Revised plans advance for 13-story affordable housing tower in downtown St. Pete

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Revised plans advance for 13-story affordable housing tower in downtown St. Pete

A long-awaited residential redevelopment on the west side of Mirror Lake in downtown St. Pete is finally making progress, more than two years after the project was first awarded.

Pinellas County Schools’ 1.36-acre property, located at 296 Mirror Lake Drive and home to the 101-year-old Tomlinson building, is now one step closer to being redeveloped as the development team has submitted plans to the city for site plan approval.

What was once planned as a mix of affordable and market-rate apartments will now be an entirely affordable community, with priority given to Pinellas County Schools faculty and staff.

All 202 units in the updated plan will be income-restricted, with some reserved for households earning up to 60% of Area Median Income (AMI) and the rest at 110% AMI.

The Tomlinson building was originally built in 1924 as St. Petersburg Junior High School. It later became the Edwin H. Tomlinson Vocational School before transitioning into the Tomlinson Adult Learning Center in 1978.

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Intimate fragrance boutique Super Memory to bring niche and indie scents to downtown St. Pete

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Intimate fragrance boutique Super Memory to bring niche and indie scents to downtown St. Pete

A whiff of autumn air, the pages of an old book, a hint of amber and leather. Each scent tells a story.

Soon, downtown St. Pete will have a new place to explore those stories when Super Memory, an intimate fragrance boutique, debuts on Saturday, November 22nd.

The brainchild of Merryck Walker, Super Memory will open at 600 1st Avenue North, Suite 103, in a space once part of the Reflection condo sales center.

Inside the shop, visitors can sit at a four-seat fragrance bar, choose a flight of scents to test, and experience more than 60 varieties of niche and indie fragrances, many of which are unavailable anywhere else in the Tampa Bay region.

A record player spinning vinyl will add to the shop’s immersive atmosphere.

“Mostly every scent we will carry will be unisex,” she said. “But the variety ensures there’s something for everyone.”

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

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

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.  

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

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Inside Reflection, the newly completed 18-story condo tower soaring above Mirror Lake

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Inside Reflection, the newly completed 18-story condo tower soaring above Mirror Lake

Soaring 18 stories above Mirror Lake, the newly-completed Reflection condominium tower has started welcoming its first wave of residents.

At 200 feet tall, Reflection is the tallest building in the Mirror Lake neighborhood with 88 condominium residences, a rooftop pool and entertainment area, and 2,800 square feet of retail space at 777 3rd Avenue North in downtown St. Petersburg.

"We just received our Certificate of Occupancy [CO] for the full tower and clearance for the rooftop pool," HP Capital Principal Fred Hemmer said to St. Pete Rising while doing a walkthrough tour of the luxury tower.

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Done Deals: The Fresh Market prepares to open Seminole store, New St. Pete apartments planned, Beachfront resort sells 

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Done Deals: The Fresh Market prepares to open Seminole store, New St. Pete apartments planned, Beachfront resort sells 

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.

Have real estate news to share? Send us an email at hello@stpeterising.com.

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Plan to preserve historic building and build condos on Mirror Lake approved by Development Review Commission

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Plan to preserve historic building and build condos on Mirror Lake approved by Development Review Commission

Local developer Backstreets Capital is proceeding forward with plans to preserve a historically significant property while building a new luxury condo building fronting Mirror Lake in downtown St. Pete.

During a Development Review Commission (DRC) meeting on Wednesday, members unanimously approved a setback variance request for the new project at 250 Mirror Lake Drive North.

The 0.47-acre site is currently home to an 87-year-old building that will be restored into a single-family home. Additionally, a new two-story residence will be built on the northeast corner of the property and an 18-unit condo building will be constructed on the west side of the property on what is currently a vacant lot.

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