Downtown St. Petersburg Poised for Pedestrian-Friendly Makeover

The St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership revealed its design for a new streetscape on Central Avenue that would widen sidewalks, add more space for outdoor dining, and make other pedestrian improvements. 

According to an article in St. Pete Rising, “The first phase of the streetscape project was implemented during construction of the 42-story Art House condo tower, offering a preview of what the rest of the block could become.” That phase included the removal of seven on-street parking spaces, an expanded sidewalk, a 5-foot landscaped buffer, and new landscaping and lighting.

While the plan is mostly conceptual, it offers a path for expanding the same improvements to the rest of the corridor. “The plan also includes traffic-calming features like a mid-block crosswalk, an elevated speed table, and upgraded crosswalks at both the 2nd and 3rd Street intersections.”