Bay Walk Revitalization Article

The sidewalk on the Second Avenue North side of Bay Walk has always been a popular gathering place for St. Petersburg residents, but the city would like to make it easier for patrons to access other attractions in downtown St. Petersburg.
Some of the attractions the city is referring to include the waterfront district, the shops along Beach Drive, etc. They would also like to make Bay Walk an easier place to access. In a July 14, 2009 memorandum between Rick Mussett, senior administrator for the city of St. Petersburg and current St. Petersburg mayor Rick Baker, Mussett outlines what the city envisions doing with the revitalization of Bay Walk.
On page six of this memorandum, Mussett states that, “The sidewalk area on the south side of Second Avenue is an important link to program and manage. This can be achieved by granting Bay Walk a Special Event Permit to use the portion of the sidewalk within the right-of-way on the south side of Second Avenue North.”
Mussett then goes on to state that “it is thought that the Special Event Permit would be available during Bay Walk’s high-utilization periods, which are as follows: Thursday and Friday evenings beginning at 5 p.m. and all day Saturday and Sunday.”
The city is also pushing to have the sidewalk on the north side of Second Avenue vacated. According to Mussett on page six of his July 14, 2009 memorandum to Baker, “C.W. Capital would like to manage the sidewalk area along the north side of Second Avenue North between First and Second Streets North.”
Mussett then added on page six of his memorandum that “East and west pedestrian access would be kept along the south side of Second Avenue North.”
Basically, the city is trying to fill the upstairs section of Bay Walk to make it a better place to visit. If all goes smoothly, the upstairs part of Bay Walk should be filled by the end of next summer. On page eight of the memorandum between Mussett and Baker, it is stated that “C.W. Capital is considering investing up to $6 million to revitalize Bay Walk.” The plan involves possibly turning the outside ticket booth at Bay Walk into something else or at least relocating it to a different area.
Many St. Petersburg residents are in favor of vacating the sidewalk on the north side of Second Avenue. Gregory K. McNutt, Property Manager of Ciminelli Real Estate Services at Bay Walk said, “We started enforcing the curfew (that says that if you are under 18 years of age without an adult, you can’t be on the Bay Walk premises after 9 p.m. and if you are between 18 and 21 years of age without an adult, you can’t be on the Bay Walk premises after 10 p.m.) because a lot of guests of Bay Walk quit coming because of teenage loitering.”
According to Rick Mussett, Senior Administrator for the city of St. Petersburg, “We recommended it (the Bay Walk revitalization) because we think that the vacation (of the north side of Second Avenue) is crucial to get more tenants into Bay Walk. This would allow Bay Walk’s customers to get in and out without obstruction. It isn’t hurting First Amendment rights (of the people of St. Petersburg) because the residents can still gather across the street.”
Owners of shops along Beach Drive and the downtown waterfront area are also in favor of Bay Walk’s revitalization. They, however, would like to see more of the residents of St. Petersburg visit their shops.
According to Philip Anthony Weber, a St. Petersburg resident and co-owner of Davis Anthony Home and Garden on Beach Drive, “There is a huge sign for Bay Walk on the interstate.” “It (the Bay Walk advertisement) needs to say that St. Pete has great shops that are privately owned. In other cities, small shops lose their character to big chains,” he said. Weber also adds that “we have an urban vibe here (in St. Petersburg). We are very pedestrian friendly and offer products and service.” He sums everything up by saying that “consumers need to support the small businesses along with the big chains because supporting us keeps us in the community.”
Finally, the city of St. Petersburg city council will be voting on the issue of vacating the sidewalk on the north end of Second Avenue on October 1, 2009 beginning at 8:30 a.m. with the public hearings beginning at 9 a.m. The city urges all residents who have any interest in the Bay Walk revitalization project to attend this meeting. If you have anything to say regarding this project, you are also urged to attend this meeting and speak your mind.