St. Pete approves $4.5M for affordable housing in 2,084-unit Sky Town development

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St. Pete approves $4.5M for affordable housing in 2,084-unit Sky Town development

One of the largest residential developments underway in St. Petersburg is set to receive local funding to support the inclusion of affordable housing.

On Thursday, the St. Pete City Council unanimously approved a $4.5 million contribution from the Housing Capital Improvement Fund for the first phase of Sky Town, a major mixed-use project planned for 3201 34th Street South in the Skyway Marina District.

This follows the Pinellas County Commission’s earlier unanimous decision to allocate $5.5 million to Coral Gables-based developer Altis Cardinal for the same phase of the project.

Originally planned as a fully market-rate development, the project now includes affordable housing thanks to a combined $10 million subsidy from the city and county.

Sky Town will be built in six phases and is set to include 2,084 apartments, 69,000 square feet of neighborhood retail anchored by a Sprouts Farmers Market, and 120,000 square feet of self-storage space.

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New local wine club Savoir on Central to open in the Grand Central District next month

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New local wine club Savoir on Central to open in the Grand Central District next month

From rolling vineyards around the world to luxurious Michelin-starred restaurants, every glass of wine tells a story—and now, a local sommelier and her team are bringing those stories to St. Petersburg’s wine lovers.

Sommelier Sharon Mahoney and her business partner, Christina Noordstar, are launching Savoir on Central, an upscale wine club offering educational classes, curated tastings, and exclusive wine selections.

Located at 2531 Central Avenue, the club will open in late May in the former Rasta Canna Bar space in the Grand Central District.

Open to the public and wine club members, Savoir on Central is designed to be welcoming to everyone—from curious beginners to seasoned connoisseurs.

“Savoir on Central is for both seasoned wine enthusiasts and those just discovering the art of wine,” said Noordstar, a longtime local entrepreneur. She first met Mahoney through the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership St. Pete Class of 2019.

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City relaunches RFP process for new affordable housing development in west St. Pete

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City relaunches RFP process for new affordable housing development in west St. Pete

The City of St. Petersburg is once again seeking a development partner to transform a west St. Pete site into an affordable, for-sale townhome community.

Earlier this month, the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), inviting developers to submit plans for the redevelopment of a 5.24-acre property located at 7045 Burlington Avenue North.

The site was purchased by the city from St. Petersburg College in 2024 for $4.2 million, with the intent to construct 105 affordable housing units. As part of the purchase contract for the property, the City of St. Pete agreed to offer SPC students and faculty first right of refusal to purchase 30% of the new residential units.

The property currently features a two-story building on its southern end—formerly the Gibbs Wellness Center of St. Petersburg College—while the northern portion of the site remains vacant.

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100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel

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100-year-old storm-damaged building in downtown St. Pete expected to be demolished for boutique hotel

After suffering significant damage from last year’s back-to-back hurricanes, a 10-story, 100-year-old building in downtown St. Pete is expected to be demolished and replaced with a boutique hotel.

Local entrepreneur and developer Steve Gianfilippo of Gianco Companies, who purchased the building at 300 Central Avenue in 2017, filed plans on Monday with the City of St. Pete for a 16-story hotel, named The Coronet, which will incorporate mid-century design elements reminiscent of the original structure.

The existing, vacant structure will undergo interim repairs while plans for the new hotel are being drawn up.

“In the seven years that I’ve owned the building, we’ve looked at a few different options,” said Gianfilippo in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “At first, we considered turning it into fully furnished apartments. But with thousands of new apartments already planned or built recently, we saw a larger opportunity to bring a new boutique hotel to downtown St. Pete.”

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HSN has listed its 65-acre property in north St. Pete

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HSN has listed its 65-acre property in north St. Pete

Spanning nearly 65 acres in Pinellas County and surrounded by some of the region’s largest employers, the long-time campus of the Home Shopping Network (HSN) is now officially on the market.

Commercial real estate firm CBRE is marketing the property at 2501 118th Avenue North for an undisclosed price. Zoned for commercial use, the site includes over 487,000 square feet of office and industrial space across nine buildings, developed between 1984 and 1994.

The listing follows a major announcement from HSN’s parent company, Qurate Retail Group, which is consolidating HSN and QVC operations into its Studio Park headquarters in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

As part of the move, Qurate will shutter the 369,000-square-foot St. Pete campus—its home for the past 47 years—and eliminate 730 local jobs beginning in late May.

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