Dolphin Village, the Publix-anchored shopping center on St. Pete Beach, plans a redevelopment with rooftop bars
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Aug 6, 2020

Rooftop bars, a recreational lawn and local restaurants could soon join the lineup of traditional retailers at Dolphin Village on St. Pete Beach.

Plans are in the works to redevelop 41,000 square feet in the southern portion of Dolphin Village, a Publix Super Markets Inc.-anchored shopping center on Gulf Boulevard. The owner of the shopping center, New York-based Brixmor Property Group Inc., has hired Acre Commercial as the third-party leasing representative on the redevelopment, which will be known as The Landing at Dolphin Village.

The redevelopment plans come as retail properties face unprecedented headwinds in the wake of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Tourism, a key driver of restaurant and retails on St. Pete Beach, has also taken a huge hit as the pandemic has halted the majority of leisure travel. But the redevelopment is aimed at drawing consumers to the property once they're comfortable gathering, said Willow Ferrelli, Acre managing partner.

"We have a lot of interest in this project, and a [lack] of tourism isn’t a concern even for prospective tenants," Ferrelli said. "The good operators who are planning for the future are not afraid of this."

A replacement of the city's 60-year-old sewage system that began earlier this year made redevelopment a possibility, Ferrelli said. The old system was at capacity, which brought development to a standstill.

The Landing will emphasize a recreational lawn in the space that's currently a courtyard, similar in nature to Tampa's Armature Works and Sparkman Wharf.

"Those projects set a precedent and introduced the consumer to a new, modern type of retail that we all love and are attracted to," Ferrelli said. "And it works for all age groups, so I think they definitely set the tone."

A third story will be added to the rotundas on either end of the courtyard for rooftop bars, Ferrelli said. Acre has put proposals in front of three potential tenants for the rooftop bars; once the first is signed, Acre will look for a complementary concept to occupy the second one.

Ferrelli declined to identify any potential tenants. She said she hasn't done a formal marketing rollout and is instead cold-calling restaurant operators that she thinks would be a good fit for the space.

Blue Fugu, a Japanese steakhouse and sushi bar that's long been a tenant in the shopping center, will remain in The Landing space.

"If it is a multiple unit concept with a strong operator and they understand a beach demographic, we are probably talking to them," she said.

Ideally, Ferrelli said, Acre will have signed leases in hand by the end of the year and construction will wrap up in 2022.