Hutton retail project takes shape on 4th Street

Retailers in 4th Street Shoppes expect to begin opening later this year, or early next year.

The 15,000-square-foot project, made up of two buildings connected by a pedestrian breezeway, is at 2436 4th Street N. in St. Petersburg, the former site of the Holiday Motel, known for its colorful doors.

Exterior walls are up and installation began on storefront glass last week, said Michaelann Murphy, director of real estate for Hutton, the developer of the project. Several tenants have signed leases, although Murphy can’t release their names yet as they finalize their marketing plans.

The tenants are mostly local companies, including some locally-owned franchise operators. There are no full-service sit-down restaurants, although some stores will have food offerings such as coffee, snacks and smoothies, she said.

The 4th Street corridor has transformed over the past few years, Murphy said. “It’s just such a great hot spot, when you look at it from a high-level demographic, income and so forth, but then when you actually drive it you just feel all the momentum and people headed there for various things, and it’s become so great.”

Shell construction on the project is expected to be complete around August, with tenants doing their own buildout after that. Some tenants will open in the fourth quarter of 2020, and others in the first quarter of 2021.

Hutton, a Chattanooga, Tennessee-based commercial real estate, development and investment firm, bought the property for $3.25 million in October 2019, according to Pinellas County property records. Hutton was founded in 1998 by Karen Hutton, who is CEO, and the company is one of the few women-run development companies in the United States.

Hutton’s portfolio ranges from single-tenant projects to big power centers across the eastern U.S.

4th Street Shoppes is the company’s first project in St. Petersburg. It also has projects in Odessa, Wesley Chapel and Lakeland.

The St. Petersburg City Council approved the plat for 4th Street Shoppes Thursday morning without discussion.