Seven-story Frontier building set for major transformation in downtown St. Pete

Seven-story Frontier building set for major transformation in downtown St. Pete

After sitting underutilized for years, the windowless Frontier building at 821 1st Avenue North is finally set to see new life.

Plans have been filed with the City of St. Petersburg to redevelop the seven-story, 233,590-square-foot office and data center, which is partially leased by Frontier Communications. The proposed redevelopment includes 41,333 square feet of ground-floor retail space, 137,663 square feet of self-storage, and 54,594 square feet of office space.

Originally constructed in 1928 by the General Telephone Company of Florida, the building was expanded in 1967 and 1970. It remains a key part of St. Petersburg's internet infrastructure, housing extensive fiber optic cable, switch rooms, frame rooms, and generators as large as jet engines.

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New renderings reveal Foot Locker’s $20 million global HQ in north St. Pete

New renderings reveal Foot Locker’s $20 million global HQ in north St. Pete

New renderings obtained by St. Pete Rising provide a first look at the planned buildout of Foot Locker’s new global headquarters in north St. Petersburg.

The company, previously based in New York City, signed a 110,998-square-foot lease in March to relocate its operations to 570 Carillon Parkway in the Carillon Business Park.

Foot Locker will occupy the first, third, and fourth floors of the five-story office building. The space was previously leased by Protect My Car and Tata Consulting Services.

The buildout of the office space is expected to cost $10.7 million, according to a permit application submitted to the City of St. Pete. An additional $14 million will be spent on furniture, fixtures, and equipment.

The new headquarters will be surrounded by major employers such as Raymond James Financial, Jabil, and Franklin Templeton.

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50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences in downtown St. Pete launch sales starting at $2.5 million

50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences in downtown St. Pete launch sales starting at $2.5 million

Sales have launched for the Waldorf Astoria Residences in downtown St. Petersburg, a project that will become the city’s tallest tower and its first hotel-branded luxury condominium.

The 50-story, 539-foot-tall tower planned for 150 2nd Avenue South will include 163 condominiums, 73,000 square feet of Class A office space, 10,000 square feet of ground-floor retail, and an extensive collection of high-end residential amenities.

Pricing for the luxury condominiums start at $2.5 million.

The $500 million tower, which will be managed by Hilton, is being co-developed by Miami-based Property Markets Group and St. Petersburg-based Feldman Equities, who own the adjacent City Center office building. Vancouver-based City Office REIT and Orlando-based Tower Realty Partners are also involved. Smith & Associates Real Estate is overseeing the sales.

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80-unit affordable housing project Flats on 4th moves forward in north St. Pete

80-unit affordable housing project Flats on 4th moves forward in north St. Pete

An undeveloped parcel at the southwest corner of the intersection of 106th Avenue North and 4th Street North will be developed into 80 affordable apartments reserved for seniors.

The project, dubbed Flats on 4th—a previously approved four-story mid-rise building designed for low-income seniors earning between 40% and 60% of the area median income (AMI).

The Pinellas County Housing Finance Authority purchased the land for the project earlier this month, as Trustee of the land trust, for $2.94 million using Penny for Pinellas funds, a voter-approved one-cent sales tax designated for infrastructure improvements.

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Local herbal school to serve teas, tonics, and coffee at half-acre garden oasis in west St. Pete

Local herbal school to serve teas, tonics, and coffee at half-acre garden oasis in west St. Pete

A once dusty, fenced-in daycare yard in west St. Pete has been transformed into an herbal garden oasis, now featuring a unique coffee and tea cart that serves drinks with a healing twist.

The half-acre garden, which features a walking path winding through hundreds of medicinal and edible plants, sits behind the Traditions School of Herbal Studies and its sister company Acupuncture & Herbal Therapies at 6340 Central Avenue.

“I want the outdoor teaching garden to be a place where people can gather to sip tea, meditate, converse, and relax,” said founder Bob Linde in a discussion with St. Pete Rising.

Founded by Linde in 2005, Traditions offers acupuncture treatments and education on plant medicine, and houses the largest apothecary in the Southeast with over 2,000 Western and Chinese herbs used to treat everything from simple headaches to more serious ailments, including cancer.

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