ST. PETE BEACH — The developer behind Tampa’s Armature Works won unanimous approval April 28 to rebuild the storm-damaged Blind Pass Marina with an outdoor restaurant, live music and 70 boat slips for transients and liveaboards.
Commissioners granted Ping Pong Partners the conditional use permits and variances needed to reconstruct the marina’s nonconforming dock structure within its existing footprint after it was destroyed in the 2024 hurricanes. The restaurant building on the property was also substantially damaged, and the owner has applied to demolish it.
The redevelopment will reduce the marina from 106 slips to 70 and shrink the overall dock footprint, Senior Planner Brandon Berry told commissioners. The 32-slip central dock will retain liveaboard slips, and the 19 wet slips on the northern dock will serve transients, including restaurant guests. Use of the 17-slip southern dock has not been specified.
A portion of the primary building, adjacent to a condominium development to the north, will remain as a clubhouse. The new restaurant will feature open-air dining and live outdoor music.
The dock facilities have stood in roughly the same footprint for 30 years, last significantly modified by an extension of the northern dock in the early 1990s, Berry said. St. Pete Beach began regulating commercial dock dimensions in the mid-1990s and brought nearly all commercial docks under the conditional use permit process in 2003. Because no permit was ever issued for the original docks and the applicant is seeking a full reconstruction, the project required commission approval.
The redevelopment also eliminates the northernmost slips and removes wet slips that aerial photos show overhanging the riparian line shared with the condominium to the north.
To address neighborhood concerns, staff attached conditions on the outdoor music: no music after 10 p.m., speakers oriented away from neighboring property, limits on the staging area and a required sound governor to cap decibel levels at the property line. The applicant plans to use a K-Array speaker system.
Brian Aungst Jr., the attorney for Ping Pong Partners, said the developer wants the marina to be “a crown jewel” in its portfolio and is committed to being a good neighbor while redeveloping what he called a blighted property.
“We’re actually reducing the intensity of the project,” Aungst said, citing the smaller slip count, a 5-foot reduction in dock length, a nearly 20-foot reduction in width and increased setbacks on both the north and south property lines. Larger slips, he added, will attract higher-quality boats and tenants.
The restaurant will be owner-operated and family-oriented, he said.
Commissioner Karen Marriott, who represents the district, said she is “super excited to have a higher end, better kind of experienced dining establishment up there on the north end of the beach,” and that residents in her neighborhood share her enthusiasm.
Commissioner Jon Maldonado called the project long overdue and said resident feedback has been largely favorable, though traffic concerns remain. Vice Mayor Lisa Robinson said the area has needed revitalization for some time. Commissioner Al Causey said he was looking forward to the project.
The conditional use permits and variances mark the first phase of approvals. The developer next goes before the Pinellas County Water and Navigation Authority.