Thrive
What’s next for Baum Avenue in the Edge District
New lighting, improved building facades, pocket parks and enhancements to create a vibrant pedestrian-friendly corridor are part of the grand goal of beautifying Baum Avenue in St. Pete’s sprawling Edge District.
The WSP consultant group, which is spearheading the Baum Avenue Master Plan, and the Edge Business District Association hosted a virtual community meeting Tuesday for all the stakeholders in the Edge District regarding the plans for Baum Avenue, which stretches from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street to 13th Street.
The effort to activate Baum Avenue is from a 2017 master plan the city approved to address the parking shortage and streetscape improvements.
Emerging projects, such as Orange Station at the Edge, are introducing pocket parks and facades that align with the style throughout the district and are helping shape the vision.
“We review them [site plans] before they get to the Development Review Commission. All of the developers to date have been very accessible to us and forthcoming,” said Barbara Voglewede, executive director and main street program manager at the Edge Business District Association.
WSP is tasked with gathering more input from the public about changes for the downtown street and have rolled out an online survey to connect the feedback. In addition to launching the survey, WSP will directly reach out to the businesses along Baum Avenue.
WSP hosts a virtual meeting regarding the beautification efforts for Baum Avenue. All images are screenshots.
The action plan for the project will be completed early next year, which is when the team expects to have a project cost estimation. WSP consultants said there would likely be grants to draw from to fund the project.
These were the highlights of the Tuesday presentation:
- Pedestrian amenities such as seating and gathering points along with shade structures and micro-mobility areas would be installed. WSP consultants also highlighted the new connectivity the SunRunner will bring to the district, providing a connection to the area’s beaches.
The proposed pedestrian-centered amenities for Baum Avenue.
- Gregg Christian, an architect with WSP, said they have reviewed the architecture of buildings and want to continue to carry a consistency with the building facades. He also said the utilities will need be “dealt with in a real-way solution” that requires infrastructure improvements.
- Todd Teuscher, a senior landscape architect at WSP, said they will be looking at sustainable alternatives to recycle storm drainage and ways to capture AC condensation to water plants that could vertically be arranged to create “living walls.”
Images of how recycled water could be used to help water plants on Baum Avenue.
- Kathi Ruvarac, project manager at WSP, said there would be a focus on having historic recognition markers and wayfinding efforts, which exist in the district and can be incorporated into the plan.
- While the street would cater toward pedestrians, it would remain open to drivers, with the exception of certain events that may require portions of the Avenue to be restricted to drivers.
Josh
October 15, 2022at8:13 am
There are so many neighborhoods where STP residents live and shop/eat that could use love in other areas. It’s a shame that our city wants to just focus on one basically alley street. I’m glad the edge district has done well evolving into a tourist trap, but when will the city realize that this focus on just the areas of downtown in leading to huge resentment from residents who don’t always just go to an increasingly overpriced, and overrated part of town to look at green walls that were popular like 15 years ago. It’s so myopic, did EDGE just get it’s giant butthole rock art!?
Max
October 13, 2022at2:08 pm
@Donna The problem is that cars are destroying the planet, killing tens of thousands of Americans each year, promoting poverty, crowding out other forms of transportation, and disenfranchising the most vulnerable members of society, like seniors, children, and the poor. Car-centric urban design has been a disaster. It’s not a total solution, but the SunRunner is a step in the right direction.
David Johnson
October 13, 2022at9:02 am
@Donna four decades ago a gallon of gas cost just over a dollar. We’re not in the 80s anymore!
Perry Switzer
October 13, 2022at7:19 am
Looks fantastic! We have great weather for strolling. Shade is a priority, but are these structures designed with hurricanes in mind?
Donna Kostreva
October 12, 2022at4:09 pm
Hoping I live long enough to see anyone using the $40million dollar Sun runner buses. When I moved here over four decades ago one could travel to the beach for fifty cents! Another solution in search of a problem.