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.

The Oasis at Bayside apartment complex in Largo will undergo an extensive renovation to convert the units to affordable housing and update the aging amenities.

Washington, DC-based multifamily investor Gravel Road Partners and Bridge Investment Group, an investment company headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, purchased the 304-unit property at 305 Glades Circle on March 12th for $42.25 million.

Berkadia Senior Managing Director Jason Stanton represented the seller, Latitude Management Real Estate Investors of Beverly Hills, California, in the transaction.

The new owners are partnering with Pinellas County to renovate the 1974-built property and dedicate 258 units for tenants earning 50% to 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI). Currently the property has no affordability requirements.