Growing downtown St. Pete is tough transition for business owners

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Downtown St. Pete is booming, exciting a lot of neighbors about the future of the area, while leaving some business owners frustrated about the current situation.

According to a city spokesperson, there are 10 construction projects in a one-mile radius around 200 Central Avenue, where crews broke ground last year on the Art House, which is a 42-story condominium tower. Most of the other projects are hotels and apartments with retail space.

Ray Lampe, who goes by "Dr. BBQ," said the development led to the closure of his restaurant in downtown after his business partner decided to sell the property when he got an offer he couldn't refuse.

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"That piece of property became so valuable that he couldn't say no. The developer wanted that parcel and he was going to get it," Lampe said, adding the widespread development has created challenges for other business owners. "I think it creates a situation where folks just don't want to come down here. You know, it's just why bother? Let's go to the neighborhood that doesn't have a bunch of construction."

The owners of at least one other recently-shuttered business, The Mill restaurant, blames the construction next door for their closure. A city spokesperson told FOX 13 that construction next door to The Mill caused a shift in the building's foundation but said the restaurant could have stayed open.

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In a post on The Mill's Facebook page, however, the owners wrote, "As many of you know there has been construction behind our facility for the last several months. What you may not know is the damage caused by this construction has been massive. It has become so invasive to our space that we feel we can no longer ensure the safety of our staff and patrons alike."

Central Ave. in downtown St. Pete

FOX 13 reached out to the Mill's owners for comment but have not heard back.

Some neighbors in the downtown area, meanwhile, said The Mill's situation is unfortunate but they're still eager to see what the area looks like when all the work is done.

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"I like it and I don't like it because I don't know what it's going to do to the community," said Dawn Palermo, who lives a few blocks away. "I love all the new restaurants that are popping up."
"I think that's kind of like a just a short-term thing for like a long-term good," added Steve Quillen, who also lives nearby. "They're putting up new hotels, new condo complexes, new stores, new shops."

Lampe said, if he's able to find a new business partner, he may be able to stay at his current location for another 18 months. Either way, he would like to find a new location in downtown St. Pete.

"When it's all done, it's going to be a great neighborhood," Lampe added. "The transition is the tough part."