Progress on ALVA alley

All week we’ve been hearing the noise of the heavy equipment removing the bricks on the ALVA alley beside our office – all for good cause, as is our longer walk to our cars this week. This morning we can see what’s under it all.  We’re all anxious to have the renovated alley done.

Work Begins on the ALVA alley in downtown St Petersburg

The City of St Petersburg is improving the alley between 2nd and 3rd Avenues North, running from Beach Drive NE to 1st St N.  Repairing sewer lines was the impetus, but the city is taking advantage of that work to bury the power lines and improve the alley as a pedestrian walkway from Beach Drive to BayWalk. The alley will become one-way from Beach Drive to 1st St NE.  My biggest concern was whether they were going to redo the alley with the brick or whether they were going to pave it. The answer I got was: brick.  That’s great, because it’s certainly more charming and interesting. This alley is the access to our parking lot behind ALVA International, so we’re temporarily displaced and using the Plaza parking garage. We’ll all have greater appreciation for our parking just outside our back door.

Straub Park along the downtown St Petersburg waterfront

The waterfront parks in Downtown St Petersburg Florida are part of maintaining the charm and appeal of downtown St Pete. The tall condos are set back from the waterfront, with parks, roads and sidewalks along the waterfront for all to enjoy.

From the Albert Whitted airport to Coffee Pot bayou, there are 23 blocks of waterfront parks – eleven of them, in fact. Some are passive and others are filled with a variety of activities.

This month begins the Centennial celebration, which will continue for a year. It’s hard to think that development of the waterfront was a divisive issue for the City Countil back in 1906.

Visit Downtown St Petersburg Waterfront Parks Centennial for more history, photos and a calendar of events.

Downtown St Pete condominiums

Though averages are often deceiving, most people are curious about them anyway. Average price per square foot is the same – it doesn’t take into consideration differences in view or amenities. Nonetheless, here are some average prices for sales this year in downtown St Pete condos:
     Townview:  $165/sq ft
     Bayfront Tower:  $212/sq ft
     Parkshore Plaza: $246/sq ft
     McNulty Lofts: $270/sq ft
     Vinoy Place: $301/sq ft
     Signature Place: $352/sq ft
     Ovation: $595/sq ft

Lest you think these are high, note that a new record has been reached in Hong Kong, where a condo recently sold for $9,200 per square foot (total price was $56.6 million).

Sunrise over the Vinoy Basin in St Petersburg Florida

There are moments when the light behind clouds or on the windows or a building are spectacular – and they last only for a moment, so you can miss them by trying to find a better location for the shot. This morning, on my way from the Vinoy to the office, I was compelled to stop and take this one. Shortly after arriving at the office, my friend Doug Swain sent me a short that he had taken of the same sunrise – but his had a totally different twist. Just shows the difference a few seconds can make. I wonder if Gillian took any this morning.

400 Beach luxury condos in downtown St Pete

The 18 unsold condos at 400 Beach still owned by the developer when Opus South filed for bankruptcy will be owned by the lender, Wachovia Corp, which is now part of Wells Fargo, according to a news release by the Tampa Bay Business Journal.  Redus 400 Beach LLC had the winning bid of $9 million at the October 1st auction.  The deal is expected to close by October 16 and Wachovia will still have to decide if it wants to sell the units individually or in bulk. The condos range in size from 2,395 sq ft to a 7,000 sq ft penthouse.

Sunburst Cove is a complex that was completed in 2007.  Their are only 6 units in the building, which includes a heated pool and spa and is directly on the Gulf of Mexico.  All of the units are 5,100 – 5,400  square feet and include a 2-car garage, 8 balconies and 360 degree views as the units take up the entire floor.  The units sold for between $800,000 and 1,750,000.  The $800,000 was a short sale that resold in 3 weeks for $$1,200,000.  There is currently one unit for sale.  It is on the 5th floor and is listed for $1,400,000.  It is full of upgrades and well worth a look if you are considering a first-class beach condo.  The building is on Indian Shores beach, within walking distance of the Salt Rock Grill restaurant and very close to Park Blvd and easy access to the interstate and Tampa.  With four sales in 2009, it has done very well in today’s market.

O Wave sculpture by Ovation luxury condos in downtown St Pete

Davis Anthony Home & Garden in Downtown St Petersburg

Davis Anthony Home & Garden is celebrating its first anniversary in downtown St Petersburg.  Philip Weber and Davis Freeman announced this as they welcomed the Downtown Business Association for its monthly meeting. This location at 400 Beach Suite 173 (facing Fourth Avenue NE) is actually their third location in that year. They opened at Parkshore Plaza, one block south, and soon expanded into larger space at 400 Beach. Originally facing Beach Drive, their landlord asked them to move around the corner to make a contiguous large space available to an exciting new tenant. Wherever they are, Davis Anthony is a welcome place to browse for items for your home, your garden or for interesting gifts – and maybe just the occasional reward for yourself.

Tom McGeachy of Ciminelli, who is managing BayWalk, and his colleagues spoke of the new owner’s plans for BayWalk. They have several interested new tenants who are waiting to sign leases until they know if the St Petersburg City Council will approve the vacation of the sidewalk easement along the north side of 2nd Ave N, which BayWalk would then maintain and secure.

The hot topic in the monthly downtown police report was the new addition of the Horse Patrol.

Happy Anniversary,  Davis Anthony, and welcome to downtown St Pete.

Signature Place condos in downtown St Petersburg Florida

Signature Place reported 7 more sales in September, bringing the number of Signature Place condos sold in downtown St Petersburg to 59, according to the MLS statistics. 49 of the sales are in the tower and 10 are in the adjacent “lofts”.  Sale prices at Signature cover a wide range, from $224,250 for a 1 bedroom “loft” unit with 847 square feet to $1,237,500 for a 2,319 sq ft unit on the 34th floor.

The first closing were on June 24, 2009 and there are 244 condominium units in all. The current residents have a weekly “6 at 6″ happy hour gathering at 6 pm on the 6th floor. At the two I attended, the residents seemed very happy with their new homes and enjoying the new comraderie with their neighbors.

Downtown St Petersburg has seen the completion and opening of two condominium projects this year – Signature Place which began closings in June and Ovation which began closings in August.  Welcome, new downtown neighbors!

Signature Place is located on 2nd Avenue S, from 1st Street to 2nd Street. For buyer representation at Signature Place, please contact The Simms Team.