Drastic changes are on the horizon for a blighted South St. Petersburg corridor known for its lack of healthy food options, retail offerings and neighborhood connectivity.
Local developer John Barkett and his wife, Julie, have unveiled plans to transform several parcels along Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South, near Historic Roser Park and the St. Petersburg Innovation District, into a wellness hub. They dubbed their ambitious adaptive reuse project The Looking Glass Initiative.
The plan is to reimagine a long-neglected plaza and fill empty storefronts with a neighborhood grocer, a community coffee shop, a full-service real estate boutique and new retail spaces for local small business owners. A separate vacant lot will become the Wonderland Garden, with a “Food Farmacy” program, educational workshops and employment opportunities for residents with disabilities…