Friday, April 12, 2013
Anchor tenants the Columbia Restaurant and Cha Cha Coconuts are shutting down May 31 regardless if council delays closing the pier, TBO reports.
Council member Wengay Newton has asked City Council and Mayor Bill Foster to delay the May 31 scheduled closing of the St. Petersburg Pier until after the Aug. 27 primary election. "Over 16,000 signatures have been collected in an effort to have the Pier question put on the primary ballot," Newton wrote on the new business item. "With thousands of signatures obtained, it seems fairly certain that a Pier question will appear on the ballot. Keeping the Pier open until the vote in August will allow service and Pier employees to keep their jobs." His request, however, is unlikely to happen because anchor tenants, the Columbia and Cha Cha Coconuts, will be shutting down May 31 regardless if council decides to delay the closing. Foster, …
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Share your favorite photos of The Pier with Patch readers and enter a contest to have the winning photo featured on the St. Pete Patch Facebook Page. Upload your photos here!
Monday, January 14, 2013
The court-ordered mediation will go on as planned this Friday between the City and attorney Kathleen Ford.
The City of St. Petersburg and attorney Kathleen Ford, representing VoteOnThePier.com, have reached an agreement to move forward with Friday's court-ordered mediation. More than 15,000 petitioners will be removed from a lawsuit seeking to force a citywide vote on the future of the St. Petersburg Pier. Monday's hearing in St. Pete was requested by the city, in order to delay the Jan. 18 mediation. That mediation will not be delayed. The hearing took less than five minutes, as Circuit Court Judge Jack Day announced that the parties had reached an agreement, or agreed to a "stipulation." Joseph Patner, representing the city, said today's "stipulation" is a step in the right direction to make sure no unwilling citizens are a part of the …
The city will get a chance to present its argument for delaying a court-ordered mediation over the future of the St. Petersburg Pier.
Monday, December 31, 2012
St. Pete Patch has compiled a list of the top local stories of 2012. What was the biggest story of 2012 for you?
1. The "Lens" and the St. Petersburg Pier There was this story and then there was everything else in St. Petersburg in 2012. The ongoing controversy of the Michael Maltzan "Lens" design and the St. Petersburg Pier dominated our coverage, your comments and public action. What other story involved dozens of public meetings, two petitions and an unfinished lawsuit? If you like this story, well, it won't be ending anytime soon. The Pier is still set to close May 31, 2013 and be demolished in August. Recently, council approved the next phase of funding for the "Lens" but with speed bumps along the way incase council wishes to halt construction. 2. Weird Florida Florida has been known for its beautiful beaches, warm winters and even Disney …
Monday, December 24, 2012
The video is in response to promotional videos released earlier this month supporting the "Lens".
Just weeks after promotional videos supporting the "Lens" were released, a local group looking to stop the lens has released a promotion video of its own. In the video shown above, local business owners and activists associated with the group "Stop the Lens" speak out against the Michael Maltzan design. The "Lens" is the pier design slated to replace the existing St. Petersburg Pier Stop the Lens posted the video Sunday night, along with the message: "You think the pitchman Sully knows how to make some media stuff? Concerned Citizens is on the move." The group was referring to TV pitchman, St. Petersburg resident and "Lens" supporter Anthony Sullivan. Earlier this year Sullivan created a group, "WOW Our Waterfront St. Pete" to support the…
Wednesday, December 19, 2012
StPetePolls has released its latest results. Less than a third of St. Pete wants the 'Lens,' slightly more than half want to get rid of red light cameras and Mayor Bill Foster leads mayoral race.
If a lawsuit and a second petition drive against Michael Maltzan's "Lens" were not enough proof that St. Pete does not like the design slated to replace the St. Petersburg Pier, a new poll also shows minimal public support. According to the latest results from StPetePolls, only 30 percent of the 1,916 survey respondents think the "Lens" pier should be built. More than 55 percent do not think it should be built while 14 percent are unsure. On Dec. 6, city council voted 7-1 to approve the next phase of funding for the design. While it approved the design, council did put in road blocks for future funding sources so each step will have to be passed by council in increments. Council did this in case 'Stop the Lens' is successful in its …
Friday, December 7, 2012
The City Council voted 7-1 Thursday to approve the next round of funding for the Lens. The funding, however, will be approved in smaller increments to protect the city in case pending lawsuits and petition drives are successful.
One day after Circuit Judge Amy Williams ordered the city to have a mediation with local attorney Kathleen Ford over a lawsuit regarding the petition drive to force a vote on the St. Petersburg Pier, City Council voted 7-1 to approve the next round of funding for the "Lens". The "Lens" is the $50 million Michael Maltzan design selected to replace the existing inverted pyramid. Thursday's approval of the "basis of design" report was slated to allocate $5.4 million to cover the rest of the pre-construction services for the "Lens". However, with a pending lawsuit/mediation and an ongoing Stop the Lens petition drive, council amended the resolution to allow for council to approve that funding in increments. What was approved Thursday was …
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
An updated design includes more shade structures, restaurant spaces and wider walkways. New renderings were also released.
A new set of renderings of the "Lens," the proposed structue for replacing the city pier, already is drawing controvery from opponents on the City Council. Architect Michael Maltzan showed the City Council on Tuesday some additional changes he made to the design, including more shade structures, spaces for restaurants and wider walkways. Maltzan said that like the Eiffel Tower in Paris, the Lens will provide a "literal" view of the city but will also enable the public to envision what St. Petersburg may be like in the future. “That’s what I believe is fundamental when we talk about it as an icon,” Maltzan said. “It’s a place to come and connect to the extraordinary landscape of the bay. Also, a place to see the city now and to see the …
Tuesday, December 4, 2012
On Tuesday, Michael Maltzan presented an updated design for the "Lens" pier.
New images and renderings of the "Lens" pier were released Tuesday by Michael Maltzan during a presentation to City Council. The team also released a video rendering of the "Lens," which can be found online by clicking here. On Wednesday morning we'll have a full story on the design changes and reaction from city council. Wednesday will also mark a day when the city meets the VoteOnThePier petitioners in court.
nic weathersbee
3:59 pm on Monday, April 15, 2013
Push Polling: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Push_poll more ›