St. Pete's smallest wine bar launches new coffee concept in downtown St. Pete

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St. Pete's smallest wine bar launches new coffee concept in downtown St. Pete

The smallest wine bar in St. Pete is now also the tiniest coffee shop in town.

The 18-seat Bar Chinchilla recently expanded with the launch of Cafe ‘Chilla, a morning coffee bar tucked inside its intimate space at 439 1st Avenue North.

Cafe ‘Chilla offers a menu of espresso drinks, cold brew, matcha, and specialty lattes from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday.

Bar Manager Lynsey Carlson shared with St. Pete Rising that the idea stemmed from a desire to create a separate cafe-like experience during the morning when the wine bar is typically closed.

“We wanted to offer something for the morning crowd, especially those attending farmers markets and local events,” Carlson said.

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Pete’s Bagels opens new drive-thru in restored historic building in south St. Pete

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Pete’s Bagels opens new drive-thru in restored historic building in south St. Pete

After two years of extensive restoration, Pete’s Bagels has officially opened its newest location in the historic 1926-built Harbordale Standard Oil Station located at 2439 4th Street South in south St. Pete.

The 320-square-foot building, which is considered St. Pete’s oldest gas station, now has an drive-thru stocked with a menu of bagels and bagel sandwiches and coffee from local roaster Look Alive Coffee.

The opening comes several years after former City Councilman Robert Blackmon purchased the property in November 2019 for $125,000 and undertook an extensive restoration with plans to transform it into a boutique drive-through café.

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Former Ed White Hospital conversion to 71-unit affordable senior housing community advances in North Kenwood

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Former Ed White Hospital conversion to 71-unit affordable senior housing community advances in North Kenwood

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority (SPHA) is expected to begin construction on the second phase of an extensive renovation to the former Edward White Hospital, converting the building into a 71-unit affordable housing complex for seniors, thanks to recently approved funding.

Last Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council approved $8.9 million in funding for the $42.5 million project underway at 2323 9th Avenue North in North Kenwood.

The funding includes $6.9 million from Penny for Pinellas, of which $3 million was previously approved, and $2 million in HOME funds.

In 2022, the project was awarded $5.9 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding, however those funds were rescinded in 2024 citing extensive project delays and reallocated to two other affordable housing projects—Flats on 4th and Palm Lake Urban Sanctuary.

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40-unit affordable townhome project planned for south St. Pete receives city funding

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40-unit affordable townhome project planned for south St. Pete receives city funding

After years of planning, an affordable townhome community is advancing with the help of newly approved funding.

At a Thursday meeting, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously approved $2.18 million in funding for Habitat for Humanity of Tampa Bay Gulfside to build Pelican Place, a 40-unit affordable townhome community at 2100 18th Avenue South.

The funding is coming from previously allocated Tax Increment Financing (TIF) dollars from the South St. Petersburg Redevelopment District Fund.

The property, valued at $1.43 million and located across from Tangerine Plaza, was sold to Habitat for Humanity for $10, bringing the city’s total financial commitment to over $3.6 million for the project, or $90,000 per unit.

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

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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.

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

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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).

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

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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.”

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

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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.

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

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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.

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

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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.

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