April 16, 2025

City relaunches RFP process for new affordable housing development in west St. Pete

April 16, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

The City of St. Petersburg is once again seeking a development partner to transform a west St. Pete site into an affordable, for-sale townhome community.

Earlier this month, the city issued a Request for Proposals (RFP), inviting developers to submit plans for the redevelopment of a 5.24-acre property located at 7045 Burlington Avenue North.

The site was purchased by the city from St. Petersburg College in 2024 for $4.2 million, with the intent to construct 105 affordable housing units. As part of the purchase contract for the property, the City of St. Pete agreed to offer SPC students and faculty first right of refusal to purchase 30% of the new residential units.

The property currently features a two-story building on its southern end—formerly the Gibbs Wellness Center of St. Petersburg College—while the northern portion of the site remains vacant.

February 26, 2025

Neighborhood Wine Shop to bring artisanal, small-batch wine to the Grand Central District

February 26, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

A new wine shop coming soon to St. Pete’s Grand Central District will offer a curated selection of unique, small-batch artisanal wines not available in big-box stores.

Simply named Neighborhood Wine Shop, the storefront is set to open this April in a 500-square-foot space at 2875 Central Avenue on the ground floor of the Driftwood on Central townhome community.

“St. Pete has plenty of bars but very few retail options for wine. We want to be the go-to shop for residents—whether they’re stopping by on their way home from work or picking up a bottle for a special occasion,” said owner Bryce Kennedy in a conversation with St. Pete Rising. “We’re bringing that hospitality-style service to retail to create a wonderful experience.”

February 11, 2025

Construction begins on 39-acre Waterways Apartments and Marina off Gandy Boulevard

February 11, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Shovels will soon hit the ground to start vertical construction on a new 470-unit multi-family development encompassing 39 acres of waterfront property overlooking Tampa Bay.

This spring, Miami-based Key International will break ground on the Waterways Apartments and Marina project at 12000 Gandy Boulevard North, located near the intersection with Snug Harbor Road. The development was approved in 2022.

Waterways Apartments and Marina, a project formerly referred to as Snug Harbor, will boast over 3,000 linear feet of prime water frontage and will feature 324 bayfront apartments and 52 rental townhomes facing a large retention pond.

Additionally, an 8,000-square-foot yet-to-be-revealed waterfront restaurant will sit adjacent to a marina with 130 wet slips and 20 dry stack slips. The marina will be primarily used by residents and feature a small bait shop.

January 14, 2025

Mixed-use townhome community Strum Place nearing completion in west St. Pete

January 14, 2025/ Veronica Brezina

Strum Place, an upcoming townhome community being built alongside a reimagined historic office space, is nearing completion on Central Avenue in west St. Pete.

St. Pete-based J Square Developers and Backstreets Capital are spearheading the nine-unit luxury townhome project at 6366 Central Avenue, located along the SunRunner bus rapid transit (BRT) route.

The project is named after The Strum family, one of the pioneering families of west St. Petersburg that resided in the two-story house after its completion in 1925. Alban D. “Al” Strum was a champion speedboat racer and the former Commodore of the St. Petersburg Yacht Club, and his wife Shirley was a founder of St. Petersburg’s Junior League.

The Strums lived at the home for over 30 years until it was converted into a funeral home in 1958.

September 12, 2024

Local developer wins approval to convert historic Westminster Presbyterian Church property into residences

September 12, 2024/ Veronica Brezina

A local developer will restore and bring a new use to the deteriorating 98-year-old Westminster Presbyterian Church in St. Pete's Old Northeast neighborhood that has sat vacant for over a decade.

Pinellas Park-based Belleair Development Group, which has delivered multiple commercial and residential projects throughout St. Petersburg, plans to convert the former church and school at 126 11th Avenue Northeast into one single-family home and two townhomes.

The Westminster Presbyterian Church, designed in 1926 by well-known architect Archie Parrish, has been altered with expansions and different building elements over the years and is listed as a local historic landmark in the St. Petersburg Register of Historic Places.