Four developers compete to build affordable townhomes on former SPC site in west St. Pete

/
Four developers compete to build affordable townhomes on former SPC site in west St. Pete

Four development teams have responded to the city’s request for proposals (RFP) to build affordable housing on a city-owned property in west St. Pete.

The city has released the four proposals it received in response to a reissued RFP to redevelop a 5.24-acre property at 7045 Burlington Avenue North.

The City purchased the site from St. Petersburg College in 2024 for $4.2 million. It currently features a two-story building on the south end that formerly housed the college’s Gibbs Wellness Center, while the north end remains vacant.

The respondents include local developer HP Capital Group in partnership with national homebuilder D.R. Horton; joint venture partners Habitat for Humanity Gulfside and homebuilder Namasté Homes; Tampa-based homebuilder Ramos Development LLC in partnership with Land Advisors Organization and technology-forward homebuilder ONX Homes; and affordable housing homebuilder McDowell Housing Partners LLC.

Read More

29-story condo tower planned for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete, replacing earlier condotel proposal

/
29-story condo tower planned for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete, replacing earlier condotel proposal

A Clearwater-based developer is moving forward with revised plans for a high-rise residential tower in downtown St. Pete, significantly altering a previously approved design.

Valor Capital is seeking city approval to amend its original proposal for the Roche Bobois Residences, a project initially envisioned as a 25-story, 152-unit condotel tower.

The development is slated for the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South, just two block from the Publix-anchored University Village retail plaza.

The revised plan reimagines the project as a 29-story condominium tower with 165 residential units, 4,103 square feet of commercial space, and 103 parking spaces (83 in a parking garage and 20 surface spaces to the west of the tower).

Read More

Sanctum Apothecary debuts coffee, tea, and herbal elixir bar in St. Pete

/
Sanctum Apothecary debuts coffee, tea, and herbal elixir bar in St. Pete

The sweet aroma of freshly brewed coffee and tea now fills the sacred space of Sanctum Apothecary, a family-owned herbal wellness shop in St. Pete’s Euclid-St. Paul neighborhood that focuses on healing the mind, body, and spirit.

Since opening in 2022 at 1903 12th Street North, Sanctum Apothecary has become known for its herbal remedies and handcrafted products. The shop has now quietly added a tea, coffee, and herbal elixir bar to complement its existing offerings.

“It can be intimidating to walk into our shop without knowledge of herbal benefits,” said co-owner and energy herbalist Adam Hubbard in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “This new bar invites people to grab a seat and let us prepare the right blend for them, whether it’s to help cool or warm their body or calm their mind.”

Read More

Exclusive underground social club coming to the historic Snell Arcade in downtown St. Pete

/
Exclusive underground social club coming to the historic Snell Arcade in downtown St. Pete

The basement of the historic 99-year-old Snell Arcade in downtown St. Petersburg, once a bustling hub during the Prohibition era, will be reborn as an exclusive business and social club catering to the city’s movers and shakers.

Former Major League Baseball player turned entrepreneur Robin Jennings will lease and transform the 9,240-square-foot space at 405 Central Avenue into a new private club called The Medina, which is scheduled to open in 2026.

According to Pinellas County property records, the basement of the eight-story building was purchased last month by 405 Central LLC for $3.2 million from Miami-based Tricera Capital. Tricera acquired the space in 2022 for $1.88 million.

Read More

Beatles museum with one of the world’s largest collections is moving to downtown St Pete

/
Beatles museum with one of the world’s largest collections is moving to downtown St Pete

One of the world’s largest permanent Beatles collections is moving to downtown St. Pete.

Penny Lane, a not-for-profit museum dedicated to the legacy of the Beatles, will open in 2026 at 146 2nd Street North on the first floor of the Palais Royale office building.

The new space will be more than four times the size of the current location and offer a more immersive experience for visitors.

Founded in January 2017 by Dr. Robert Entel, a local radiologist, the museum began in a 500-square-foot storefront at 730 Broadway in Dunedin.

Over the past eight years, it has welcomed more than 10,000 visitors per year from around the world.

