Celebrity Chef Geoffrey Zakarian to open new restaurant at The Central in downtown St. Pete

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Celebrity Chef Geoffrey Zakarian to open new restaurant at The Central in downtown St. Pete

Internationally recognized chef and TV personality Geoffrey Zakarian will introduce a new restaurant concept at The Central, a new mixed-use development under construction in St. Petersburg’s EDGE District.

Zakarian, known for his modern American cuisine, more than 25 years of leading top kitchens across the country, and appearances on competitive cooking shows, announced on Tuesday the flagship restaurant will be located in the 168-room Central Hotel within the 2.1-acre development at 1301 Central Avenue. The Central Hotel will be part of Marriott’s Autograph Collection.

“St. Petersburg is a city brimming with energy and creativity, and we are thrilled to create a dining experience that captures that spirit,” Zakarian said in a statement.

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50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences sales gallery opens in downtown St. Pete

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50-story Waldorf Astoria Residences sales gallery opens in downtown St. Pete

The team behind what is expected to become St. Pete’s tallest tower marked a major milestone Wednesday evening with the grand opening of the Waldorf Astoria Residences sales gallery.

Located at 100 2nd Avenue South in the City Center office tower, the gallery features a full model unit that cost more than $1 million to build, giving prospective buyers and the public an early look at what the 50-story project will offer.

Rising 539 feet at 150 2nd Avenue South, the 163-unit Waldorf Astoria Residences will be St. Pete’s first hotel-branded luxury condominium tower.

The $500 million project is being co-developed by Miami-based Property Markets Group and St. Petersburg-based Feldman Equities, in partnership with Vancouver-based City Office REIT and Orlando-based Tower Realty Partners. Hilton will manage the residences, while Smith & Associates Real Estate is leading sales.

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Sirata Beach Resort completes $25 million renovation, will become a Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel

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Sirata Beach Resort completes $25 million renovation, will become a Tapestry Collection by Hilton hotel

The Sirata Beach Resort, one of the most popular hotels on St. Pete Beach, is in the midst of a significant transformation as it transitions into a Tapestry Collection by Hilton property.

The 382-key resort at 5300 Gulf Boulevard, located directly on the Gulf of Mexico, has completed the first phase of renovations, a $25 million upgrade to guest rooms, suites, the lobby, and the fitness center at Sirata Beach Resort. The work is designed to enhance amenities for both vacationers and corporate retreats.

The property is owned by Kentucky-based Columbia Sussex, which purchased the property in late 2022 for $207 million. The Sirata Beach Resort will transition to the Tapestry Collection by Hilton following the completion of Phase II. The Tapestry Collection is a curated portfolio of boutique hotels known for their local character and distinctive style.

There are currently two other Tapestry Collection by Hilton properties in the Tampa Bay area: Hotel Flor and Hotel Alba, both located in Tampa.

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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport moves forward with redeveloping 128-acre Airco site

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St. Pete-Clearwater Airport moves forward with redeveloping 128-acre Airco site

A former golf course property spanning 128 acres next to the St. Pete-Clearwater International Airport (PIE) is set to be redeveloped, beginning with the construction of a new taxiway that will lay the groundwork for a future aviation business park.

For the past two decades, PIE has been working toward redeveloping the county-owned property known as the Airco site. The site is the largest contiguous piece of developable land in Pinellas County. PIE is now moving forward with selecting a contractor for the first phase of the project, a new taxiway located off Ulmerton Road.

“The taxiway is the first step to redeveloping the property and providing the infrastructure for future businesses there, especially aviation companies, which we’ve seen a lot of demand for,” said PIE Public Relations Director Michelle Routh in a conversation with St. Pete Rising.

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Real estate investor purchases another property near Salt Creek in St. Pete for $6 million

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Real estate investor purchases another property near Salt Creek in St. Pete for $6 million

Clearwater-based real estate company Prometheus Partners, which has been quietly assembling acres of contiguous property just south of downtown St. Petersburg, has acquired another site.

Through its affiliate, Prometheus Franchise Restaurant Holdings LLC, the group purchased the 24,500-square-foot warehouse at 1499 Beach Drive SE for $6 million from Cato Holdings LLC.

Built in 1959, the art deco-style building sits on 1.37 acres near Salt Creek. It currently houses the Salt Creek Arts Center, a maker space offering studios and galleries for local artists, as well as moving company Swift Moves.

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Four-story boutique hotel planned for Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach

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Four-story boutique hotel planned for Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach

A new boutique hotel has been proposed for a waterfront property on Pass-a-Grille in St. Pete Beach.

Local developer DevMar Development, which has built several projects in St. Pete, is seeking site plan approval from the City of St. Pete Beach to construct a four-story, 17-unit hotel called Helios at 702 Pass-a-Grille Way.

The 0.35-acre property is currently home to a small one-bedroom short-term rental, which would be demolished to make way for the new development.

All 17 units will feature two bedrooms and range from 909 to 1,112 square feet, more than twice the size of a typical hotel room.

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Cathie Wood's ARK Invest to move headquarters to EDGE District in downtown St. Pete

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Cathie Wood's ARK Invest to move headquarters to EDGE District in downtown St. Pete

ARK Invest, a leading global investment firm known for its focus on disruptive innovation, will relocate its downtown St. Pete headquarters to the EDGE District.

Tampa-based Ellison Development announced Wednesday that ARK Invest, which is currently headquartered at 200 Central Avenue, will occupy 13,000 square feet on the 11th floor of Halcyon, a new office building expected to break ground later this year at 1301 Central Avenue.

Halcyon represents the first Class A office building constructed in downtown St. Pete since the 1980s.

The 11-story, 130,000-square-foot office building is one of the main components of The Central, a 2.1-acre mixed-use development that will also contain a 168-room Marriott Autograph Collection hotel, 14,000 square feet of retail space, a 42-unit affordable housing community, and a newly opened 540-space parking garage.

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Treasure Island’s iconic Thunderbird Beach Resort could be rebuilt bigger than before

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Treasure Island’s iconic Thunderbird Beach Resort could be rebuilt bigger than before

After suffering major hurricane damage last year, Treasure Island’s iconic Thunderbird Beach Resort will be completely demolished and rebuilt, potentially larger than before, while preserving its nostalgic charm.

The city’s Planning and Zoning Board unanimously approved a site plan last Thursday for a new four-story resort that will replace the 68-year-old property at 10700 Gulf Boulevard.

As first reported by St. Pete Rising, the rebuild calls for one single U-shaped building to house all 106 hotel rooms—the same number as before—on three levels above a 124-space surface parking lot beneath the structure, along with a 1,750-square-foot lobby and office space.

The resort’s appearance is expected to change significantly, but the Thunderbird name and its historic neon sign will remain.

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

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

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).

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Five-story resort with waterpark and rooftop bar rejected by St. Pete Beach officials

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Five-story resort with waterpark and rooftop bar rejected by St. Pete Beach officials

A proposed resort on Gulf Boulevard in St. Pete Beach has encountered another setback after city officials rejected the plan for a second time.

The City Commission unanimously voted last Tuesday to reject a variance, density allocation, and a conditional use permit to construct a 104-unit resort on a vacant 2.76-acre strip of land between the Sand Cove Apartments and Sun Harbor Condos.

The Windward Pass Resort, led by Jack Bodziak of Bodziak/Hayes Architects, would feature a five-story, art deco-inspired building. Amenities include a waterpark with slides and a lazy river, a main pool, a sundeck with a swim-up bar, on-site restaurants, a rooftop bar, a 12-slip boat dock offering paddleboard and kayak rentals, and a 190-space parking garage.

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