Optimism blooms for Pinellas Trail activation in St. Pete

Several St. Petersburg stakeholders have long advocated for increased activation along a vastly underutilized local asset – the Pinellas Trail. A project’s recent approval has provided momentum. 

Business and civic leaders coalesced around a literal and figurative grassroots initiative Tuesday at the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership’s Developer’s Council meeting. Many members recently toured the High Line in New York City, a public park built on an elevated, historic freight line. 

The organization has also led an urban exploration tour of Atlanta’s BeltLine, which surpassed a $10 billion economic impact in 2023 and offers a closer comparison to visions for the Pinellas Trail. Jared Schneider, community and transportation planning leader at the planning/consultantcy firm Kimley-Horn, believes stakeholders should capitalize on what makes the Pinellas Trail unique. 

“I’ve heard the word upzoning – I don’t think it’s really about upzoning,” Scheider said. “It’s thinking about activation and the uses. How do we face the trail?”

A section of the Pinellas Trail runs through St. Petersburg’s Warehouse Arts District. Photo provided.

Most current structures face away from the trail, a former railway. The BeltLine overcame similar issues through adaptive reuse efforts.

Schneider’s firm consulted on the BeltLine and The Underline, a 10-mile linear park, urban trail and public art destination beneath Miami’s Metrorail. He noted the latter highlights nature and the city’s history through QR code-emblazoned placards, similar to those featured on pathways around Tropicana Field. 

“You can see some of the same elements,” Schneider said of the Pinellas Trail. “Exposure to nature, education and public art. We’re already kind of doing that here in Pinellas County. So, how do we build that up further?” 

Stakeholders believe a series of catalysts will help propel local efforts. 

In September 2024, the city council unanimously approved several zoning changes to spur jobs and redevelopment throughout the Warehouse Arts District. The Pinellas Trail bisects the 58-acre area around 1st Avenue and 22nd Street South. 

A Miami-based developer subsequently unveiled revised plans for a mixed-use tower that orients retail space toward the trail. “Connecting to neighborhoods is a strong opportunity, and we’re starting to get some of that,” Schneider said. 

Trails Crossing will transform blighted, underutilized areas beneath I-275 into park and event spaces that connect bifurcated neighborhoods. The much-anticipated project’s master planning process received the city’s blessing and funding in March. 

John Barkett, partnership member and co-founder of the nonprofit Friends of Trails Crossing, has spearheaded the public-private initiative that will reimagine four city blocks between the adjacent EDGE, Grand Central, Deuces Live and Warehouse Arts Districts. The Pinellas Trail is a focal point. 

“We’re at a unique point right now,” Barkett said Tuesday. “I’ve been here for 25 years now and watched this evolve … but St. Pete is doing a much better job. Trails Crossing wouldn’t have happened if we didn’t do a little park under I-375.” 

Tara Hubbard, president of Take MAR (More Action for Regeneration), called the project a “really exciting launchpad” to activate the Pinellas Trail. Her nonprofit plants trees along the Pinellas Trail despite often encountering bureaucratic hurdles. 

Tara Hubbard (right), founder of Take MAR, has led efforts to plant trees along the Pinellas Trail. Photo provided.

Pinellas County, the City of St. Petersburg and several neighborhood associations and businesses have a vested interest in the trail. Hubbard has a plan to unite stakeholders following Trails Crossing’s approval. 

The initiative, tentatively dubbed the Sunline, will align visions and goals for the Pinellas Trail and help cut bureaucratic red tape. “We want to really move fast. We want to make this happen,” Hubbard said. 

“We want to connect with the trail,” she added. “We want to have signage on the trail. We want to be able to plant trees and put gardens on the trail. There are all these wants and visions, but they’re all segmented.” 

Jason Mathis, CEO of the partnership, explained how a lack of attainable workforce housing impacts downtown businesses. He believes planned communities along the trail could provide a solution.

“The trail is a natural extension that hasn’t been fully explored, where people could have a 500-square-foot apartment, ride a bike into downtown and have a really cool life,” Mathis added. “I think that’s why the partnership is so interested in helping this initiative, even though it’s slightly outside of downtown.”