A report on historic preservation and rightsizing cities, the result of three years of research and discussions, concluded: "Protecting historic buildings, repurposing land, preserving neighborhoods, redeveloping downtowns, and connecting historic resources to regional plans through cooperative efforts will enable cities to transition to healthy communities that attract new residents and new businesses to meet the needs of the 21st century.
Historic assets that are preserved and reused are the foundation for the future."
Click here to see the report,
Managing Change: Preservation and Rightsizing in America.
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Join in on Tues., August 4th from 5:30-7:30 pm in
Green Bench Brewing's courtyard (1133 Baum Avenue), for the 1st annual Central Ave. Solstice Celebration kick-off. The Celebration's important details - the WHERE, WHO, WHAT, WHEN & HOW - will be revealed!
Besides the fun, the Kickoff Party will feature a meet and greet with representatives from the participating Central Avenue districts and info about volunteer, partnership, sponsorship opportunities, & more!
Want some great food to go with the delicious Green Bench brews? Grab a bite at any of the nearby EDGE eateries -- including Ricky P's, Bodega, Chiang Mai, or Red Mesa Mercado!
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Vote Now for
SPP as a "Good 'Burger"
SPP is pleased to have been nominated for a St. Petersburg Chamber of Commerce "Good Burger" award in the "community conscious" category. A "Good Burger" is a St Pete business or organization making a positive community impact. Winners, chosen by public vote, will be announced Sept. 3rd.
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T-shirts for Sale!!
Get your Preserve the 'Burg or Movies in the Park tee-shirt now so you too can dress like a hipster from the 'Burg! Wearing a shirt for the Aug. 13 Keep St. Pete Special Celebration or to the August 20 city council hearing will show all where your heart is! You can use the convenient link below to make you purchase at St. Pete Threads - we keep them stocked with all sizes for women or men! And an SPP shirt makes a great gift!
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Next Walking Tour
Don't forget, SPP's next Summer Stroll walking tour, "Downtown Tour With a Literary Twist" is Wed., August 19 at 7 pm, starting at the Snell Arcade, 405 Central Ave. For more info or to make reservations,
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Preservation Works!
Why Preservation is Embraced
by Successful Communities
SPP, along with the St. Petersburg Museum of History, is excited to present Donovan Rypkema at a special FREE program on Monday, August 17. Rypkema, a nationally known speaker and writer, is the country's leading expert on the economic benefits of historic preservation. He can be counted on to be entertaining, provocative, and convincing as he describes and demonstrates how preservation helps communities create jobs, revive downtowns, build tourism, attract new businesses and more! Rypkema is the principal of Washington D.C. based PlaceEconomics, a firm that for over twenty-five years has been retained by public, private and non-profit clients to address issues of downtown and neighborhood revitalization and the reuse of historic buildings. With demand for his expertise greater than the time he has available, SPP is lucky to be able to host Rypkema and you won't want to miss hearing him!
Date/Time:
Monday, August 17 at 7:00 pm
Where: St. Petersburg Museum of History, 335 2nd Ave. NE
Cost: Free (come early, cash bar available)
Special Reception:
 Preceding the program, SPP president Emily Elwyn will host Donovan Rypkema at a special reception in her recently restored 1923 historic home. The home was built by James Blair, an early aviation champion, who also built the Sun Movie Studio on Weedon Island.
The reception, with food & drink refreshments, will offer an opportunity to meet Mr. Rypkema and to enjoy Emily's home - itself a preservation success story. The reception is a "ticketed" event, space is limited and proceeds will help SPP offset the costs of presenting Mr. Rypkema.
Date/Time:
Monday, August 17 at 5:30 - 6:30 pm
Where: Home of Emily & Tash Elwyn - 836 16th Ave. NE
Cost: SPP members $20; non-members $30
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Keep St. Pete Special!!
A Celebration - August 13th
Don't forget the
Keep St. Pete Special Celebration is coming up soon on August 13 (it will happen rain or shine)! It promises to be a fun evening - a cool location at the Crislip Arcade in downtown's 600 Block; local food (think
Banyan Cafe) & drink (think our great breweries); music; and a few words from some of the people that make St. Pete special including
Peter Kageyama, author of
For the
Love of Cities and gallery owner and former council member Leslie Curran who vividly recalls how the demo ball almost brought down the 600 Block. And its FREE!! Come out and show your support for keeping St Pete special!
Date/Time: Thursday, August 13, 2015, 6:00 - 9:00 PM
Where: Crislip Arcade - 645 Central Ave.
Cost: FREE
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St. Petersburg Preservation Needs
Your Help & Voice Now!!
(Yes, This is a lot to Read,
but it's IMPORTANT. Really.)
The final vote on amending the 'Burg's preservation ordinance is upon us. On August 20 city council will hold an evening public hearing and decide whether St. Pete will be preservation friendly! It should be simple because preservation works! Unfortunately, some have pushed a misinformation campaign in an effort to have council reject changing the ordinance.
The present historic district application process is broken, discouraging neighborhoods from seeking to become one - it's a process requiring two-thirds of all owners to return a favorable ballot before an application may be submitted (owners don't vote on actual designation). This means owners failing to return their ballot are counted as no votes.
Most other cities in Florida don't require any owner vote!
Historic district designation is good for neighborhoods and good for the city. Most studies conclude that designation protects and improves property values. District designation also provides a degree of certainty the neighborhood will retain what makes it special, resulting in increased neighborhood investment.
 The change supported by SPP and recommended by the city's preservation commission ("CPPC") and Mayor Kriseman is to do away with counting non-responding owners as no votes and, instead, only count the votes of those who respond (like in any other election!). In discussing this change, some council members support the requirement of a simple majority vote and others a super majority vote.
Many of you sent in messages of support to the CPPC when they were considering the recommended ordinance changes and your input made a huge difference! It is time to comment again, this time to city council - all of you - those who have responded previously and those who haven't need to make your voice heard NOW!
Want more details or info there is plenty to choose from! You can read SPP's summary of the reasons to support the changes to the district application voting requirements here. You can read SPP's support packet sent to city council here , or read SPP's updated report on district application procedures used by other cities here. Or you can read the city's report with Q & A's here.
What you can do!
Send a message to City Council using the easy form found on our website,
here
.
You can use a pre-written message, or create your own. Either way, make your voice heard. And please attend the August 20th public hearing at 6 pm at City Hall if you can.
Let City Council know that you support the changes that St. Petersburg Preservation recommends.
Thank you for your efforts to
Preserve the Burg!
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