Read More

14-story luxury apartment tower tops out at Echelon City Center in north St. Pete

/
14-story luxury apartment tower tops out at Echelon City Center in north St. Pete

A 14-story luxury apartment tower has topped out at Echelon City Center, an emerging master-planned development in the Carillon Office Park in north St. Pete.

The 363-unit tower is being built on a 1.68-acre site, dubbed “Site 7 & 8,” located directly west of the recently completed Park & Main apartment community.

The project will include over 17,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a five-story parking garage, secured bicycle parking, and eight three-story townhomes.

St. Petersburg-based real estate company Echelon and South Florida-based general contractor KAST Construction broke ground on the yet-to-be-named 14-story apartment tower in March 2024.

Read More

Hermitage Apartments in downtown St. Pete sells for $104.5 Million

/
Hermitage Apartments in downtown St. Pete sells for $104.5 Million

A 348-unit apartment complex in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg has a new owner and a new name.

Boston-based real estate management firm General Investment & Development (GID) has purchased The Hermitage Apartment Homes at 151 7th Street South.

The sales price and transaction details have not been published. The Brass Enterprises, a private Toronto real estate investment firm, has owned the eight-story luxury apartment community since 2019, purchasing it for $107,625,000.

Under the new ownership, The Hermitage, named after an art museum in St. Petersburg, is now rebranded as Windsor Central Arts.

Read More

St. Pete Pier celebrates five years with month-long festival featuring drone show, fireworks, live music, ice cream festival, and more

/
St. Pete Pier celebrates five years with month-long festival featuring drone show, fireworks, live music, ice cream festival, and more

Five years ago, the City of St. Petersburg unveiled the long-anticipated St. Pete Pier and its sprawling 26-acre district, reconnecting downtown to the waterfront. Today, it has become a signature landmark, drawing millions of tourists and residents each year.

To celebrate the Pier's five-year milestone, the City of St. Petersburg is hosting PierFest—a month-long series of family-friendly events every weekend in July. Festivities will include live performances by local bands, sand sculptures, a drone show, fireworks, and more at the St. Pete Pier District, located at 600 2nd Avenue NE.

The celebration kicks off on July 4th with the annual St. Pete Pier Run, a 4-mile course that begins near Spa Beach, winds along the scenic waterfront, and finishes at the Pier.

Read More

Foxtail Coffee Co. to open at Liberty Yards in downtown Largo

/
Foxtail Coffee Co. to open at Liberty Yards in downtown Largo

Foxtail Coffee Co. will soon bring its signature craft coffee and cozy aesthetic to downtown Largo, becoming the first tenant announced for Liberty Yards, a modern two-story retail and restaurant development set to rise at the southwest corner of 4th Street Southwest and West Bay Drive.

Atlanta-based real estate investment firm The Ardent Companies, which acquired the site last year for $1.85 million from The Liberty Worship Center across the street, is behind the 11,175-square-foot project.

The development’s name, Liberty Yards, pays homage to the church and reflects Ardent’s intention to create a community-focused destination.

The Winter Park-based brand has expanded rapidly since launching in 2016 and now operates 88 locations across Florida and several other states. The coffee chain currently operates two other Pinellas County locations at 730 4th Street in St. Petersburg and 13501 Icot Boulevard in Clearwater.

Read More

PSTA approves $4.8 million federal grant to restore Cross Bay Ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa

/
PSTA approves $4.8 million federal grant to restore Cross Bay Ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa

The Cross Bay Ferry, which has linked passengers between downtown St. Petersburg and downtown Tampa since 2017, could once again sail under a new operator.

The Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority (PSTA), which operates the Clearwater Ferry, is now leading efforts to restore ferry service between St. Pete and Tampa after Hillsborough County recently ended its contract with HMS Ferries.

The termination came after HMS proposed replacing the current ferry with a slower vessel that would more than double one-way travel time from 50 minutes to two hours.

When the county canceled its contract with HMS, ending the Cross Bay Ferry operations on April 30th, it left $4,863,280 of unspent Federal Transit Authority (FTA) dollars on the table, which can be used towards the purchase of two new ferry boats for the Tampa-to-St. Pete service.

Read More