Laura Irmis
City Moves
Laid-Back Downtown St. Petersburg Grows Up.
????Nowadays, downtown St. Petersburg is the center of Margaret Guidicessi’s world. It’s where she lives, works and plays—and she likes it that way.
????“I like the urban lifestyle,” Guidicessi says. “I’m a city girl. Some days I don’t even start my truck. I just walk everywhere.”
????On weekdays Guidicessi, owner of Bowl-a-Granola on Fourth Street North, walks the short distance to her shop to bake biscotti and mix up batches of her celebrated granola, which her teenage children deliver to customers on their skateboards.
????On Saturday mornings the family of three heads to their booth at the Saturday Morning Market, a bustling open-air bazaar that opened downtown in 2002. Even in her off hours, Guidicessi is most likely strolling along the waterfront toting her iPod, or sitting outdoors sipping a margarita at a downtown eatery.
????It’s a nice lifestyle, and one that she probably couldn’t have duplicated as recently as 10 years ago. Back then, downtown St. Petersburg could hardly be called vibrant. Indeed, for years the laid-back urban core was known for two things: beaches and retirees.
????That, however, is changing. More than $1 billion is being spent on downtown development, according to city officials. New high-rise residential and/or multi-use towers are rising from the low-slung skyline, while single-family neighborhoods in and around downtown are being revitalized.?
????Progress Energy, for example, is constructing a 200,000-square-foot Class A office tower that will offer retail space on the ground floor and a 500-space parking garage. The project, estimated to cost $100 million, is slated for completion this year.?
????It was only a matter of time, really, before St. Pete came into its own. Clearly, the city has always had valuable assets: a picturesque waterfront, historic buildings and an array of museums and theaters. Now its downtown is being transformed into a pedestrian-friendly urban environment, with a comfortable mix of residential and commercial.
????The trick for any city, of course, is to provide housing in a variety of styles and price ranges in locations where residents can walk (or take public transportation) to parks, restaurants and entertainment venues.?
????So far, St. Pete seems to be succeeding, says artist Rebecca Skelton. Skelton, who has a studio on Central Avenue, also may benefit if new-home buyers shop locally for art to grace the walls of their million-dollar downtown condos.?
????“Either way,” Skelton says, “it’s going to be a great downtown if it just keeps going the way it’s going.”
????A catalyst for St. Pete’s recent regeneration was BayWalk, a $40-million shopping/entertainment complex that opened in 2000. Visitors and residents quickly fell in love with the Mediterranean Revival-style, open-air plaza, with its stylish shops, eateries and live entertainment.
????Another need was filled four years later when the 60,000-square-foot University Village opened in the central business district. A Publix supermarket anchors the complex, which also encompasses a dry cleaner, a drugstore, a hair and nail salon and a Chinese take-out restaurant.??
????Meanwhile, downtown has become a lively gathering spot on Saturday mornings with the opening of the Saturday Morning Market, where Guidicessi first began selling her granola.?
????Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., a portion of Central Avenue is blocked from traffic. Colorful flags and balloons, along with live music, create a festival atmosphere where more than 200 vendors sell everything from organic produce to smoked turkey legs.?
????Many budding entrepreneurs are building a customer base that will support them later when they expand their businesses into permanent storefronts, like Guidicessi did.
????“The focus from the beginning has been on community building and connecting people,” says David Cellon, market manager. “We were about selling things, but the market’s main mission was building a community—and spreading peace, love and joy in downtown St. Pete.”
????A hokey sentiment, maybe, but it is working. Some 3,500 people show up on any given Saturday. “The city has been very supportive of us and very helpful in allowing us to do what we do,” Cellon adds. Eventually, he notes, the market may move to a larger downtown location to accommodate the increasing number of vendors and customers.
????Developers, meanwhile, continue to lure potential homebuyers to the city center.?
????Since 2000, more than 950 residential units have been constructed downtown, with two major luxury Beach Drive condominium projects, The Florencia and The Cloisters, leading the way.
