New 52,000-square-foot expansion proposed for St. Pete’s Maritime and Defense Technology Hub

/
New 52,000-square-foot expansion proposed for St. Pete’s Maritime and Defense Technology Hub

More marine-based startups and private defense firms may soon find a new home along St. Pete’s waterfront.

City and business leaders are spearheading an effort to expand the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub, known locally as The Hub, which opened in 2022 at 450 8th Avenue SE in a city-owned building at the Port of St. Petersburg, just south of Albert Whitted Airport.

The Hub has quickly become a cornerstone for marine science, defense, and technology innovation, now fully occupied by companies such as Saildrone, which deploys autonomous ocean vehicles from St. Pete to map and monitor Florida’s coastal waters, and Pole Star Defense, which uses maritime intelligence technology to track and prevent threats at sea.

Plans for a second facility, dubbed Hub 2.0, call for developing the surface parking lot directly west of the current Hub into a 52,000-square-foot research and collaboration center.

The expansion would provide a home for additional startups, government partners, and academic institutions focused on marine technology, coastal resiliency, and defense innovation.

Read More

Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital to convert St. Pete apartments into patient housing

/
Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital to convert St. Pete apartments into patient housing

Thousands of families across the nation travel to Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg seeking specialized pediatric medical care from physicians who perform complex surgeries and procedures for critically ill patients suffering from cancer, heart conditions, and other complications.

As a comprehensive pediatric and subspecialty institute, the health system also attracts highly immunocompromised patients who require close monitoring even after discharge.

Thanks to a new $1 million donation from the nonprofit Hogs for the Cause, Johns Hopkins will convert the on-campus Rada Apartments at 460 8th Avenue South—which currently house visiting physicians—into four vibrant housing units for patients requiring extended hospital care and their families.

Hogs for the Cause began as a pig roast among friends in 2009, aiming to raise money for a young boy with pediatric brain cancer.

Read More

21-story apartment tower approved near USFSP in downtown St. Pete

/
21-story apartment tower approved near USFSP in downtown St. Pete

A 105-year-old commercial property that greets commuters as they enter the downtown St. Petersburg from I-175 may soon be demolished and redeveloped into a 21-story apartment tower.

On Thursday, the St. Petersburg City Council, meeting as the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA), unanimously approved plans to redevelop the property at 446 4th Street South, which currently consists of a surface parking lot and a one-story, 4,984-square-foot office building occupied by Fresenius Kidney Care American Dialysis Center.

The proposed project includes a 21-story mixed-use building with 2,250 square feet of commercial space, 213 residential units, and a 230-space parking garage.

Read More

21-story apartment tower proposed near USF in downtown St. Pete

/
21-story apartment tower proposed near USF in downtown St. Pete

A local developer has proposed to construct a 21-story, 213-unit apartment building directly across from the University of South Florida in downtown St. Pete.

St. Pete-based real estate company Stadler Development has filed a site plan application with the city for a $67 million tower that is expected to rise on a 0.69-acre property at 446 4th Street South, which is currently home to a 5,000-square-foot commercial building occupied by Fresenius Kidney Care American Dialysis Center.

“This site will deliver the demand for the Innovation District. The whole community, including students and hospital workers, should be well-served by this project,” Stadler Development Managing Partner John Stadler said in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

Read More