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In the latest episode of Downtown Dialogue, host Karen Carmichael sits down with Mack Feldman, Vice President of Asset Management at Feldman Equities and Vice Chair of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, and Jason Mathis, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, to talk about what makes a downtown street inviting, walkable, and vibrant, and how St. Petersburg can plan for the next 10, 20, or even 30 years of growth.
The conversation centers on downtown's A and B street designations, which determine how much pedestrian-oriented activity, like restaurants, shops, and other businesses, must be built into new development. Mack and Jason discuss why some current B streets, particularly portions of First Avenue North, First Avenue South, Second Avenue North, and Second Avenue South, could be strong candidates to become A streets. Expanding these pedestrian-oriented corridors could create more vibrant places to walk, give local businesses more options for affordable retail space, and help spread downtown's energy beyond Central Avenue and Beach Drive.
The episode also touches on pedestrian and cyclist safety, the relationship between new development and retail, the challenges developers face when incorporating commercial space, and a broader vision for what downtown could look like decades from now.
The Partnership is currently gathering feedback from residents, businesses, developers, and community leaders as part of its work on proposed downtown land-use updates.
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