Places This Week: Jordan Park redevelopment starts; $8.5M estate back on the market

A weekly roundup of local real estate deals.

$8.5 million mansion is back on the market

The Rutland-Farley estate in St. Petersburg is back on the market with a listing price of $8.5 million.

The restored waterfront estate, which is said to have been built in 1918, once belonged to St. Pete businessman Hubert Rutland. Real estate developer Philip Farley purchased the home in 2004 for $2.3 million.

The Rutland-Farley estate. Photo: Zillow.

The 9,213-square-foot English Tudor mansion is at 5030 Sunrise Drive South. It has seven bedrooms and eight bathrooms.

The current family has restored the home to its original purpose as a single-family home, the listing read.

Inside the Rutland-Farley estate. Photo: Zillow.

Past the iron gates and inside the grand estate, the traditional style is found throughout with features such as a vaulted brick ceiling and an office that’s lined with oak panels.

Outside of the home, the estate includes a bocce ball court, a putting green, an Olympic-sized pool, an outdoor kitchen and a dock with a 50,000-pound lift.

The swimming pool at the Rutland-Farley estate. Photo: Zillow.

There’s also a walkway that connects the main residence to a separate suite that could be used for guests or the house staff.

The home is listed by The Jac Smith Group.

Tarpon Springs could have a Trader Joe’s

Commercial real estate agent Stephanie Addis wants to bring a Trader Joe’s to a Tarpon Springs plaza.

Addis has been in talks with the team behind the grocery chain, but the progression of turning the talks into reality has gone stale.

Addis is still pursuing the vision and launched a petition on Change.org vying for a Trader Joe’s to locate in the Manatee Village shopping plaza located along Alt. U.S. 19.

Manatee Village shopping plaza located along Alt. U.S. 19. GoogleMaps.

“Manatee Village was once a bustling, grocery-anchored center featuring a Winn Dixie and several small businesses. When Sweetbay closed all of their stores in the area, Winn Dixie moved just south to a newer building,” Addis wrote. “The owners at the time, unfortunately, allowed Manatee Village to fall into a state of disrepair and, eventually, foreclosure.”

Jacksonville-based Ash Properties purchased the plaza in late 2020 with plans to renovate the center.

Addis wrote the new ownership group met with the city council and heard feedback from residents pleading for a Trader Joe’s store to anchor the plaza. To date, over 950 individuals have signed the petition.

Addis listed several factors why a Trader Joe’s store would be viable for the location, including how the site could pull customers from different surrounding markets as the closest Trader Joe’s stores are nearly an hour away from the site.

Trader Joe’s website lists where the chain plans to open new stores.

The next Florida store opening is slated to be in Miami.

Jordan Park apartments break ground 

Construction has officially started on the $93.3 million redevelopment of the Jordan Park apartments. 

Jordan Park is a historic African American housing development in South St. Petersburg that has fallen into a state of disrepair. However, the St. Petersburg Housing Authority and its partner Norstar Development USA are redeveloping the site. 

The St. Petersburg Housing Authority and Norstar Development hosted a groundbreaking ceremony Friday to celebrate the start of construction. The redevelopment of the site entails the rehabilitation of 206 residential units and the construction of 60 new units for the Senior Village. 

An aerial rendering of the Senior Village in Jordan Park.

Plans on the renovations and redevelopment of Jordan Park started several years ago when dozens of units were vacated, but the plans hit major delays. 

The developers will have to demolish the existing 31 dilapidated units to make way for the new senior housing units.

The new units will be comprised of 54 one-bedroom units and six two-bedroom units in a three-story garden apartment building, according to city documents. 

A rendering of the renovations for the residential units in Jordan Park.

Fifteen percent of the units will be for household income levels at or below 30% of the area median income, and 85% of the units for households at or below 60% AMI. 

Funding sources for the redevelopment came from the Pinellas County Housing Finance Authority, the South St. Petersburg Community Redevelopment Agency, low-income housing tax credit equity from RBC and construction and permanent loans from KeyBank. 

The project will be redeveloped through two phases.  

2D Café to open in Grand Central District 

The 2D Café, a two-dimensional café, will open in St. Pete’s Grand Central District. 

The 2D Café will create a two-dimensional experience in real life by having bold black lines outline the white chairs, tables, plates and floors.

The monochrome black-and-white design creates a comic book-like flat illustration. 

The immersive cafe will open at 2105 Central Ave., one of the former locations of swah-rey, the 2D Café announced on Instagram.  

The 2D Cafe LLC was founded by Maria Merello in Clearwater, according to public records. 

The European-based cafe will serve unique delicacies, coffees and pastries. It will reportedly open in February or March. 

The owners of 2D Café will work with local artist Chad Mize on creating the art inside of the cafe, according to reports. 

The 2D Café appears to be modeled after other 2D restaurant concepts such as Tokyo’s 2D Café, which came from a desire to create a unique experience for people to escape from reality. 

There is currently only one existing 2D restaurant in the state, Orlando’s Twenty Pho Hour.  

St. Pete Beach hotel sells

A hotel in St. Pete Beach has sold in a $3.85 million deal.

St. Pete Beach Investments LLC, which is linked to real estate agent Dave Wonsick, purchased The Villas at St. Pete Beach from St. Pete Beach Suites LLC.

The Villas At St. Pete Beach. GoogleMaps.

The 10-unit hotel is at 6901 Sunset Way, at the intersection of 69th Avenue and Sunset Way.

The two-story hotel was built in 1950 and its units were fully renovated in 2019, according to the property’s website.

St. Pete Beach LLC also owns the St. Pete Beach Suites. 

Clearwater apartments switch hands in $32.16 million deal

The Terraces at Clearwater Beach apartment complex has sold for $32.16 million. 

The WF Clearwater LLC, which is connected to Southeastern Property Management LLC, purchased the gated community at 1121 Druid Road East from Druid Partners LLC. 

The Terraces at Clearwater Beach. GoogleMaps.

The 157,475-square-foot, 200-unit complex has two-bedroom townhomes for rent. 

The units have stainless steel appliances, a washer and dryer, tile and wood-style flooring and granite countertops. The amenities include a fitness center, tennis courts and two dog parks. 

Online, the complex advertises its close proximity to Clearwater Beach.