Also credited with the recent resurgence was the $65-million dollar expansion of the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, with its Vinoy Place condominiums.??
????Buyers seeking such sophisticated digs will be pleased to know that numerous other residential high-rise projects are under way or in the planning stages. Many will offer such upscale amenities as pools, 24-hour concierge service and well-equipped fitness centers.?
????Ovation, for example, is a new 26-story condominium on Beach Drive. The contemporary tower, expected to be ready for occupancy in 2008, will boast 40 estate-sized residences, including four penthouses, with prices starting at $1.6 million.
????A more moderately priced option is The Sage, a condominium project under construction at the intersection of Fourth Avenue South and Fourth Street South that includes 115 units in a 12-story tower and two courtyard buildings. Expect prices between $300,000 and $600,000.??
????Many of downtown’s new condominiums will be conveniently located near major employers such as the University of South Florida, Bayfront Medical Center and All Children’s Hospital.
Homebuyers, however, aren’t limited to modern high-rise towers. Established single-family neighborhoods such as the Old Northeast, Kenwood and Greater Woodlawn are a short walk or drive from the downtown district and offer a variety of traditional architectural styles.?
????In recent years, property values in these neighborhoods and others nearby have soared, thanks in part to remodeling projects undertaken by homeowners and investors.
Housing prices near downtown St. Pete are nearly as diverse as the architectural styles, although bargains aren’t as easy to come by as they were even three years ago.?
????One recent listing, a four-bedroom estate home on ritzy Snell Isle with just over 4,900 square feet of living space, was priced at $4.3 million.?
????But also on the market was a 1,900-square-foot ranch-style home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms in Greater Woodlawn. The list price: a relatively modest $330,000.???
????One of the selling points for neighborhoods near downtown is the strong community spirit among residents, who frequently gather for porch parties and other get-togethers.?
????“The city is very livable,” Cellon says. “It hasn’t lost its small-town charm.”
A spruced-up downtown isn’t going to take away from the atmosphere, he says, but rather give the residents a more welcoming place to connect.
????Adds Cellon: “Our most valuable asset is our people.”
????“I like the urban lifestyle,” Guidicessi says. “I’m a city girl. Some days I don’t even start my truck. I just walk everywhere.”
????On weekdays Guidicessi, owner of Bowl-a-Granola on Fourth Street North, walks the short distance to her shop to bake biscotti and mix up batches of her celebrated granola, which her teenage children deliver to customers on their skateboards.
????On Saturday mornings the family of three heads to their booth at the Saturday Morning Market, a bustling open-air bazaar that opened downtown in 2002. Even in her off hours, Guidicessi is most likely strolling along the waterfront toting her iPod, or sitting outdoors sipping a margarita at a downtown eatery.
????It’s a nice lifestyle, and one that she probably couldn’t have duplicated as recently as 10 years ago. Back then, downtown St. Petersburg could hardly be called vibrant. Indeed, for years the laid-back urban core was known for two things: beaches and retirees.
????That, however, is changing. More than $1 billion is being spent on downtown development, according to city officials. New high-rise residential and/or multi-use towers are rising from the low-slung skyline, while single-family neighborhoods in and around downtown are being revitalized.?
????Progress Energy, for example, is constructing a 200,000-square-foot Class A office tower that will offer retail space on the ground floor and a 500-space parking garage. The project, estimated to cost $100 million, is slated for completion this year.?
????It was only a matter of time, really, before St. Pete came into its own. Clearly, the city has always had valuable assets: a picturesque waterfront, historic buildings and an array of museums and theaters. Now its downtown is being transformed into a pedestrian-friendly urban environment, with a comfortable mix of residential and commercial.
????The trick for any city, of course, is to provide housing in a variety of styles and price ranges in locations where residents can walk (or take public transportation) to parks, restaurants and entertainment venues.?
????So far, St. Pete seems to be succeeding, says artist Rebecca Skelton. Skelton, who has a studio on Central Avenue, also may benefit if new-home buyers shop locally for art to grace the walls of their million-dollar downtown condos.?
