St. Pete Central Avenue could become more walkable

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A busy block in downtown St. Pete could become more walkable.

The parking on Central Avenue between 2nd and 3rd Streets would be removed for a wider sidewalk.

Pete Boland is the co-owner of Mary Margaret’s Olde Irish Tavern in downtown St. Pete. He said the bar has drawn large crowds lately.

“This is kind of the heartbeat of St. Pete and kind of where it all happens here in Pinellas County, too. This is our our party zone and it’s just a lot of fun,” Boland said.

There are crowds inside and outside, but Boland said there have been a few incidents with pedestrians, so they pack up their outdoor seating at night.

“All these chairs will get stacked up and these will get flipped up and take it away because we can’t control what happens here on this main pedestrian corridor,” he said.

Right around the corner, the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership is helping to lead a public-private effort along Central Avenue to make it more walkable and safe for pedestrians and servers.

“What we’re recommending is that we push the sidewalk out to where the parking is currently, and we create sort of a plaza area in front of all the bars and restaurants. So they’ve actually got a place to serve patrons that’s not in the middle of the sidewalk,” said Jason Mathis, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership.

That would eventually eliminate all parking on Central Avenue between Second and Third streets. Mathis said they understand the importance of parking spots, but in the long run, the Downtown Partnership believes this project will help businesses serve more customers.

“We’re not getting rid of parking on all of Central Avenue. We’re just talking about doing it on one single block that does not have great parking experience for people for a really long time already,” Mathis said.

We spoke to people who expressed concerns about losing parking. Food delivery driver Corey Robinson said that it would be a tough adjustment but manageable.

“If it’ll work more for the companies and businesses, then we’ll just have to find different places to park and just deliver the food,” said Corey Robinson.

On Central Avenue, the owner of Mandarin Hide said the project is needed for safety and cleanliness.

“We want to elevate it. We want to make it the best entertainment avenue and venue for all the people in Tampa Bay to come and enjoy safely and, enjoy to a level that I think would make St. Pete proud,” said Ryan Griffin, owner of Mandarin Hide.

The Downtown Partnership has privately raised $250,00 for the project. It’s also working with the city and hopes to receive an additional $800,000 in funding. The first phase of the project is already done, and Boland is optimistic that one day the project will expand to his section of Third Street.

“We’ve got to kind of continue to foster the growth and continue to support this block for the next generation and for what it is right now,” Boland said.

The Saint Petersburg Downtown Partnership said it hopes to get the rest of the funding in the next three months.

The goal is to have the project done within the next year.