May 07, 2024

Exclusive: Pedestrian-only retail village and apartments planned for YMCA property near downtown St. Pete

May 07, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Longtime St. Pete investor Blake Whitney Thompson and multifamily developer Greystar Real Estate Partners plan to create a thriving live-work-play neighborhood on 4.5 acres in St. Pete’s Grand Central District just west of downtown St. Pete.

Blake Investment Partners (BLAKE), which was selected in early 2023 to redevelop a portion of the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA at 3200 1st Avenue South, has formed a joint venture with Greystar and submitted a special exception application to the City of St. Petersburg’s Development Review Committee to redevelop the property.

The proposed redevelopment, dubbed Whitney Village, will add 375 apartments, a parking garage, and 32,000 square feet of retail space to the property.

January 13, 2023

YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg selects development partner to redevelop 11-acre site in Union Central District

January 13, 2023/ Anthony Close

YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg has selected a development partner to redevelop a significant 11-acre property in St. Pete’s Union Central District.

In a release, the YMCA said they plan to work with a joint venture between local real estate development teams, Blake Investment Partners (BLAKE) and Eastman Equity.

The site sits just one block south of Central Avenue at the intersection of 1st Avenue South and 31st Street and is bound by the Grand Central District to the east, Palmetto Park to the south, Central Oak Park to the west, and Historic Kenwood to the north.

June 28, 2022

YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg to explore redevelopment of 11-acre site in Union Central District

June 28, 2022/ Anthony Close

The YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg has begun exploring the potential for the redevelopment of a significant property in St. Pete’s Union Central District.

The site sits just one block south of Central Avenue at the intersection of 1st Avenue South and 31st Street and is bound by the Grand Central District and Palmetto Park to the east, Central Oak Park to the west, and Historic Kenwood to the north.

It is currently home to the Jim & Heather Gills YMCA which is the flagship location of the YMCA of Greater St. Petersburg and features an indoor pool, rock climbing walls, and a full-sized gym among other amenities.