June 10, 2025

Aerial St. Pete: A bird’s-eye view of St. Pete’s development boom

June 10, 2025/ Anthony Close

The latest edition of Aerial St. Pete highlights the progress of six major real estate projects currently under construction in St. Petersburg.

Aerial St. Pete is a recurring column by St. Pete Rising that features exclusive aerial photography documenting the city’s rapid development. To capture these images, we’ve partnered with AB3 Visuals.

This month’s update showcases construction progress at the Residences at 400 Central, Art House, 3rd & 3rd, Echelon Site 7 & 8, Sky Town, and Viv Apartments.

June 05, 2025

29-story condo tower planned for 4th Street South in downtown St. Pete, replacing earlier condotel proposal

June 05, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A Clearwater-based developer is moving forward with revised plans for a high-rise residential tower in downtown St. Pete, significantly altering a previously approved design.

Valor Capital is seeking city approval to amend its original proposal for the Roche Bobois Residences, a project initially envisioned as a 25-story, 152-unit condotel tower.

The development is slated for the northeast corner of 4th Street South and 4th Avenue South, just two block from the Publix-anchored University Village retail plaza.

The revised plan reimagines the project as a 29-story condominium tower with 165 residential units, 4,103 square feet of commercial space, and 103 parking spaces (83 in a parking garage and 20 surface spaces to the west of the tower).

May 30, 2025

Hermitage Apartments in downtown St. Pete sells for $104.5 Million

May 30, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A 348-unit apartment complex in the heart of downtown St. Petersburg has a new owner and a new name.

Boston-based real estate management firm General Investment & Development (GID) has purchased The Hermitage Apartment Homes at 151 7th Street South.

The sales price and transaction details have not been published. The Brass Enterprises, a private Toronto real estate investment firm, has owned the eight-story luxury apartment community since 2019, purchasing it for $107,625,000.

Under the new ownership, The Hermitage, named after an art museum in St. Petersburg, is now rebranded as Windsor Central Arts.

May 28, 2025

Foxtail Coffee Co. to open at Liberty Yards in downtown Largo

May 28, 2025/ Anthony Close

Foxtail Coffee Co. will soon bring its signature craft coffee and cozy aesthetic to downtown Largo, becoming the first tenant announced for Liberty Yards, a modern two-story retail and restaurant development set to rise at the southwest corner of 4th Street Southwest and West Bay Drive.

Atlanta-based real estate investment firm The Ardent Companies, which acquired the site last year for $1.85 million from The Liberty Worship Center across the street, is behind the 11,175-square-foot project.

The development’s name, Liberty Yards, pays homage to the church and reflects Ardent’s intention to create a community-focused destination.

The Winter Park-based brand has expanded rapidly since launching in 2016 and now operates 88 locations across Florida and several other states. The coffee chain currently operates two other Pinellas County locations at 730 4th Street in St. Petersburg and 13501 Icot Boulevard in Clearwater.

May 20, 2025

Ají Ceviche Bar to bring Peruvian fusion cuisine to downtown St. Pete

May 20, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

An Orlando-based restaurant known for its ceviche-centric Peruvian cuisine is making its way to downtown St. Pete this summer.

Ají Ceviche Bar will open a new location at 200 1st Avenue South—formerly occupied by Ford’s Garage. Ford’s will downsize and continue operating alongside Ají.

The new restaurant announcement follows Monday’s purchase of the 9,700-square-foot property by Miami-based Torose Equities, St. Pete-based RKG Holdings, and HSH Holdings Co. Jenna Malowany of The Archer Group represented the seller in the transaction.

Ají’s menu features more than 15 varieties of ceviche, including customer favorites like El Achorado, a fusion of traditional ceviche with crispy seafood, and El Carretillero, made with fried calamari and yellow pepper sauce.