Places This Week: Topgolf underway; BLM building demo’d

A weekly roundup of local real estate deals.

Topgolf swings into vertical construction 

The vacant land at 220 Carillon Dr. N. is now bustling with tractors and cranes hoisting metal beams as Topgolf’s vertical construction is underway. 

In March, the St. Pete Catalyst reported that the group received an extension to commence construction and was still planning to build at the site. 

Topgolf first received approval from the city in late 2019 to build the 67,000-square-foot driving range entertainment complex, which was initially expected to open in 2020. However, the Concerned Residents of Carillon, a group opposed to the construction of a Topgolf facility in their northern St. Petersburg neighborhood, legally challenged the city’s approval of the project, claiming the city didn’t undertake its due diligence and how they’ve been kept in the dark about the plans.

Residential homes across the street from the Topgolf Carillon site. Photo by Veronica Brezina.

Last year, Pinellas County Circuit Court Judge Thomas Ramsberger ruled in favor of the City of St. Petersburg and Topgolf in a contentious civil lawsuit brought by the Concerned Residents of Carillon.

Topgolf’s website states the golf entertainment complex is “coming soon” but does not state an exact timeline.

Topgolf in Centennial, Colorado. (PRNewsFoto/Topgolf)

The Topgolf project is estimated to cost over $13.5 million.

When completed, the planned complex would include 450 parking spaces on 12 acres. It would be the second Topgolf facility in the Tampa-St. Pete area.

A Topgolf opened in Brandon in 2014. Officials previously said the St. Petersburg site would be different than the Brandon site, with a focus on family-friendly activities and significant improvements to lighting and sound systems to minimize the impact on people who live nearby.

Black Lives Matter mural building demolished 

The building at 200 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. St. N., near Planet Retro Records and known for its Black Lives Matter mural, has been demolished and the site is cleared. 

The cleared site at 200 MLK Jr. St. N. Photo by Veronica Brezina.

Jon Daou, co-founder of Eastman Equity and a major property owner in St. Petersburg’s Edge District, said the demolition was not in the initial plans. 

“We were trying to preserve the building, but the city deemed the site unsafe, and we were forced to demolish it,” Daou said, explaining the original plan was to renovate the building, but during the stabilization process, the roof collapsed and resulted in the city condemning the site. 

“We are disappointed we couldn’t save it, buildings like that aren’t replaceable and the current zoning wouldn’t allow it to be rebuilt as it was,” Daou said.

Daou couldn’t provide further comments regarding the future of the site. 

Daou said he would be interested in reimaging the Black Lives Matter mural on another building. 

Daou is also working on developing a boutique hotel that could connect with the Baum Avenue Market building at 1113 Central Ave., which he also owns. 

The Baum Avenue Market food hall housed tenants Valhalla Bakery, The Twisted Indian, Baum Mi by La V and Sans Market.

Karma Juice Bar and Eatery, the last remaining tenant, exited the space this month. 

Daou said the hotel plans are preliminary and are awaiting approval. 

Dr. BBQ building sells 

Co-owners Roger and Suzanne Perry of the Datz Restaurant Group have sold the two-story industrial restaurant building at 1101 1st Ave. S., which houses the Dr. BBQ restaurant.

The popular restaurant in the Edge District will continue to operate. 

Dr. BBQ at 1101 1st Ave. S., St. Petersburg. GoogleMaps.

The owners, under the entity name S&R Perry Properties II LLC, sold the 7,935-square-foot building to South Florida-based Pernicious LLC in a $4.5 million deal. 

The smokehouse is operated by pitmaster and Food Network star Ray “Dr. BBQ” Lampe and is a concept from the Datz Restaurant Group.

“We leased the building back and will continue to operate. We are enjoying hosting fans before and after baseball games and are proud to be a part of the local scene in St. Petersburg,” Suzanne Perry wrote in an emailed statement. 

The rustic-industrial-designed smokehouse opened in 2018. It was formerly utilized as a steel-casting factory. 

Two Graces restaurant closes 

The Two Graces restaurant, known for its on-site outdoor garden and New American cuisines, has closed. 

Two Graces. Facebook image.

The restaurant building at 6001 Central Ave., which was formerly the Reading Room restaurant, has been sold, the former owners have verified. 

Chef Marlin Kaplan and Lisa Masterson opened Two Graces in January 2021. 

The restaurant has not yet shared the news on its social media accounts, and the website is currently not functioning. 

Clearwater Wyndham hotel sells 

Dhaval LLC has sold the Super 8 by Wyndham Clearwater hotel to Eric Meister, owner and principal at Cornerstone Solutions Group and Mainstay Construction Services, in a $7.275 million deal. 

The purchased 36,096-square-foot hotel at 22950 U.S. Highway 19 N. was built in 1973. 

The two-star hotel has a business center, a pool and a laundry facility. 

Meister assumed a $5.25 million mortgage loan from EMG Transfer Agent LLC for the purchase. 

Meister, who purchased the property under the Euclid School Apartments LLC, recently sold the Euclid School House property at 1090 10th St. N. in St. Petersburg.