ST. PETERSBURG SHINES
NEWSLETTER
August 25, 2016
Vision for re-imagined Tropicana Field site taking shape  hks

At the community meeting on August 22nd, HKS Architects unveiled early concepts for a re-imagined Tropicana Field site. Key features include integrating a variety of transportation modes, strengthening connections with the surrounding neighborhoods, and incorporating shared parking for a variety of uses to be located on the site.

HKS will continue to refine their concepts through mid-September. The team will then begin developing a final conceptual master plan and will return to St. Petersburg to present their ideas to the community in late October.

Throughout this process, the community is encouraged to submit their feedback and ideas to tropicanafield@garthsolutions.com or call 800-317-8449. Further information on the project will be posted in the weeks ahead to the city's Tropicana Field Conceptual Master Plan webpage.
St. Pete leads the nation for new walkable construction walk


Redfin ranked St. Petersburg 4th on their list of "Top 10 Cities Leading the Way in Walkable New Construction." The list ranks cities by the percentage of new homes with a "walk score" higher than the average citywide score.

St. Petersburg's walk score for new construction is 88%, compared to the city average of 42%. This higher walk score can be attributed to the hundreds of new multifamily units under construction downtown that are within walking distance of many employment opportunities, shops, restaurants, entertainment, and other amenities.

Other cities on the top 10 list include Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; Cleveland, OH; Boston, MA; Seattle, WA; Washington, DC; Denver, CO; San Francisco, CA; and Dallas, TX.
Del Mar City Homes Grand Opening delmar


On August 18th, Mayor Kriseman
celebrated the grand opening of Del Mar City Homes, a project which brings five new 4-story townhomes to downtown St. Petersburg. Located at 433 3rd Street S, the new residences provide a luxury lifestyle with private roof-top terraces, two-car garages, and nearly 3,000 SF of living space.

The project's developer, Tampa Bay City Living, specializes in urban infill development around the Tampa Bay area. Their other St. Pete projects include St. Pete Townhomes at 640 1st Avenue S and Crescent Lake Townhomes at 1901 5th Street N.
City Council approves $468,000 in TIF grant funds for South St. Petersburg cra


On August 11th, City Council approved more than $468,000 in 2016 Tax Increment Financing, or TIF Grant funds, from the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA). To celebrate the grants, Mayor Kriseman and staff visited six of the grant recipients:
  1. Delores M. Smith Academy, 1766 49th Street S (pictured above)
  2. Imagination Station, 3242 22nd Avenue S
  3. FL Brake and Tire, 1254 34th Street S
  4. Power Sports, 1234 34th Street S
  5. Advantage Solutions, 833 22nd Street S
  6. Chief's Creole Cafe, 901 22nd Street S
This is the first year for the South St. Petersburg CRA competitive grant program, designed to help boost private investment by property owners and businesses in South St. Petersburg.  The Mayor expressed his appreciation, "This is a momentous occasion and another illustration of our belief that the smartest investment a city can make is in its residents and business owners. I want to extend my gratitude to the members of the St. Petersburg City Council and Citizens Advisory Committee for their support."

The second round of TIF grant funding for south St. Petersburg will begin in the first quarter of 2017. An estimated $1.2 million will be available.  For more information, visit www.stpete.org/southstpeteCRA .
LocalShops1 celebrates local business success local1

St. Petersburg's Future Billionaire, Milind Bharvirkar, President of Priatek

On August 14th, LocalShops1 held their annual Community Awards attended by
150 local businesses and community leaders, and featuring Mayor Kriseman as the keynote speaker. The awards ceremony celebrated the Best in Biz winners across 16 categories, as well as four Community Awards recipients. Additionally, Robin King, co-founder of Three Birds Tavern on 4th Street N, was named the LocalShops1 Member of the Year. St. Petersburg businesses received many of the awards:

Community Awards
  • Local Business Success Story: Sarah and Raphael Perrier, Kahwa Coffee
  • Business Incubator: Gail Eggeman and Mark Johnson, Saturday Morning Market
  • Boosting the Arts: John Collins, St. Pete Arts Alliance
  • Watchdog Award: Features Staff, Tampa Bay Times

Best in Biz Awards

  • Staying Power (10+ years): Mazzaro's Italian Market
  • Best Hospitality Staff Member: Justin Cabarga, Three Birds Tavern
  • Favorite Newcomer: Magnolia Lane Boutique
  • Area's Biggest Cheerleader: Raymond, Tampa Bay Rays
  • Most Iconic Style: Carla Bristol, Gallerie 909
  • Best 501c3 Non-Profit: CASA
  • Future Billionaire: Milind Bharvirkar, Priatek
  • Write-in Candidate for President: Rita Lowman, C1 Bank
  • Favorite Mural: Alice in Wonderland, Sarah Sheppard

Congratulations to all of the winners and local businesses making St. Petersburg a fun and unique place to work and play!

