February 19, 2025

Revised plan approved for apartment tower on Mirror Lake in downtown St. Pete

February 19, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A planned apartment tower on the southwest edge of downtown St. Pete’s Mirror Lake neighborhood has been approved for increased height and additional units.

The initial plan, which was approved by the Development Review Commission in January 2023, called for a 21-story 200-unit apartment tower with 10,843 square feet of retail space and a 264-space parking garage at 699 1st Avenue North.

The new proposal is for a 23-story, 218-unit apartment tower with 11,193 square feet of retail space and a 274-space parking garage.

The properties, which Gravel Road Partners purchased in March 2022 for $6.4 million, include the parcels at 685, 694, and 699 1st Avenue North and are currently occupied by two vacant office buildings, a vacant triplex, and a surface parking lot.

December 16, 2024

It's official: St. Pete's Mirror Lake is now a historic district

December 16, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

The quaint Mirror Lake neighborhood in the heart of St. Pete's bustling downtown will now limit future development and changes to existing buildings.

After years of discussions and a long-winded debate during Thursday’s City Council meeting, councilmembers cast a 5-2 vote approving a local historic district designation for properties located within 200 feet of Mirror Lake, which has the largest collection of intact historic structures in St. Pete.

The approval was met with applause from a crowd of Mirror Lake residents who largely supported the citizen-initiated application, which was spearheaded by local preservation advocacy group Preserve the Burg, aimed at preserving the community's pedestrian-friendly low-rise character.

November 20, 2024

Developer behind 46-story 400 Central condo tower to redevelop Mirror Lake property into residential tower

November 20, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

After St. Pete Rising announced earlier this week that a prime redevelopment site on Mirror Lake was under contract, the developer behind Florida’s tallest residential tower revealed themselves to be the undisclosed buyer.

New York-based Red Apple Group is reportedly set to purchase the property for $13.2 million by the end of the year.

“As Mr. Catsimatidis alluded to recently, we are under contract to acquire this exciting piece of land near beautiful Mirror Lake in the heart of the Sunshine City’s downtown,” Kevin King, director of Florida operations for Red Apple, said in a statement to St. Pete Rising.

November 13, 2024

Downtown St. Pete’s Mirror Lake neighborhood is one step closer to becoming a historic district

November 13, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Nearly 21 acres around downtown St. Pete's Mirror Lake may soon become a local historic district, hoping to preserve its pedestrian-friendly, low-rise character amid a wave of new development.

On Tuesday evening, the City’s Community Planning and Preservation Commission (CPPC) unanimously approved a citizen-initiated application to designate certain areas of Mirror Lake as a local historic district.

The proposed local landmark designation, which has been spearheaded by local preservation advocacy group Preserve the Burg, must be approved by St. Pete City Council before taking effect.

October 25, 2024

Done Deals: Sundial adds new tenant, Mirror Lake site sells to developer, Foot Locker approved for city incentives

October 25, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

Done Deals is a weekly column by St. Pete Rising spotlighting recent real estate market insight and significant deals happening in the Sunshine City and beyond. The following information is sourced from public records and trusted intel.

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