50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences in downtown St. Pete launch sales starting at $2.5 million

/
50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences in downtown St. Pete launch sales starting at $2.5 million

Sales have launched for the Waldorf Astoria Residences in downtown St. Petersburg, a project that will become the city’s tallest tower and its first hotel-branded luxury condominium.

The 50-story, 539-foot-tall tower planned for 150 2nd Avenue South will include 163 condominiums, 73,000 square feet of Class A office space, 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and an extensive collection of high-end residential amenities.

Pricing for the luxury condominiums start at $2.5 million.

The $500 million tower, which will be managed by Hilton, is being co-developed by Miami-based Property Markets Group and St. Petersburg-based Feldman Equities, who own the adjacent City Center office building. Vancouver-based City Office REIT and Orlando-based Tower Realty Partners are also involved. Smith & Associates Real Estate is overseeing the sales.

Read More

80-unit affordable housing project Flats on 4th moves forward in north St. Pete

/
80-unit affordable housing project Flats on 4th moves forward in north St. Pete

An undeveloped parcel at the southwest corner of the intersection of 106th Avenue North and 4th Street North will be developed into 80 affordable apartments reserved for seniors.

The project, dubbed Flats on 4th—a previously approved four-story mid-rise building designed for low-income seniors earning between 40% and 60% of the area median income (AMI).

The Pinellas County Housing Finance Authority purchased the land for the project earlier this month, as Trustee of the land trust, for $2.94 million using Penny for Pinellas funds, a voter-approved one-cent sales tax designated for infrastructure improvements.

Read More

Local herbal school to serve teas, tonics, and coffee at half-acre garden oasis in west St. Pete

/
Local herbal school to serve teas, tonics, and coffee at half-acre garden oasis in west St. Pete

A once dusty, fenced-in daycare yard in west St. Pete has been transformed into an herbal garden oasis, now featuring a unique coffee and tea cart that serves drinks with a healing twist.

The half-acre garden, which features a walking path winding through hundreds of medicinal and edible plants, sits behind the Traditions School of Herbal Studies and its sister company Acupuncture & Herbal Therapies at 6340 Central Avenue.

“I want the outdoor teaching garden to be a place where people can gather to sip tea, meditate, converse, and relax,” said founder Bob Linde in a discussion with St. Pete Rising.

Founded by Linde in 2005, Traditions offers acupuncture treatments and education on plant medicine, and houses the largest apothecary in the Southeast with over 2,000 Western and Chinese herbs used to treat everything from simple headaches to more serious ailments, including cancer.

Read More

Cheeky’s seafood restaurant and raw bar reveals opening date for Grand Central District spot

/
Cheeky’s seafood restaurant and raw bar reveals opening date for Grand Central District spot

Tampa native Nate Siegel, the co-founder behind Tampa’s award-winning Willa’s and Willa’s Provisions, has announced an opening date for his new neighborhood seafood restaurant and raw bar in St. Pete.

Cheeky's, Siegel's latest concept inspired by New England oyster bars and Southern fish shacks, will open on Wednesday, May 7th at 2823 Central Avenue in the Grand Central District.

First announced in 2023, the restaurant will occupy a portion of the building previously home to China Finders, a specialty china shop that closed in 2023 after more than 30 years in business.

“Coming to St. Pete is a dream come true, and opening a new place like Cheeky’s along Central Avenue is so exciting,” Siegel said in a prepared statement. “This is already such a special community, and I’m honored to become a part of it alongside my friends and neighbors at Bandit, Baba, Wild Child, and more.”

Read More

Mediterranean cafe and wine bar Ruya to open in the Grand Central District this summer

/
Mediterranean cafe and wine bar Ruya to open in the Grand Central District this summer

A new café and wine bar designed to evoke the laid-back spirit of Morocco, where people sip beverages and socialize throughout the day, is coming to downtown St. Petersburg.

The café, called Ruya (from the Arabic word ru’yah, meaning “vision” or “dream”), will serve coffee, tea, beer, wine, and Moroccan pastries when it opens this summer at 2200 1st Avenue South in the Grand Central District.

The space previously housed If I Brewed the World, a microbrewery that closed on March 8.

“It’ll feel like you’re leaving St. Pete for the Mediterranean, but you’re never really leaving,” owner Sarah Aitcadi told St. Pete Rising.

Read More