St. Petersburg, FL – August 16, 2017 For the third year in a row, St. Petersburg’s EDGE District was recognized with multiple Outstanding Main Street of the Year Awards.
Each year the annual Florida Main Street Conference brings together the state’s accredited Main Street programs. During the conference, the Secretary of State Awards for Outstanding Main Streets are given to those excelling in community revitalization and preservation efforts. This year, the EDGE District captured top honors in three categories.
The EDGE District in St. Petersburg is operated by the EDGE Business District Association and has been an accredited Florida Main Street and accredited Main Street America™ since 2014. Its program’s revitalization efforts have included renaming and rebranding the district, spearheading the EDGE District Improvement Plan, creating the EDGE District History Project, organizing district-wide events, participating in statewide promotional campaigns, business mentoring and education, and most recently, launching the district’s new mobile app.
This year’s Florida Main Street Conference was held August 13-16 in Fernandina Beach. Florida Secretary of State Ken Detzner awarded the EDGE District highest honors in three categories:
* Outstanding Private-Public Partnership of the Year: The EDGE District received this Award for its partnership with the City of St. Petersburg on the development of the EDGE District Improvement Plan. This comprehensive plan involved nearly two years of development and was a collaborative project involving the EDGE District community, City of St. Petersburg, and multinational consultancy firm AECOM. Approved by St. Petersburg City Council in early 2017, the Plan contemplates enhanced parking, new streetscaping, district gateway markers, public art, and green space.
* Outstanding Business of the Year:
ARTicles Custom Framing and Art Gallery at 1445 Central Avenue in the EDGE District received this award for its fundamental impact on EDGE District revitalization efforts. Owned and operated by Leslie Curran, ARTicles was recognized for its generous support of local artists, creating city-wide arts events that have become major regional attractions, and being one of the largest driving forces behind the growth and evolution of St. Petersburg arts and culture.
* Outstanding New Construction Project: Hawkers Asian Street Fare received this award for its $1.5 million reconstruction project that transformed a vacant building at a high-profile corner in the EDGE district. The resulting building at 1235 Central Avenue is a beautiful structure that pays homage to the EDGE District’s industrial history and houses one of the most successful restaurants in the City.
The EDGE District’s neighboring Main Street, Grand Central, also received honors, capturing the Merit Award for its sidewalk beautification project in the Public Improvement category.
The EDGE District spans from MLK to 16th Streets and 1st Avenue North to 1st Avenue South. The EDGE Business District Association is a 501(c)(3) organization whose mission is to plan, promote, and advocate to sustain an eclectic, vibrant EDGE District community while preserving its unique character. For more information, go to www.edgedistrict.org or the EDGE District mobile app at distrx.com.