????“Either way,” Skelton says, “it’s going to be a great downtown if it just keeps going the way it’s going.”
????A catalyst for St. Pete’s recent regeneration was BayWalk, a $40-million shopping/entertainment complex that opened in 2000. Visitors and residents quickly fell in love with the Mediterranean Revival-style, open-air plaza, with its stylish shops, eateries and live entertainment.
????Another need was filled four years later when the 60,000-square-foot University Village opened in the central business district. A Publix supermarket anchors the complex, which also encompasses a dry cleaner, a drugstore, a hair and nail salon and a Chinese take-out restaurant.??
????Meanwhile, downtown has become a lively gathering spot on Saturday mornings with the opening of the Saturday Morning Market, where Guidicessi first began selling her granola.?
????Between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m., a portion of Central Avenue is blocked from traffic. Colorful flags and balloons, along with live music, create a festival atmosphere where more than 200 vendors sell everything from organic produce to smoked turkey legs.?
????Many budding entrepreneurs are building a customer base that will support them later when they expand their businesses into permanent storefronts, like Guidicessi did.
????“The focus from the beginning has been on community building and connecting people,” says David Cellon, market manager. “We were about selling things, but the market’s main mission was building a community—and spreading peace, love and joy in downtown St. Pete.”
????A hokey sentiment, maybe, but it is working. Some 3,500 people show up on any given Saturday. “The city has been very supportive of us and very helpful in allowing us to do what we do,” Cellon adds. Eventually, he notes, the market may move to a larger downtown location to accommodate the increasing number of vendors and customers.
????Developers, meanwhile, continue to lure potential homebuyers to the city center.?
????Since 2000, more than 950 residential units have been constructed downtown, with two major luxury Beach Drive condominium projects, The Florencia and The Cloisters, leading the way.
Also credited with the recent resurgence was the $65-million dollar expansion of the Renaissance Vinoy Resort, with its Vinoy Place condominiums.??
????Buyers seeking such sophisticated digs will be pleased to know that numerous other residential high-rise projects are under way or in the planning stages. Many will offer such upscale amenities as pools, 24-hour concierge service and well-equipped fitness centers.?
????Ovation, for example, is a new 26-story condominium on Beach Drive. The contemporary tower, expected to be ready for occupancy in 2008, will boast 40 estate-sized residences, including four penthouses, with prices starting at $1.6 million.
????A more moderately priced option is The Sage, a condominium project under construction at the intersection of Fourth Avenue South and Fourth Street South that includes 115 units in a 12-story tower and two courtyard buildings. Expect prices between $300,000 and $600,000.??
????Many of downtown’s new condominiums will be conveniently located near major employers such as the University of South Florida, Bayfront Medical Center and All Children’s Hospital.
Homebuyers, however, aren’t limited to modern high-rise towers. Established single-family neighborhoods such as the Old Northeast, Kenwood and Greater Woodlawn are a short walk or drive from the downtown district and offer a variety of traditional architectural styles.?
????In recent years, property values in these neighborhoods and others nearby have soared, thanks in part to remodeling projects undertaken by homeowners and investors.
Housing prices near downtown St. Pete are nearly as diverse as the architectural styles, although bargains aren’t as easy to come by as they were even three years ago.?
????One recent listing, a four-bedroom estate home on ritzy Snell Isle with just over 4,900 square feet of living space, was priced at $4.3 million.?
????But also on the market was a 1,900-square-foot ranch-style home with three bedrooms and two bathrooms in Greater Woodlawn. The list price: a relatively modest $330,000.???
????One of the selling points for neighborhoods near downtown is the strong community spirit among residents, who frequently gather for porch parties and other get-togethers.?
????“The city is very livable,” Cellon says. “It hasn’t lost its small-town charm.”
A spruced-up downtown isn’t going to take away from the atmosphere, he says, but rather give the residents a more welcoming place to connect.
????Adds Cellon: “Our most valuable asset is our people.”