City of St. Pete seeking proposals for Tangerine Plaza development site

On Monday, the City of St. Petersburg announced the release of a formal RFP for the Tangerine Plaza Development Site, located at 1794 22nd Street South, within the designation of both the Deuces Live Historic Main Street and the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Area (CRA).

The site, fraught with trouble through three mayoral administrations, has seen two major grocery stores open and close since 2005. Most recently, a Walmart Neighborhood Market shuttered its doors in March 2017, a damaging blow during a tough year for Midtown. Along with the Walmart came the closure of the neighborhood’s Walgreens and Sylvia’s Soul Food restaurant.

Mayor Kriseman speaks at the ribbon cutting for the Callaloo Restaurant earlier this year in the historic Manhattan Casino.

In 2018, things are looking up. Following on the heels of the Callaloo Group opening in the historic Manhattan Casino, the Kriseman administration wants to change the narrative of the Tangerine Plaza site and bring about successful redevelopment. The City is not looking to simply fill the building with another grocery store, for fear of falling into the same unsuccessful trap. The City wants to try something different.

According to a 2017 article in the Tampa Bay Times, Mayor Kriseman said “We, as a community, may need to rethink Tangerine (Plaza). “We can’t keep doing things the same way over and over again, and expecting different results.”

The City announced in a press release that it is welcoming proposals from all interested parties to lease and develop the property, which is city-owned. “I am pleased we are moving ahead with the next steps for Tangerine Plaza, and I look forward to the responses we get from this Request for Proposals,” said Mayor Kriseman in the release. “I hope anyone interested in this important parcel of land will submit a proposal for our review.”

Proposals for the Tangerine Plaza are due no later than 10 a.m. on Monday, July 2. Interested parties may attend a walk-through of the site on Wednesday, May 9 at 10 a.m.

Resources to assist in the drafting of proposals will be offered by the St. Pete Greenhouse, in collaboration with the Small Business Redevelopment Center (SBDC) and Pinellas SCORE. These opportunities include:

• Preparing for your RFP Workshop – May 15 at 6 p.m. at the Greenhouse
• Individualized one-on-one consultation and mentorship opportunities – throughout May and June.  Appointments can be made by calling The Greenhouse at (727) 893-7146.

The Request for Proposal for the Tangerine Plaza site can be found here.