Downtown Developments

6th floor pool rendering, Ascent located at 225 1st Ave N.

By Brian Zucker, Owner of St. Pete Rising

It seems like each time we take a stroll through downtown there are new restaurants and galleries opening and more apartment complexes and condo towers being built. We realize it’s difficult to keep track of everything. Luckily, we’ve done the research, so you don’t have to. Each month we will feature a few of the most exciting new downtown developments that are on the horizon for the Sunshine City.

Fortu, an elevated pan-Asian steakhouse, is coming soon to the former Ceviche space on the first floor of the historic Ponce de Leon Hotel at 95 Central Avenue in downtown St. Pete. The menu will feature a variety of steak cuts including a 16 oz. Koji dry-aged A5 Japanese wagyu steak. Additional offerings will include a Korean-style half-fried chicken, lobster “dynamite” twice baked potato, house-made dumplings, and various local seafood dishes. Fortu is expected to open this winter.

Ascent, downtown St. Pete’s newest apartment community, is now preleasing. The 36-story 357-unit apartment tower is located at 225 1st Avenue North across the street from the Jannus Block, St. Pete’s most popular block for nightlife. Ascent will feature community amenities such as an expansive cowork lounge with private meeting space, a 24-hour fitness center, a wellness studio with HIIT-inspired equipment, and pools on the 6th and 37th floor. The apartments at Ascent are expected to begin moving in new residents by January 2023 with final construction completed by May 2023.

A mural painted by houston-based artist, Emily Ding, during last year’s shine mural festival. Mural located at 100 7th St. S

The SHINE Mural Festival is coming soon to the streets of downtown St. Pete! The popular street art festival returns for its eighth year on October 14-23, 2022. The internationally recognized event will bring 17 new murals to the art districts and surrounding neighborhoods of St. Petersburg’s downtown, adding to more than 100 SHINE murals that already exist. The 2022 artist lineup features seven international artists, one national artist, and seven Florida artists.

The Bayfront Health Women’s Pavilion is coming soon to 700 6th Street South in downtown St. Pete. St. Petersburg’s largest and oldest hospital, Bayfront Health St. Petersburg, is expanding with the construction of a three-story, 60,000 square foot technologically advanced facility that will be dedicated to women’s health and wellness. The Women’s Pavilion is expected to break ground by the end of the year and open in early fall 2024.

The City of St. Pete has released a new Request for Proposal for the 86acre Historic Gas Plant District site, currently home to Tropicana Field. The new RFP emphasizes the need for affordable housing, both on and off site, provides clarity by providing a 17.3 acre-portion of overall site for a state-of-the-art baseball stadium, and includes further provisions to honor the history and legacy of the Gas Plant community. Proposals are due by November 18th and Mayor Welch hopes to have selected a developer by the end of the year.

Allelo, a Mediterranean restaurant, is now open at 300 Beach Drive in downtown St. Pete. The eatery, which occupies the space formerly home to Annata and Alto Mare, is being spearheaded by Volet Hospitality, who also manages the nearby 400 Beach Seafood & Tap House. Allelo’s food menu features small, shared plates with a collection of pastas, flatbreads, and a handful of larger main dishes. The restaurant has a heavy emphasis on seafood with a raw bar featuring oysters, little necks, shrimp, and a seafood tower. Lastly, Allelo’s expansive wine offerings are inspired by the regions surrounding the Mediterranean.

St. Pete Rising is an urban development blog covering future retail, restaurants, and real estate in Downtown St. Petersburg, FL. Stay up-todate, visit StPeteRising.com.