August 19, 2024

Construction to begin on new SunRunner bus rapid transit station near Beach Drive

August 19, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Construction will soon begin on a new SunRunner station in downtown St. Pete that will increase ridership for the bus rapid transit line.

“Beach to Burg” is a tagline used by the SunRunner bus rapid transit (BRT) system, which is the first high frequency transit line of its kind in Tampa Bay.

The $44-million, 10.3-mile route debuted in October 2022 and links downtown St. Petersburg to St. Pete Beach via dedicated lanes running along 1st Avenue North and 1st Avenue South.

At present, the SunRunner has 30 stops, with buses arriving about every 15 minutes. The new station will be built near the Sundial Parking Garage at 150 1st Avenue North in downtown St. Pete.

December 23, 2014

Project: Towns on Fifth

December 23, 2014/ Anthony Close

If you follow this blog or any local news site you're probably very aware of the building boom going on in Downtown St.Pete. From apartments to condos to hotels and office there's a very strong wave of new development that is transforming downtown. Adding to the building boom is a new project: The Towns on Fifth. Located just one block from Beach Drive at 145 5th Ave NE, the Towns on Fifth is a development of 8 luxury town homes. Each unit will feature 3 floors with a rooftop terrace and a two car garage that opens to a private central driveway.

June 05, 2014

Project: Bliss Condominiums

June 05, 2014/ Anthony Close

Just announced today, a new condominium tower called Bliss is under development less than a block off of Beach Drive. This project will replace the Buckley Moss gallery and is adjacent to Rowland Place- a 20 unit condo project currently under construction. Bliss will consist of 30 units across 19 stories with most units featuring 3 bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms and 2,140 square feet of living space. According to this post, prices will start around

February 18, 2014

Low Vacancy Rates and High Rent on Beach Drive Will Help The Shops

February 18, 2014/ Anthony Close

A recent article from the Tampa Bay Business Journal discusses how rental rates on Beach Drive in Downtown St.Petersburg have gone from $30 to $50 a square foot over the last few years. This steep increase follows high demand on the popular street that has little to no vacancy. According to the article the average retail rental price for the rest of Downtown St.Petersburg is $16.93, almost a third of the going price along Beach Drive. These high rental rates on Beach Drive must be good news for Bill Edwards, owner of the The Shops at St.Pete. Opening sometime this year, The Shops are one block west of Beach Drive and across the street from the Ovation condo tower. It makes sense to think that The Shops will benefit from the lack of available space on Beach Drive. Although I doubt The Shops will be able to fetch $50 sq/ft they will probably be well above the $16.93 sq/ft in the rest of downtown.