Sundial developers say they have interest from national tenants
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer & Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Feb 3, 2023

The vision two Tampa Bay developers have for St. Petersburg’s Sundial is attracting interest from national, name-brand tenants — though it’s too soon to say which might end up in the redeveloped property.

Paradise Ventures, based in St. Petersburg, and Tampa-based Ally Capital Group on Thursday revealed conceptual renderings of a renovated Sundial that replace its eponymous sculpture and fountain with a lively outdoor bar and cafe seating.

Andrew Wright, CEO of Ally Capital Group, compared the Sundial overhaul to his repositioning of Westshore City Center, an office park in the Westshore business district previously known as the Austin Center.

“The Sundial has been beleaguered for several years, and part of the leasing effort is around a reintroduction of sorts,” Wright told the Tampa Bay Business Journal. “We have a lot of interest.”

Paradise and Ally are in the design phase of the project and still calculating how much square footage will be devoted to entertainment, restaurant and office space. A food hall, which the previous owner tried to bring to Sundial in 2020, is still a possibility, Wright said, as it would help build a lively vibe on the ground floor.

The open-air center opened as Sundial in 2014 after St. Petersburg businessman Bill Edwards poured $40 million into renovating it. It originally opened as BayWalk in 2000.

St. Pete architecture firm Behar and Peteranecz is designing the reimagined Sundial, and engineering work is also underway. Infrastructure work will begin this spring.

“Our main focus is getting a real active, vibrant courtyard,” Wright said. “That’s the heartbeat of it.”

Mike Connor, president and CEO of Paradise, told the Business Journal that the developers are talking to both national and local tenants to occupy the redeveloped Sundial.

“The response so far has been great. I think everybody is excited about it,” Connor said. “We all know it’s looked a little bit tired and needs to be refreshed. We are excited to bring national tenants on board that will help us in this transformation. We are vetting many national tenants right now.”

The developers are being “selective” with the national tenants they sign to Sundial.

“Every single one of the tenants we’re talking to want a five- to 10-year term, so this is a long-term commitment,” he said. “We also have a lot of locals, we want to retain that local flavor, but we also want to bring national tenants to the space as well.”