March 07, 2025

Trails Crossing, a new linear park under I-275 in downtown St. Pete, moves forward after City Council vote

March 07, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Four blocks of underutilized space beneath Interstate 275 in downtown St. Pete could be transformed into a new linear park featuring public art and event spaces, creating a destination for pedestrians and cyclists.

In a 7-to-1 vote, City Council approved an agreement on Thursday to contribute $150,000 toward hiring Colorado-based LandDesign, Inc. to kick off the master planning process for Trails Crossing, a walkable, activated park under I-275 that will embrace micro-transit and connect urban neighborhoods—an idea that has been in discussion for years.

“For too long, our community has been physically, socially, and economically divided by infrastructure that was never designed with connectivity in mind,” said John Barkett, a local developer and co-founder of the nonprofit group Friends of Trails Crossing, during Thursday’s meeting.

March 03, 2025

Amorino and its flower-shaped gelato is coming to the EDGE District

March 03, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The first Florida brick-and-mortar location of French chain Amorino Gelato is headed for downtown St. Pete.

Opening at 1246 Central Avenue in the EDGE District, Amorino serves its gelato via spatula, famously shaped into a flower — with the option to add a macaron to the center.

The 1,800-square-foot shop will front 1st Avenue South, directly across from Tropicana Field, inside a 110-year-old building that will also house Bosphorus Turkish Cuisine.

The newly renovated building is part of the EDGE Collective, a mixed use development that will also include a 20-story tower with 360 apartments and 24,000 square feet of ground-floor commercial space.

February 27, 2025

Inside the 2025 Downtown Development Guide: Grappling with growth amid market headwinds

February 27, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

New zoning changes, the sweeping rise of commercial and residential development, and the promise of revitalizing neighborhoods are molding the ever-evolving identity of the Sunshine City.

This Tuesday, the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership released its 2025 Downtown St. Pete Development Guide, an annual resource tool providing a snapshot of the latest economic and commercial activity to encourage public and private stakeholders to spur healthy growth in the area.

"The data, trends, and projects on the horizon really comprise the blueprint for how we continue to grow with purpose, intention, and resilience," Mayor Ken Welch said during the Partnership's Development Summit hosted at the new EDGE Collective office building next to the Moxy Hotel.

February 24, 2025

$200 million mixed-use project The Central takes shape on Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete

February 24, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The long-awaited mixed-use development in the heart of St. Pete's EDGE District has hit a construction milestone.

Tampa-based Ellison Development is set to cut the ribbon next month, celebrating the completion of a 531-space parking garage at 1301 Central Avenue, a component of The Central development, a 2.1-acre redevelopment of the old St. Pete Police headquarters that will feature a hotel, a trophy office building, retail, workforce housing, and more.

The project, which broke ground in February 2024, sits directly across the street from Ferg's Sports Bar and Grill and is near The Edge Collective development, a planned live-work-and-play destination anchored by the newly opened Moxy Hotel.

January 06, 2025

East Indian street food restaurant Mowgli’s Tiffin debuts in the EDGE District

January 06, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

In a quiet corner of downtown St. Pete in the former Chi-town Beefs and Dogs space, a new Indian restaurant introduces Bengali street food to the Sunshine City.

First-time restaurateur and founder Amita Mukherjee quietly opened Mowgli's Tiffin earlier this week at 165 Doctor Martin Luther King Jr. Street North, bringing kati rolls and other dishes from the streets of Kolkata to the EDGE District.

“Mowgli's Tiffin celebrates the rich tapestry of Bengali culture,” Mukherjee said to St. Pete Rising. “The street food we are making is akin to the delicious bites you’d find on the streets of India.”

The quaint, 540-square-foot restaurant is named after the wild, curious, and adventurous boy named Mowgli from Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Additionally, the Indian word tiffin means lunchbox and, in certain parts of India, a light meal or snack eaten anytime between lunch and dinner.

Mukherjee's parents immigrated to the United States from India over 50 years ago. She was raised in St. Pete and says she hasn’t found many restaurants in town serving the Indian dishes she misses from her homeland. In particular, street food holds a special place in her heart, so Mowgli's will serve dishes that remind her of West Bengal in eastern India.