An outdoor performing arts venue is officially coming to St. Pete’s Warehouse Arts District
St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District will soon be home to an outdoor performing arts venue. The City of St. Petersburg’s Development Review Commission officially rubber-stamped the project July 10.
The project, in the works since 2017, has been the undertaking of property owners Robert and Cherie Beaman. The couple’s son, Nick Beaman, a glass artist, convinced the couple to purchase the land located 415 20th Street S. along the Pinellas Trail in 2016 and turn it into a hot shop and performing arts venue, complete with a large stage and an area for food trucks to gather.
Until earlier this year, such a project would have been prohibited in the Warehouse Arts District. However, the Beamans sought changes to the Industrial General zoning category to allow a performing arts venue under special exception use. The use was granted by City Council in February. The July 10 Development Review Commission meeting was the project’s final hurdle for approval.
The outdoor performance space is projected to hold 60+ national events in its first year, drawing between 5,000 and 7,000 attendees each. The venue will also host 20-25 non-national events of a few thousand attendees each.
The venue’s location in an industrial area would avoid a number of problems faced by other outdoor performing arts venues like Vinoy Park or Al Lang Stadium.
This property, at 415 20th Street South, will become the Dome Industrial Park Performing Arts Venue.
At the center of the Dome Industrial Park, it would be three full blocks from the nearest residentially-zoned property, reducing residential noise concerns. The property owners have also committed to abiding by the revised noise ordinance, and have established an extensive noise mitigation plan. The property will utilize dense landscaping, including bamboo, and mass loading vinyl drapes on the perimeter of the stage and fence to shield neighboring properties from excessive sound and light.
The property owners have also addressed parking concerns, working alongside the St. Petersburg Police Department. They proactively negotiated a parking agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays to lease the organization’s parking lots at Tropicana Field during events. The applicants had also secured a ridership agreement with Nickel Ride before the company announced its closure earlier this month.
Still, the project has not been without controversy. Representatives of Cycle Brewery and the Morean Arts Center spoke against the project, which led to special conditions of approval. The applicants are required through the special condition to work with City Staff and the adjacent property owner (the Morean Arts Center) to explore further noise mitigation plans on the northwest property line, the line between the site and the Morean Arts Center.
Amy Dinovo
July 27, 2019at2:54 pm
After plans were announce for the old Grand Bohemian site, I lamented the eminent loss of Jannus Landing (now Jannus Live) as a great outdoor music venue Like almost everything cool in St. Pete, the movement is west and so this seems logical and inevitable for a place called the Warehouse Arts district. Every new project has is share of NIMBYs but this is the price for living in the most densely populated county in Florida. I look forward to watching this develop.
Cindy Ontkos
July 27, 2019at8:55 am
I 100% agree with Michele!!! This is awesome news!!!
Michele Ikerd
July 25, 2019at3:05 pm
We could all just live in a bubble and be perfect and PC. Breathing air and eating food grown in the US isn’t good for adults or children either! I think this is great for St. Petersburg. I’ve lived here since 2004 and have watched our city go from an absolutely failing downtown area to what it is today and I’m proud of my city. If you don’t like noise then leave and move to Nebraska.. It’s great for local businesses. People yell “SHOP LOCAL” or “PROMOTE THE ARTS” until something like this is comes along and then “it’s too loud!!!!” Suck it up people. Everything is bad for us these days. Maybe a sense of community is what we need around here. Stop trying to police every f’ing thing and just live a little… congratulations to the family who is putting this together. I’ll be happy to support in any way I can!
Robert Neff
July 23, 2019at12:43 pm
Noise travels farther than 3 blocks. OutdoorDJs and concerts at the Flamingo were heard over 2000’ away and also over four blocks. City refuses to hire a medical expert to understand the negative impact noise has on adult and kid’s health.