ST. PETERSBURG — The 34th Street corridor has long been known as a busy yet unappealing stretch of commercial roadway. It’s where fast-food restaurants, supermarkets, car dealerships and gas stations coexist with cheap motels, pawn shops and struggling strip malls.
But not even 34th Street can resist the current redevelopment boom.
Developers say the thoroughfare is brimming with economic potential.
“I think there are several things that make it so attractive,” said Greg McNutt, director of retail services for Ciminelli Real Estate Services of Florida. “There’s a pretty sizable amount of traffic that uses 34th Street on a regular basis.
“I think the second reason that 34th Street is experiencing so much activity is I don’t think there are any other retail corridors in St. Petersburg with as much developable retail space.”
“Coming soon” signs along a roughly 5-mile stretch — 54th Avenue S past bustling 22nd Avenue N — herald coming projects, among them a $70 million mixed-use development near Eckerd College.