By Brian Hartz
St. Petersburg’s downtown skyline has changed dramatically over the past decade with the opening of several major condo towers, including ONE St. Petersburg and Saltaire St. Petersburg. The 4th Street North corridor, already a busy commercial district, has also been abuzz with development activity. But how will these two key parts of the city’s core look in 2024?
400 Central We’d be remiss not to mention this massive, 46-story mixed-use project under construction in the heart of downtown St. Pete, where – for those of you who remember – the old “cheese grater” buildings used to stand. While it won’t officially open until 2025, 400 Central is already changing the look and feel of an entire city block. With 40,000 square feet of Class A office space and 25,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, 400 Central will be a destination even for people who don’t live in one of the building’s 301 residences.
The Nolen This 23-story condo tower will be located at 126 4th Ave. NE, offering residents an easy stroll to the St. Pete Pier and views of Straub Park and the North Yacht Basin. Slated to open in 2024, The Nolen will soar to 388 feet but offer only 31 residences. Its ground floor will have 1,260 square feet of retail space.
Reflection Less than a year from now, downtown St. Pete’s Mirror Lake neighborhood will have a much different vibe thanks to the opening of Reflection, an 18-story condo building that will tower above the surrounding area. Reflection, located at 777 Third Ave. N., will boast 88 residential units along with 2,800 square feet of ground-floor retail and a rooftop “oasis” that boast a resort-style pool, spa, and sauna. Some of the residences will be as large as 2,285 square feet.
Cordova Inn This quaint historic hotel, which has just 32 rooms and a cozy café and bar, is getting a total makeover a century after it was first built. Located at 253 2nd Ave. N. in downtown St. Pete, the Cordova Inn is undergoing an ambitious expansion that will nearly triple its size. The owners, New Hotel Collection and TDZ Capital Partners, acquired and razed adjacent properties and are building a five-story addition that will add 65 rooms to the hotel, as well as a first-floor restaurant and rooftop bar.
GolfSuites City Club The long-dormant Hofbrauhaus property at 123 4th St. S will finally get a new tenant in summer 2024 when GolfSuites City Club opens in downtown St. Pete. The 17,000-square-foot space will house eight golf simulators that allow you to hit the links almost any time of day or year – no cart needed, and the technology even tees up the ball for you. The partly membership-based business will also feature a high-end restaurant that can seat up to 300 guests.
Whole Foods After years of “will they or won’t they?” speculation, Whole Foods is coming to St. Pete’s 4th Street North corridor. The specialty grocer is setting up shop at 201 38th Ave. N., the site of a shopping plaza that housed Suncoast Fitness, Dollar General, Sun Country Cleaners, and a drive-through Kahwa Coffee café. The intersection of 4th Street North and 38th Avenue North is already home to two Publix supermarkets, so Whole Foods will face stiff competition from the get-go.
275 5th St. S. Focus, a Chicago-based developer, has received approval for a 24-story, yet-to-be-named, mixed-use project at 275 5th St. S, just two blocks south of Central Avenue, in downtown St. Petersburg. The building will include 367 luxury apartments, 6,000 feet of commercial space, and a 369-space parking garage. Focus, in a news release, says construction will commence in the first quarter of 2024, with a goal of opening the building to residential and commercial tenants in early 2026.
