Downtown St. Pete is chock full of great food. Whether you're looking to grab a slice of pizza or indulge in fine dining, the options are plentiful. Yet, there are (surprisingly!) very few places to get food that is both quick and healthy. This fall, a brand new salad concept will be joining the downtown dining scene from local restauranteurs Erica and David Benstock, along with Brooke and Peter Boyd, owners of Hype Group and Boyd Construction, respectively. Greenstock will be located at 449 Central Avenue in a space formerly occupied by Kalamazoo Olive Company and a few steps away from IL Ritorno, a modern Italian eatery the Benstock's opened back in 2013. 

In the midst of a surge of new multifamily development in Downtown St. Pete, a new apartment building on 4th Avenue North could soon be added to the mix. According to a site plan application filed with the City, the owners of the land at the southeast corner of 4th Avenue North and 8th Street have submitted plans for the development of a new seven-story apartment building. Tentatively named "770 Apartments," the proposed development will be 81 feet in height with 126-units in a U-shaped building, which will surround a third floor interior courtyard with a private pool and resident terrace. Narrated by Carly Zucker

Three weeks ago, an updated rendering and new details were revealed for one of most highly anticipated projects in Downtown St. Pete—400 Central Avenue. In a press release, Red Apple Group, the developer behind the project, announced that the tower would be 45-stories and feature over 300 residential units ranging from one- to four-bedroom units. The development is planned for a full city block that has sat vacant in the heart of Downtown St. Pete since the previous building was demolished back in 2016. The proposed condominium tower will be complemented by a 225-key Marriott-branded hotel on the west side of the block, which will include over 15,000 square feet of banquet and meeting space. The hotel tower is expected to be between 16 and 20 stories and will feature a rooftop lounge and pool area. It has not yet been determined whether space will be accessible to the general public or to hotel guests exclusively. It was also revealed that the project would contain 20,000 square feet of Class A office space, fulfilling a key request by the City, and 25,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. On August 29th, Red Apple Group filed a Site Plan Application with the city, which has revealed new details about the project. Narrated by Brian Zucker

Thousands of people walk down the 200 block of Central Avenue every day. Passing by Caddy's and Mandarin Hide, then by The Oyster Bar and Central Cigars. Yet I'm willing to bet that most of you have never ventured down the dimly lit corridor and up a set of stairs nestled between Five Bucks Drinkery and Del Mar Gastro Lounge. Maybe you've walked by it hundreds of times without even noticing it was there. Currently the narrow passage leads to the St. Pete Tattoo Company and a recently shuttered wine bar. However, in a few months, you'll have a reason to never pass that little alley ever again. Chris Ciarcia, the former manager of Annata on Beach Drive, will debut Sauvignon: Wine Locker and American Trattoria, an all-new concept he has developed just for Downtown St. Pete, in a spot previously occupied by A Taste For Wine at 241 Central Avenue. Narrated by Carly Zucker

The First Block of Downtown St. Pete has always been a center for nightlife in the downtown core. It's the epicenter of downtown's wildly popular monthly First Friday event, providing a little something for everyone at bars such as Mandarin Hide, Five Bucks Drinkery, and Pelican Pub. But many people who visit the First Block often gaze across Central Avenue and see unactivated space. On the south side of the First Block lies 200 Central, a 26-story, 295,000 square foot Class A office tower that is home to companies like iQor, Merrill Lynch, and Trenam Law, among others. The building is also the tallest office tower in St. Pete and Pinellas County. While the ground floor was originally envisioned as retail or restaurant space, it has been used as office space for decades. Until recently, the majority of the office tower's Central Avenue frontage was home to a Raymond James & Associates office. However this will soon change with the introduction of a high-end Italian restaurant being developed by Nocturnal Hospitality Group and a celebrity chef from Bravo's "Top Chef" TV show. Narrated by Brian Zucker

In covering urban development across St. Pete, we receive a lot of questions and comments regarding the future of our city. Sometimes we hear feedback about a new restaurant or get asked when a previously proposed development will break ground. But one topic seems to come up over and over again — the lack of affordable housing and rising housing costs in St Petersburg. These questions are tough because the answers are bigger than any one project or solution.  Over the past 18 months the City of St. Pete's Planning and Development Services department has been working on a series of three change packages that will update the City's Land Development Regulations (LDRs) and Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan). These charges are part of the City's response to increased concerns over housing affordability.  Individually, the proposed changes in these packages are relatively minor, but together they'll add more flexibility to how housing can be built in St. Pete. The hope is that this will translate to more housing units being built at lower price points.

With everything going on in Downtown St. Pete last month, this column could've easily been twice as long. As always, we're here to bring you the CliffsNotes, by sharing what we feel are the most significant stories from the past month. Along with the updates below, a handful of new businesses opened including a sauna studio, an art gallery, a boba tea cafe, a waterfront restaurant, and a restaurant and bar serving global tapas. Additionally, an apartment development wrapped up construction and began move-ins, a proposed condo tower gained Council's approval, and an older apartment community announced major renovations. Lastly, we learned about the future expansion of a local men's barbershop. Narrated by Carly Zucker

Back in 2013, Jenny Miller and Katelyn Grady founded The Body Electric Yoga Company with a mission to improve the health and happiness of St Pete residents by offering accessible, high-quality yoga instruction in a supportive and beautiful environment. Now the time has come for The Body Electric to embark on the next chapter in their journey, an all-new facility dubbed The Body Electric Athletic Company. Set in the Warehouse Arts District, the 15,600 square foot building is located at 655 31st Street South and was purchased in July of this year for $840,000. Narrated by Carly Zucker

A 22-unit affordable housing complex on 5th Avenue North will soon be rebuilt from the ground up according to plans which were recently approved by St. Pete's Development Review Commission (DRC). Last Wednesday, Boley Centers, a provider of community-based services and affordable housing in Pinellas, Manatee, Pasco and Sarasota counties, received approval for the redevelopment of an existing affordable housing project at on the northwest corner of 5th Avenue North and Grove Street in Historic Uptown. Narrated by Carly Zucker