EDGE District honored with three Secretary of State Awards at Annual Main Street Conference main

2016 Honor Award for Outstanding Main Street Business Program: EDGE Business Mentoring Tours
Exec. Director Barbara Voglewede with Dr. Tim Parsons, Director, FL Division of Historic Resources
(photo by Susie Macon)

For the second year in a row, the EDGE District was recognized for outstanding achievements by the Florida Secretary of State at the Florida Main Street Annual ConferenceThis year's awards ceremony was held in DeLand, FL on August 9th. 

The Honor Award is given in each category for top recognition, and the Merit Award is given for runner-up. Overall, the EDGE District received three awards:
  • 2016 Honor Award for Outstanding Economic Restructuring Program of the Year - EDGE Business Mentoring Program
  • 2016 Merit Award for Outstanding Main Street Business of the Year - Creative Clay Cultural Arts Center
  • 2016 Merit Award for Outstanding Local Main Street Program Supporter - Roger Curlin
Congratulations to the EDGE District Main Street Program, businesses, and volunteers working to make the EDGE the thriving and unique area that it is today!
Nine St. Petersburg companies rank among fastest growing in America inc


Inc. Magazine published their 2016 Inc. 5000 List, which ranks America's fastest growing companies. Congratulations to all of the St. Petersburg-based companies that made the list!

Rank Company
3-Year Growth
Description
32 The Penny Hoarder 6,934% Financial advice website
281 Private Label Skin 1,397% Skin care manufacturer
1281 Focus School Software 301% Student information software
2120 Rapid Web Services 175% Computer hardware & storage
2174 Tower Cloud 169% Broadband transport services
2262 Kobie Marketing 161% Customer loyalty marketing
2994 Eagle Datagistics 114% IT services
3559 Power Design 89% Electrical contracting
3821 Squaremouth 79%
Travel insurance
Open Streets St. Pete is October 9th open

Let's Play in the Streets!  Open Streets St. Pete , a pedestrian-friendly celebration that closes the streets of St. Pete to vehicular traffic, is scheduled for Sunday, October 9th from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. The event route is from Mirror Lake Drive to Williams Park.

It's not every day that citizens can experience and explore the streets of St. Petersburg without cars. The event is a celebration of cyclists, pedestrians, runners, skaters, and all forms of people-powered movement. Family-friendly activities will be programmed throughout the day, including fitness classes, bike safety obstacles, music, food, games, and giveaways.
 
Open Streets St. Pete celebrates Cyclovia (also known as ciclovĂ­a or "open streets"), a popular tradition that began in Bogota, Colombia, where major city streets are temporarily closed and re-purposed into safe and open, car-free environments every Sunday.  Connect with Open Streets St. Pete on Facebook and Twitter .
Upcoming Events & Opportunitiesevents
 
August 26, 6:00-10:00 pm
Port St. Pete, 250 8th Ave SE

August 26, 7:00 pm
St. Petersburg City Theatre, 4025 31st Street S

September - all month long!
Throughout St. Petersburg

September 1-10
Throughout St. Petersburg

September 24
Various locations along Central Ave

October 9, 1:00-5:00 pm
Streets around Mirror Lake Park & Williams Park

Homecoming Celebration of the Chihuly Collection to Central Ave
October 14-15
Morean Arts Center, 720 Central Ave

October 21-22
USF St. Petersburg campus

November 2-6
North Straub Park, 350 Bay Shore Drive NE

November 10-13
Various locations throughout St. Petersburg

Special note: 
The Greenhouse hosts  1 Million Cups every  Wednesday, 9:00 am to 10:00 am. If you miss any presentations, check them out online by visiting the  1 Million Cups St. Petersburg YouTube channel.
Have a development update, project announcement, or success
story to share? 

Contact Briana Ozor, 727.893.7784.

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City of St. Petersburg
Economic Development Division
P.O. Box 2842
St. Petersburg, FL 33731

800.874.9026 (toll free)
727.893.7100 (phone)
727.892.5465 (fax)