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.