{"id":341224,"date":"2026-07-15T19:11:17","date_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/341224\/"},"modified":"2026-07-15T19:11:17","modified_gmt":"2026-07-15T19:11:17","slug":"central-avenue-sidewalk-project-widens","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/341224\/","title":{"rendered":"Central Avenue sidewalk project widens"},"content":{"rendered":"

In 2025, the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership collaborated with developer Kolter Urban to widen the sidewalk near the Art House condominium tower.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This phase is part of a larger effort to make a block between 2nd and 3rd Street<\/a> more walkable, according to the Downtown Partnership\u2019s CEO Jason Mathis. In a public-private partnership, the organization is helping create a \u201clarger plaza area\u201d for small business, restaurant and bar owners to utilize.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a particularly important block in our downtown,\u201d he explained. \u201cIt\u2019s often called the first block because it\u2019s got a lot of historic structures on it. It\u2019s also, in a lot of ways, the center of our nightlife culture.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The area is adjacent to the Jannus Live entertainment venue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you go there on a Friday night at 11 p.m., it\u2019s not always the safest location,\u201d Mathis continued. \u201cThe way that it\u2019s structured, the sidewalk is up against the buildings and the service area for a lot of the bars and restaurants is pushed out to the streets. There\u2019s just not a lot of room to maneuver through there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

He explained that the project comes at a cost. The widening of the sidewalks would remove parking spaces.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rendering: Kimley-Horn<\/p>\n

\u201cRestaurants and small businesses usually do not want to get rid of parking,\u201d Mathis said. \u201cBut in this case and just on this block, we think it makes a lot of sense. There\u2019s been a lot of construction that has happened on that block.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a long time, there hasn\u2019t been full parking anyway,\u201d he continued. \u201cPeople have found ways to park at other locations and owners are not dependent on that parking to be successful.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rideshare services such as Uber and Lyft have reduced the amount of parking spaces needed, Mathis added.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The second phase would focus on the north side of the street on the block. Mathis and his team are planning on completing some landscaping work between the sidewalk and street. This would help allow \u201cthe plaza area to be closer to the restaurants.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A third phase is being developed to complete the south side of the street near the 200 Central officer tower. Mathis hopes to turn this section into a valet drop off area, loading zone or an extended plaza.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He explained that restaurants such as The Naked Farmer and Craft Kafe are located at 200 Central. These businesses \u201cmight also benefit from having a larger service area.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mathis and his team are currently raising private funds for the effort. Business owners have collected $250,000. Additionally, the Downtown Partnership is exploring funding options from the City of St. Petersburg. There may be Intown Community Redevelopment Area dollars available, Mathis said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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Rendering: Kimley-Horn<\/p>\n

\u201cRight now, I think there is still some question about whether we can just do this privately or whether we would rely on the City to do this construction project,\u201d he added. \u201cHopefully by the end of the year, the north side of the street will have an improved pedestrian experience and a little bit nicer dining area for the bars and restaurants.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ryan Griffin is the owner of the Mandarin Hide cocktail bar on Central Avenue. He has been a proponent of the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Griffin explained the effort is \u201cessentially a pilot program of what the rest of downtown could be.\u201d He believes that it can foster a conversation about reinventing the area.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Furthermore, the walkability enhancements could have an impact on events such as the First Friday block party.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that would help all of the local businesses,\u201d Griffin said. \u201cMore importantly, I think it would draw people from outside of St. Pete to come down and visit St. Pete.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mary Margaret\u2019s Olde Irish Tavern and The Galley co-owner Pete Boland believes that businesses have \u201coutgrown\u201d the infrastructure on the block.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe crowds are so big on Fridays and Saturdays that it\u2019s kind of created a difficult problem here,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just can\u2019t get to the tables and my server was getting accosted and groped all the time.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

With wider sidewalks, this could help Boland and his team better control customers and keep staff safe.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere was a shooting that happened in 2023 in front of Mary Margaret\u2019s,\u201d Boland added. \u201cThese were people that were walking through my patio that were not patrons.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

When asked whether he believes the parking cost benefit is worth it, Boland said, \u201cabsolutely.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of those spaces that have been available over the last few years, and haven\u2019t been taken up by dumpsters and construction vehicles, have been used by employees and staff,\u201d he explained. \u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019s going to affect our patrons\u2019 ability to get to us, especially as our area becomes more desirable.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

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