St. Petersburg, Florida -- One of our oldest landmarks needs a facelift. But how do you inject life back into the St. Pete Pier?
"A lot less people are here now than there used to be," said fisherman David Cohn.
The Pier has been discussed and dissected to no end. In 2010, a Pier Advisory Task Force was assembled to try and solve the lifeless strip of concrete downtown. Once a bustling, vibrant area, the Pier now sits dormant. The only people who visit now are fishermen, bicyclists and unexpecting tourists.
"We don't even know what it should be," said one woman who was visiting from Brazil.
GOOD IDEAS?:Fun options for the St. Pete Pier
Responses like that is why St. Pete has been proactive. A new study was conducted about how the Pier should be revitalized. The analysis, done by Lambert Advisory out of Miami, aimed to find out what made the most sense financially and practically for the Pier.
Here are some of the suggestions as the city considers a new or renovated Pier:
• The Pier "must be attractive to both visitors and locals," to be financially successful.
• Restaurants are the only retail-oriented use that "can perform reasonably well on or adjacent to the Pier," without entertainment and other activities to draw people there. The Pier and uplands could absorb between 50,000 and 60,000 square feet of restaurant, bar and banquet space, slightly more than estimated four years earlier.
• There is "substantial opportunity" for family entertainment, such as "waterpark-type features, arcades and certain well-positioned rides." With little competition in Pinellas County, there is a chance to get a private investor "who would take the risk associated with these ventures."
LOCAL INPUT:Residents want walkable Pier
• An amphitheater-style performance venue with a capacity of 4,000 to 5,000 could be quite successful, but with potential bookings of only between 12 to 24 days a year, "should be considered only in conjunction with another more heavily utilized entertainment use."
• The market is "nearly primed" to support a hotel at, or adjacent to, the Pier.
• There's a need to accommodate larger local and transient boats, as well as for additional courtesy docks.
• A major aquarium, marine discovery center or similar facility would be a draw, but the city must consider these attractions only if "a dedicated funding source for capital and operations is identified during the planning process."
NAME IT:Why is it called The Pier?
Hope isn't lost for the Pier. Many visitors see a future for the Tampa Bay landmark.
"We were comparing it to the Navy Pier in Chicago," said John Miller, who was visiting with his family from the Windy City. "It used to be kind of desolate like this and now it's the No. 1 tourist attraction in Illinois."
That pier is located on Lake Michigan, has a Ferris wheel and other family-friendly attractions and drew nearly 9 million visitors in 2013. That's what locals want to see on Tampa Bay.
"I'd like to see a restaurant and some kind of novelty shops," said Pinellas Park resident Joe Carrigan, who has been coming to the Pier for almost 30 years. "I would support anything going into this Pier."
The study will be sent to the eight design teams competing for the Pier project. Teams have until Dec. 19 to submit concepts.
LOOKING BACK:History of the Pier
