April 2026 Work Plan Update

Thanks to support from our members and board, we made progress on many of the priorities we identified in our 2026 Work Plan and kept momentum in our mission to champion community prosperity through purposeful, transformative projects. This Work Plan update documents progress made over the last couple of months. ‍

‍Updated Downtown Land Use
Working with developers and downtown community leaders, the Partnership has developed a set of proposals to update downtown zoning. The goal is to encourage more commercial development, support local retailers, adapt to updated parking needs and create a fund to support arts organizations and working artists through fees paid by developers. Mack Feldman presented the concepts at our 2026 Downtown Development Summit, and we are coordinating with downtown residents, businesses and city officials to refine the concepts before presenting them to City Council for adoption.  

Downtown Improvement District

The St. Pete Downtown Improvement District is moving forward with a enhanced cleaning and an ambassador program in downtown St. Petersburg. The program is slated to start with a soft launch this summer and will be fully operational in the fall. The Improvement District will be a stand-alone nonprofit with a close working relationship to the Downtown Partnership.  

Williams Park Partnership
Close to $4 million in infrastructure improvements are planned for the Park, including safety enhancements and renovations to the historic Williams Park Bandshell. Construction will begin in late April and will be finished in the fall. The Partnership is also raising private philanthropic funds to implement new programming in the Park and has raised $250,000 against a goal of $500,000.    

Historic Gas Plant
The City Council is considering changes to the Community Benefits Agreement process that will make the process more efficient and effective. The Community Benefits process for the historic Gas Plant will begin after a development partner has been selected this summer. The Partnership is also working closely with the Urban Land Institute to compile all the work that has been done on this project over the past decade into a white paper and to bring in national expertise to ensure the project is developed in the best possible way as a developer is selected.  

Central Ave Walkability
After highlighting the completed sidewalk improvements in front of ArtHouse, we are continuing to work to secure private financing for sidewalks improvements identified for the north side of the Jannus block. The City has also identified Community Redevelopment Area funds that will help to pay for the bulk of pedestrian safety improvements on this project.

Center for Coastal Resiliency

The Downtown Partnership hired HR&A Advisors, Inc. to provide a economic feasibility analysis of this project, planned to be developed on city-owned land in the Innovation District adjacent to the Maritime and Defense Technology Hub. The Partnership and Innovation District have applied for funding from the Pinellas County Employment Sites program

The Innovation District and St. Pete Downtown Partnership have applied for funds from the Pinellas County from Employment Sites Program. The next step with working with the City to apply for grants from the federal government through the Economic Development Administration and Florida Ports Council.

Digital Wayfinding

The Partnership with working with IKE to install community message boards and wayfinding kiosks in downtown. The City’s legal staff is reviewing technical changes to the code to allow for this new smart city technology to move forward.