A long-empty corner on Central Avenue in St. Petersburg’s Grand Central district is finally in line for a second act. MTBH Studios is looking to swap out a vacant surface parking lot for a mixed-use building, adding street-level commercial space with residences stacked above. If it moves forward, the project would turn a sleepy stretch of pavement into a livelier retail and residential block, joining a growing wave of development on Central Avenue.
What MTBH Is Proposing
As reported by the Tampa Bay Business Journal, MTBH Studios, a St. Petersburg design-build firm known for local infill work, is advancing plans to transform the corner lot into a new mixed-use project. According to the Business Journal, the site is currently a vacant parking lot in the Grand Central district, and the vision is straightforward: active commercial space at street level with housing above.
Central Avenue’s Development Wave
Central Avenue has quickly turned into one of the city’s busiest real estate storylines this year, with new restaurants and larger redevelopments clustering in and around Grand Central. St. Pete Catalyst has highlighted projects like the multi-level Central Park food hall, which underscore how big, multi-tenant concepts are zeroing in on the corridor. At the same time, smaller independent eateries are lining up addresses of their own, with the Tampa Bay Times noting a Buttermilk Eatery location planned for Grand Central. In that context, an underused lot on Central becomes a logical target for a local builder.
MTBH’s Local Footprint
MTBH Studios, short for Modern Tampa Bay Homes, is already woven into Central Avenue’s recent development history. The firm previously proposed AD Lofts at 2250 Central, a townhome and retail concept in the district, as covered by St. Pete Rising. On its website at MTBH Studios, the company showcases a portfolio that leans heavily on contemporary infill and mixed-use work. The new Grand Central proposal would keep that pattern going, combining ground-floor retail with upper-floor residences in the same neighborhood.
What Comes Next
Before any construction crews show up, MTBH will need to navigate the City of St. Petersburg’s approval process. The project requires site-plan approval and building permits, which trigger municipal review that includes routing through the Development Review Commission and staff checks. City documents and meeting packets spell out the steps that projects along the corridor must clear, and the timing of those hearings and approvals will dictate when work can actually begin. MTBH will have to submit full architectural and site plans, secure the necessary sign-offs, and obtain permits before breaking ground on the revamped Grand Central corner.
