Catalyze 2020: Ester Venouziou

This holiday season, we asked some of St. Pete’s best and brightest citizens to share one catalyzing idea for making St. Pete a better place to live. We asked not for lists of problems, but for meaty, actionable and impactful solutions, no matter how big or how small. 

Ester Venouziou, Founder of LocalShops1

In 2020, I’d like the city to put a stronger emphasis on “responsible growth,” and to help preserve what makes St. Pete so special. That, of course, includes our local businesses and local artists, many of whom have unfortunately been priced out of their shops and galleries, especially downtown.

The city needs to offer more support for the locals who are here committed to making St. Pete – and the rest of the Tampa Bay region – a better place. The Storefront Conservation Corridor Plan is a start, and has good intentions. The city’s grants are nice, but the funds are limited and can help just a few businesses each year. It’s just not enough. Too many local shops are being replaced with national chains, as we’ve seen over the past several months. St. Pete needs to look for more forward-thinking ideas to restrict further proliferation of “formula stores.” Some cities, for example, cap the percentage of chain shops/restaurants in designated areas.

In 2020, would like to see zoning changes to allow for more mixed-use buildings, and more live-and-work spaces, not only downtown, but in all the neighborhoods. Councilwoman Darden Rice this summer brought up the Complete Neighborhoods concept, which in essence creates more walkable and more fun communities, each with its own parks, restaurants and shops, and provides more opportunities for local entrepreneurs and local artists.