St. Pete Catalyst; Published By Mark Parker
Despite decades of progress and seemingly endless construction, there’s still a “secret garden” in St. Petersburg.
Residents and visitors could soon lose the only entryway to a tropical stretch of Booker Creek – in one of the few areas where it doesn’t resemble a drainage ditch. A group of property and business owners are asking city officials to give them control of what one Development Review Commissioner (DRC) called the “coolest alley” in St. Pete.
The city council conducted a first reading of an ordinance to vacate the 16-by-100-foot brick path during Thursday’s meeting. The motion to set a public hearing for June 15 passed unanimously without official or public comment.
However, the DRC discussed the proposal at length during its March 1 meeting. An attorney representing the applicant relayed Green Bench Brewing ownership’s intent to transform the land behind 1421 Central Ave. into a beer garden.
“This is one of those unusual alleys that has access to an unusual water feature,” said Commissioner Chuck Flynt. “And my concern is that giving up this alley access off of Central Avenue forever limits access to this water feature that is unique to this area. Read more
