The rise of the MLK Business District and how to connect bifurcated St. Pete districts
/Founded in 1994, the MLK Business District runs along Dr. MLK Jr. Street from 26th Avenue South to 34th Avenue North
The MLK Business District, particularly the stretch of MLK Jr. St. N between 5th Ave. and 7th Ave. N, is home to some of St. Pete’s favorite shops, restaurants, and places to spend an afternoon. However, it wasn’t always a bustling hub of activity—it’s taken over a decade of hard work from community leaders, business owners, and city officials to curate this district.
John Barkett, MAI, was one of the first business owners to join this area, and he has worked closely with public officials, business owners, and community organizations to curate a district that meets the needs of St. Pete’s residents—and continues to work to evolve the area.
A Vision for a District
In 2007, when John Barkett purchased his first building on the block, the neighborhood didn’t yet have the businesses that make this corner of St. Pete a destination for locals and visitors alike—it was mostly home to run-down spaces and the bar and boarding house that formerly stood in Barkett Realty’s current home at 615 9th. St. N.
Barkett Realty purchased the building at 615 9th Street North in 2007.
The neighborhood had all of the building blocks for a retail destination: the presence of a major institutional employer in St. Anthony’s hospital, easy access to Downtown St. Pete and I-275, and a number of historic buildings that would lend themselves to renovation and adaptive reuse. The area was perfectly positioned for small, locally-owned businesses that didn’t necessarily require the hustle and bustle (and accompanying high rent prices) of Central Ave. All this neighborhood needed was a group of dedicated people willing to put in the work.
Barkett originally purchased the building next door to the current Barkett Realty office—currently home to Sun State Yoga and Lash Addict Studio. At the same time, Michael Novilla purchased NOVA 535, creating a destination event space on what would soon be one of St. Pete’s favorite blocks. While the NOVA 535 renovation was in progress, Barkett worked to build his existing appraisal business, Property Valuation Specialists, while starting to build Barkett Realty to populate the neighborhood with tenants who shared the vision.
Several small businesses have opened on MLK Jr. St. N between 5th Ave. and 7th Ave. N in recent years including SunState Yoga.
Local favorites like St. Pete Saltworks, Lash Addict Studio, Gypsy Soul Coffeehouse, Black Amethyst Tattoo Gallery, Sun State Yoga, and the Mize Gallery have since made the block their home, attracting the attention and traffic that makes it a special location. New businesses continue to move to the area—Neat Neat Neat, and Uptown Eats joined the block in 2020, and soon we can expect to see local artist Becky Beukkes open a gallery in the area, as well as a local lounge/restaurateur open a new concept very soon.
Barkett serves as a board member of the MLK Business District, which works to revitalize the area and support businesses along the full MLK Jr. St. corridor. One major accomplishment of the MLK Business district board was successfully advocating to change traffic from one way to two way between 9th Ave. N and 4th Ave. N. This two-way traffic is absolutely critical to help local businesses gain additional visibility and parking, and the next goal is to extend this two-way traffic down to the I-175 onramp past the Tropicana Field site.
What’s Next: Connecting Bifurcated Districts
The district, as exciting and lively as it is, is unfortunately disconnected from downtown by the empty land below I-375. Barkett has led the effort to convert this space into a park, working closely with City Council Vice-Chair Gina Driscoll, Transportation Director Evan Morey, Parks and Recreation Supervisor Mike Jeffries, and other city officials.
The plan for the I-375 underpass park includes shaded gathering spaces, public parking, event space, and dog-friendly green space.
The plan for the park includes shaded gathering spaces, public parking, event space, and dog-friendly green space. Most importantly, it will create a walkable thoroughfare connecting Downtown and the MLK District and become the northernmost point for St. Pete’s bike share and new scooter share services.
“The ask for this park came directly from the public, and the City is happy to listen and make the most of their existing long-term land leases with Florida DOT in a way that strengthens the community,” said John Barkett, “We live in a very rare community where voices are heard and you can truly make lasting change that can positively impact your local community for generations to come. That’s just one of the reasons why I love living and working in St. Petersburg.”
Work on the park will begin in the first quarter of 2021. Once the park is completed, there will be additional opportunities to lease the surrounding spaces, including the currently open location at the corner of 5th Ave. N and MLK Jr. St. N.
Today the underpass at MLK and I-375 is underutilized. In the future it will be activated by a public parking and passive green space.
Half a million dollars of funding for the park has been secured from sources outside the city budget, including dollars from parking revenue—minimizing the cost to taxpayers while maximizing the benefits. The Weeki Wachee Fund is helping to pay for the park portion of the project as well. Additionally, there will be a subsequent public art component, with blank canvas available in the form of several columns and flat panels underneath I-375 that have been approved by the Department of Transportation for murals as well as additional panels along the north side of the I-375 onramp along the south side of 5th Avenue N that will all be lit. The goal is to feature local artists connected to historic uptown & downtown St. Pete.
“St. Pete is unique, in that it’s a small town-feel with world-class amenities and big goals. Creating park spaces and additional walkability connects our city’s districts and helps our local business thrive,” said Council Member Gina Driscoll, “This space will provide opportunities for shaded outdoor gathering and events—something we truly need in the summer months. If we’re able to create more multimodal spaces like this in key locations, it only helps to connect the unique districts in and around Downtown and strengthen our community for residents, visitors, and local businesses alike.”
Looking forward, Barkett and City Council Vice-Chair Gina Driscoll would love to replicate the new park by identifying critical places where the city’s districts are divided—namely, areas under I-275 as it passes through downtown.
An rendering of Miami’s proposed Underline park project is shown here.
“With the Trop site redevelopment to look forward to, connecting these bifurcated districts is absolutely critical to keep St. Pete special. It’s up to us as business owners and residents of St. Pete to ensure that districts like the MLK Business District, the Edge District, Grand Central, and others continue to blossom,” said Barkett, “This park is the first of many that will create shaded outdoor space for our citizens and visitors alike to use and enjoy year-round. That outdoor space in and around the downtown core is something St. Pete desperately needs—especially in the summer months. We’re looking at other successful projects around the country, especially Atlanta’s Beltline, Miami’s 10-mile Underline park and the Orlando Under-I project as best-in-class examples of what we’re trying to assist in accomplishing.”
We’ll continue to share updates on the new park and the MLK Business District as they become available. Additionally, we will continue to work with the City and neighborhood stakeholders in activating underutilized lands under major highways that can be better utilized to connect bifurcated districts and utilize public art as a catalyst to assist in facilitating this process.
John Barkett is the owner and founder of Barkett Realty, a boutique real estate company offering full service solutions for both commercial and residential clients. With decades of combined experience in sales, leasing, property management, and appraisal, Barkett Realty is a one-stop shop that will exceed your real estate needs while turning transactions into relationships.
If you’d like to know more about Barkett Realty, please visit their website at barkettrealty.com.
This is a guest post. The views and opinions expressed in guest posts are those of the author and do no necessarily reflect the official position of ‘St. Pete Rising.'
