St. Pete leaders considering two proposals for Municipal Marina redevelopment
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Just a few months ago, David Sockol was worried he and his employees at Fresco's would be out of jobs.
"I was really concerned about Fresco’s being bulldozed and losing out on the restaurant and everybody being unemployed," Sockol, the owner of Fresco’s, said.
St. Pete city leaders' request for proposals to redevelop the St. Pete Municipal Marina gave developers the option to do what they wanted with the restaurant. The two developers that Mayor Ken Welch will choose between, though, both keep Fresco’s in their proposals.
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The developers said they’d prefer to work with the restaurant that has been in St. Pete for two decades.
"That was great news," Sockol said. "I think they understood that, you know, when you have a history of, a 20-year history, with a good tenant, that has been a member of the community, that’s probably good if you're going to have a development and a tenant in there. That minimizes their risk by having a great tenant and restaurant with a good will and a good following as well as one of your tenants."
Sockol said he went to the pre-bid meeting and spoke to developers, telling them he had been in the community for 20 years and wanted to work with them.
The two developers, Safe Harbor Marinas and Suntex Marina Investors in Texas, plan to double Fresco’s in size.
"I even reached out to an architect that did all of the drawings for and the design for the entrance to the pier. And I hired them to design a new two-story restaurant, and that design and proposal was actually included in one of the developer's responses to the request for proposal, and it had Fresco’s name on it, which was encouraging," Sockol said.
Safe Harbor Marinas included the design in its proposal.
"I’m optimistic. I’m looking forward to being part of designing and building a new two-story restaurant, and we hope that it becomes one of the iconic buildings right down here in downtown St. Pete and people continue to enjoy it for years," Sockol said.
Both proposals would also redevelop Demens Landing Park. Safe Harbor Marinas’ proposal, that includes $48 million in capital investment, says it would add a two-story welcome and amenity center, a gym, restaurant space and more.
Suntex’s $70 million worth of improvements include 660 boat sips, about 200 more parking spots at Demens Landing, an amphitheater, space for shops, a café, a gallery and more.
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It’s not the first time the city has tried to redevelop the marina. Former Mayor Rick Kriseman chose a developer from Tennessee in 2021, but then decided not to move forward with them.
City officials say they’re sorting through the two proposals now that were due earlier this month. They hope to pick a proposal by the end of the year.