The city, a downtown nonprofit and a renowned urban redevelopment expert are preparing to launch long-overdue upgrades at St. Petersburg’s Williams Park.
Dan Biederman, who is overseeing evolving design plans, returned to the area this week to tour St. Petersburg’s oldest park and meet with surrounding stakeholders. He received national acclaim in the early 1990s for transforming Bryant Park, then one of New York’s seediest, into a celebrated amenity.
Biederman’s decades of experience revitalizing dozens of public spaces throughout the country will help guide Williams Park’s makeover, which is set to begin in the spring with bandshell renovations. New programmatic elements will likely include small concerts, lectures, fitness classes, chess tables, carts with art supplies and children’s activities.
“We invented programming in parks,” Biederman said. “The way we do it is a little different.”
Williams Park will continue to host typical programming, such as the Saturday Morning Market and large events like Localtopia and Paddy Fest, on specific dates. However, Biederman stressed the importance of “amenities” that engage visitors at “all hours of the day.”
“Most of what I’m mentioning is 10 hours a day stuff,” he added. “That would help the park a lot. It’s hard to get to a crowded park just from scheduled events.”
St. Petersburg’s first park, which opened in 1888, has fallen on hard times in recent years. What was once considered the heart of downtown is, outside of special events, typically just a gathering place for the city’s homeless population.
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Many of the green spaces revitalized under the guidance of Biederman Redevelopment Ventures mirror Williams Park’s trajectory. Jason Mathis, CEO of the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, said Bryant Park’s rebirth is “one of America’s greatest success stories.”
Williams Park is roughly a third of the size of Bryant Park. However, Biederman believes 3.3 acres is plenty of space for what project partners hope to achieve.
He credited Williams Park’s location and the number of stakeholders in surrounding residential, commercial and academic buildings. Biederman, who has now toured the area multiple times, including later at night, also noted that “it’s really pretty safe.”
“This will work here,” he added. “We’re very optimistic this is going to be a great park.”
Funding and revenue
Mathis broached the topic of revitalizing Williams Park to Biederman over six years ago. Plans to create a downtown special improvement district never took flight.
The downtown partnership jump-started the long-dormant Williams Park Partnership last year, and the nonprofit secured $800,000 in state funding for capital improvements in September. “We felt it was really important to bring in the smartest people we knew to help us think about how the park might function,” Mathis said.
“You don’t want to spend a bunch of money and then realize everything you did was wrong because it doesn’t match the new programming in the park.”
City officials will launch a much-anticipated $3 million bandshell improvement project in late spring. Shaun Drinkard, CEO of the Williams Park Partnership, noted that those plans began in 2018.
Drinkard, also vice president of the downtown partnership, said the groups are “working as fast as we can to align construction” with the city’s efforts. The park will remain open throughout the process, which he expects to conclude by the end of 2026.
Roughly half of the state funding will go toward adding and improving entrances. “Gateways are big,” Drinkard said. “So planters, lighting, all that stuff that makes you want to enter the park.”
The remainder will support enhancements to interior paths, the tree canopy, the plaza and electrical systems. Drinkard said the team will also ensure park areas can accommodate planned amenities and programming.
Mathis noted they also want to convert a bus ticketing office into a coffee shop with food, beverages and outdoor seating. Discussions with the Pinellas Suncoast Transit Authority are ongoing.
Biederman highlighted additional avenues to generate revenue at the park. Those include sponsorships, film and photo shoots, food and beverage sales and experiential marketing.
The downtown partnership is also seeking about $500,000 in private donations for programming. Mathis has already raised roughly half that amount and is “not worried” about reaching his goal.
Drinkard found 400 highly utilized, free parking spaces downtown, and the city agreed to install meters in those areas. That will provide about $1 million annually to establish an improvement district.
The city will deploy cleanup teams to address litter, graffiti and code compliance issues around the downtown core. Ambassadors will help tourists and residents navigate the area, build relationships with businesses and help mitigate misconduct.
A $1 million federal grant will support city outreach and homeless assistance services. Mathis said area stakeholders, including developers, the historic United Methodist Church and St. Petersburg College, want to ensure Williams Park is welcoming “for everybody in the community.”
“We’re lucky we have well-heeled partners,” he added. “But then also community partners who see the advantage of a more well-maintained park and urban space.”
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
