Nonprofit leaders weigh in on Tangerine Plaza’s future

This article reflects topics of interest of the Catalyst’s Impact Council. Each quarter, our council of local nonprofit thought leaders selects one topic to explore. We post the results of that exploration in pieces like this one.

The future of Tangerine Plaza in South St. Petersburg has been top of mind for many in the community, especially for nonprofit leaders who envision a revitalized community hub and strategic interventions that address critical needs such as food security, job training and community health.

Tangerine Plaza, located at 1794 22nd St. S., has a storied history as a key retail hub for the community. It was once home to a Sweetbay Supermarket, which later became a Walmart Neighborhood Market. This grocery store served as the primary source of fresh food for the area until its closure in 2017, which left the community in a federally designated food desert. Since then, the plaza has largely remained vacant.

Tangerine Plaza is located in a federally designated food desert in South St. Pete. Photo: Google Maps.

The closure of the Walmart Neighborhood Market marked a significant downturn for Tangerine Plaza, leading to economic and social challenges for the surrounding community. The lack of a grocery store has exacerbated food insecurity, and the plaza’s underutilization has been a point of frustration for local residents, city officials and nonprofit leaders.

St. Petersburg’s city officials have prioritized including a grocer or market in redevelopment plans for the past seven years. In early June, the city council approved plans to transform Tangerine Plaza into a mixed-use development in a 5-3 vote. A long-negotiated proposal from Sugar Hill Group includes affordable housing and a 3,000-square-foot grocery store.

A rendering of the Sugar Hill Group’s proposed development. If negotiations are successful, a grocery market will occupy 3,000 square feet. Image provided.

The plaza does see some activity on Saturday mornings; hundreds of cars snake around its parking lot as families wait to receive groceries from Positive Impact Ministries. The local nonprofit, development firm Stoneweg US and former city councilmember Robert Blackmon have submitted all-cash offers for the property. All have different plans and ideas for what the area needs; meanwhile, nonprofits like Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties have continued working to bring affordable housing to the area.

“Habitat supports the redevelopment of Tangerine Plaza and the City’s desire to improve that area for residents,” said Mike Sutton, President and CEO of Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties. “We have two affordable townhome developments planned on 18th Avenue South bringing over 50 units of much-needed homeownership to the corridor.  We look forward to playing a part in the revitalization of this area of St. Petersburg.”

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties has been operating since 1985, building and selling homes at zero-percent interest to households that do not qualify for traditional mortgages. The nonprofit, which is one of the highest-producing Habitat affiliates in the country, recently celebrated its 900th home completion and announced it had been chosen to expand into Hernando County.

Habitat’s two developments near Tangerine Plaza are Pelican Place (on the corner of 18th Ave. S. and 21st St. S.) and The Grove (1805 18th Ave. S.). Pelican Place will feature 40 affordable townhome units and The Grove will be an 11-unit affordable townhome community.

Habitat for Humanity of Pinellas and West Pasco Counties is working to build more than 50 affordable housing units in the area near Tangerine Plaza. Photo: Ashley Morales.

“Habitat has also built several single-family homes in the area around Tangerine Plaza,” said Sutton. Habitat Pinellas and West Pasco recently celebrated its 900th home completed in its service area. “Our homeowners put great value in where they live, and we know the homeowners in this area will support any activation of Tangerine Plaza.”

Along with affordable housing are critical food needs in South St. Pete. In the absence of a grocery store, the nonprofit St. Pete Free Clinic has been working to fill the gap with a drive-thru food clinic in the 22nd Street South corridor, known as the “Deuces,” where Tangerine Plaza is located.

St. Pete Free Clinic (SPFC) is a nonprofit organization that provides a robust roster of community services, including healthy food, housing and free healthcare services. According to CEO Jennifer Yeagley, the organization has witnessed a staggering rise in the number of individuals seeking food assistance in recent years – it’s now serving over 40,000 people monthly, compared to 20,000 pre-pandemic. 

“The staggering increase in recent years in the cost of everything from rent to utilities to groceries has created the need for more of our neighbors than ever to seek out consistent sources of support to ensure they can continue to make ends meet,” Yeagley said. “SPFC is stretching to ensure that none of our neighbors need to go without the most basic of necessities: nutritious food for their families.”

One way SPFC is working to tackle food deserts is by partnering with the City of St. Petersburg to bring healthier grocery options to smaller, existing neighborhood stores through the City’s FRESH Pace Healthy Neighborhood Store Program. St. Pete Free Clinic collaborates with local stores to establish infrastructure, marketing plans and sustainable business models so corner stores can stock nutritious food like fresh fruits and vegetables, low-fat proteins, whole grain items and low-fat dairy products or dairy alternatives. 

Although St. Pete Free Clinic distributes free food at more than 115 sites throughout Pinellas County through its food bank and food pantry programs, Yeagley says these services can only stretch so far and are just one component of a sustainable model for access to nutritious food. 

“Purchasing healthy, affordable food in locations that are easily accessible is a reasonable expectation for any community member. Yet, following the pandemic, eight census tracts in St. Petersburg were identified wherein a significant number of residents are more than one mile away from a grocery store, with many of these residents lacking transportation,” Yeagley said. “FRESH Pace is designed to be a bridge for our neighbors in low access areas to obtain nutritious, affordable food at stores they either already visit or can easily get to.”

So far, the FRESH Pace program has been implemented in four locations in South St. Pete, including Lakeview Market at 1940 22nd Ave. S., only a half mile away from Tangerine Plaza.

The City of St. Petersburg and St. Pete Free Clinic opened the first FRESH Pace Healthy Neighborhood Store at Rajax Food Mart and Meat Mart in October 2023. Photo provided.

Also working to help the City expand the FRESH Pace program is the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg, which works to advance racially equitable health outcomes through grantmaking, engagement and strategic initiatives. Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg President and CEO Dr. Kanika Tomalin applauds the many groups and nonprofits who’ve stepped up to provide short-term resources for healthy food access, but emphasized that the community needs intentional interventions that address the determinants of the inequities facing South St. Pete.

“As we work to develop this site in a way that serves, honors and strengthens the local community, we must also stay focused on tangible progress for our neighbors who call that neighborhood home,” Tomalin said. “The healthier, more equitable community we are working hard to build will not only address crisis response, such as emergency provision of food, housing and transportation, but also the conditions and systems that give rise to those needs. Doing so will enable us to create a more sustainably equitable and opportunity-rich St. Petersburg.”

Tomalin also stressed the importance of keeping a holistic view of the community’s needs in mind when discussing the future of South St. Pete, noting that, while it provides a prime opportunity for growth, Tangerine Plaza is just one site, one solution – and what happens at that particular site is the certainly not the only way to address needs.

“As our community continues the important work of developing options for Tangerine Plaza, it is important that we also work together to simultaneously craft supplemental sustainable solutions for food insecurity, employment opportunities and neighborhood development,” Tomalin said. “While the future of the 22nd Street Corridor will always be influenced by what happens on that corner, it cannot be a sole or defining determinant of that neighborhood’s ability to thrive. 

The future of Tangerine Plaza and the surrounding community, as envisioned by our local nonprofit leaders, is one of hope and transformation. By addressing food insecurity, promoting economic development, enhancing health and wellness and fostering community engagement, they aim to help support a more equitable, healthy and inclusive community that will benefit from a revitalized Tangerine Plaza for years to come.