February 10, 2025

13-story hybrid hotel and apartment project approved for downtown St. Pete

February 10, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A 13-story building featuring 60 apartments and 60 hotel rooms has been approved for downtown St. Pete’s Grand Central District despite concerns.

Last week, the St. Petersburg Development Review Commission unanimously approved a site plan for the $22 million project expected to rise at 1663 1st Avenue South.

The property is currently developed with a commercial building that was previously home to Sunshine Kitty Catfe, Tampa Bay’s first cat café which closed in 2023, and Dolman Law Group.

The new project, proposed by Tampa-based BendinRoad Development in partnership with Landings Real Estate Group, is a significant shift from the developer’s initial vision to create an 8-story 97-unit apartment building, which was previously approved in 2023.

November 25, 2024

13-story hotel and apartment building proposed for St. Pete's Grand Central District

November 25, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

A 13-story building featuring 60 apartments and 60 short-term rentals is slated for the 10,000-square-foot property at 1663 1st Avenue South in downtown St. Pete.

The St. Petersburg City Council, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), unanimously approved the plans on Thursday, finding it consistent with the Intown West Redevelopment Plan (IWRP).

The plan will go before the Development Review Commission on December 4th.

The property is currently developed with a commercial building that was previously the home of Sunshine Kitty Catfe, Tampa Bay’s first cat café which debuted in 2019, and the Dolman Law Group, which has an office in Clearwater.

May 26, 2023

97 apartments with no parking proposed for the Grand Central District

May 26, 2023/ Brian Zucker

In what could be a harbinger of future developments around downtown St. Pete, a pair of local real estate developers have proposed to construct an 8-story, 97-unit apartment building with zero parking on the east side of the Grand Central District.

Craig Bazarsky of BendinRoad Development LLC and Christopher Bicho of Landings Real Estates Group are under contract to purchase a 0.23-acre parcel at 1663 1st Avenue South. The property is currently home to a commercial building occupied by Dolman Law Group and Sunshine Kitty Catfe, Tampa Bay’s first cat café which debuted in 2019.

"The entire landscape of downtown St Pete has changed dramatically over the last few years and I knew it was only a matter of time until my small business would be directly impacted," said Amanda Jones, owner of Sunshine Kitty Catfe, in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. "It came as no surprise when I received news of the pending sale of our building.