Mastry’s Brewing moving forward with Pinellas Park development

5805 Park Blvd. in Pinellas Park, once a manufacturing facility, is set to undergo a transformative redevelopment into a mixed-use complex spearheaded by Mastry’s Brewing Co.

The project, named Park Junction, will feature a 5,000-square-foot brewery and a 36,000-square-foot market house with office space, studios, event areas, a tap room, commissary kitchens and a rooftop venue. Mastry’s will anchor the complex and bring on partners to fill the space, which will have a 19,000-square-foot ground level and stand multiple stories tall.

According to a video posted to the City of Pinellas Park’s Facebook page, the former manufacturing facility has been demolished and the site is now vacant as Mastry’s moves through the process of submitting permitting applications for its large-scale development.

Plans for Park Junction include space for Mastry’s Brewing Co. to expand its malt brewing and craft distilling operations, as well as bring on retail and food & beverage partners.

Mastry’s Brewing Co. started in 2014 as a nano-brewery within the C.D. Roma Italian Restaurant in the Tyrone area of St. Petersburg. The success of the startup brewing operation led to the standalone Mastry’s Brewing Co., the first micro-brewery on St. Pete Beach, in 2016. Matthew Dahm, founder and CEO of Mastry’s Brewing Co., said they’ve had a vision for growth since the beginning, but they needed more room and the right opportunity to scale.

“Especially in the beverage manufacturing industry, square footage is everything. You need more room for equipment, tanks and for people to come visit,” Dahm explained. He noted that hurricanes, years of red tide on St. Pete Beach and Covid lockdowns stalled their plans to grow, but when the parcel at 5805 Park Blvd. popped up, the timing was right to make the next move.

“The City of Pinellas Park, from the beginning, has been a fantastic partner; truly a partner who instead of saying, ‘Here is the process,’ has worked with us to help us best navigate how to make this a successful project for all,” Dahm said. 

A rendering of Park Junction shows a courtyard with a children’s play area, exterior seating and open event space.

A major part of the process has been ensuring Park Junction fits with the city’s comprehensive plan, which establishes a direction for future development and helps the city prioritize infrastructure investment. Part of the plan includes defining a “city center,” of which Park Junction is slated to become the cornerstone. Dahm believes the location of Park Junction and the concept itself position it for success, comparing the market house concept to that of Armature Works in Tampa.

“It’s a very mentally stimulating environment, as well as relaxing. It gives [visitors] diverse options and is very community-focused,” Dahm said. “It’s the same atmosphere people love inside of a craft brewery, where it’s not a full-on sit-down restaurant and you’re isolated in your own spot. You can move around and meet new people, and it really brings together the work, live, play mindset.”

A rendering of the rooftop space at Park Junction.

Dahm said they hope to submit plans for permitting by the end of 2024 or early 2025, with a goal to break ground immediately; construction is expected to last about 12 months. He added that while they don’t have the space entirely filled out yet, they do have a few “strategic” food and beverage partners lined up, which will be announced soon.

The project is expected to be an economic driver for Pinellas Park and create more than 100 new jobs. As Pinellas Park continues to grow alongside neighboring St. Petersburg, Dahm hopes to put the project’s local impact front and center.

“We want to really be a great partner of the community; I can’t stress that enough,” he said. “You see these large developments often, but we are the local small-town kids that have put a lot of time into developing a model that will be fully community-focused – something everybody can embrace and enjoy.”

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