces that is being studied for the area under I-275.

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Corner Kitchen and Coffee House to take over Sweet Brewnette in Madeira Beach

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Corner Kitchen and Coffee House to take over Sweet Brewnette in Madeira Beach

The quaint Sweet Brewnette Cafe in Madeira Beach was one of many businesses that fell victim to Hurricanes Milton and Helene that hit Florida last year. However, a new cafe will rise in its place.

Similar to the beloved Sweet Brewnette Cafe, which is relocating to Panama City Beach, Corner Kitchen and Coffee House will serve made-from-scratch breakfast and lunch items, pastries, and coffee inside the corner building at 13999 Gulf Boulevard when it opens later this month.

“What Sweet Brewnette did was remarkable, and when I saw the space was available, I jumped on it,” said Corner Kitchen and Coffee House owner Jonathan Olejnik, who will run the new cafe with his fiancé, Victoria Helton.

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Plan pitched to transform 235-acre Toytown landfill into a premier sports complex

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Plan pitched to transform 235-acre Toytown landfill into a premier sports complex

Pinellas County is once again seeking a partner to develop the decommissioned 235-acre "Toytown" landfill in north St. Petersburg.

The expansive site, located at 10540 16th Street North near Interstate 275 and Roosevelt Boulevard, operated as a landfill from the 1960s until its closure by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) in 1990.

The property has been considered for development many times in the past 20 years, yet no group has been able to successfully bring a project to fruition.

In 2002, the County looked into turning the property into a golf course.

Six years later, in 2008, the County released a request for proposal (RFP) seeking a partner to develop the site and selected a group that proposed building 1.5-million square feet of shopping, 1.5-million square feet of offices and 1,500 homes. The deal fell through in 2011.

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