According to St. Pete Catalyst, the St. Petersburg City Council voted unanimously to adopt a $55 million master plan that would transform roughly 12 acres beneath Interstate 275 into a network of parks, trails and public gathering spaces. The initiative, called Trails Crossing, is designed to create a cultural corridor centered on the Pinellas Trail and to improve connections between the Grand Central, EDGE, Warehouse Arts, Deuces Live and Historic Gas Plant districts.
The plan does not require the city to fund construction. John Barkett, co‑founder and president of the nonprofit Friends of Trails Crossing, emphasized that the council’s approval simply establishes a framework for fundraising and phased development. Friends of Trails Crossing, formed in 2022, intends to seek federal and state grants, private philanthropy, corporate sponsorships and programming revenue to finance the project over the next decade or longer.
Early phases would focus on activating the Pinellas Trail corridor with better lighting, safer pedestrian and bicycle connections, wayfinding, public art, and spaces for community programming and small businesses. Longer‑term improvements could include replacing underused parking and vacant land with pedestrian and bicycle pathways, playgrounds, performance areas, outdoor markets and green infrastructure, extending from Fifth Avenue South to Burlington Avenue North with possible further northward expansion.
The nonprofit has already demonstrated fundraising ability, raising $30,000 for conceptual renderings and contributing $150,000 to match the city’s $150,000 investment in the master‑planning process, for a total of $300,000 that funded design work by LandDesign with guidance from Agora Partners. Friends of Trails Crossing also partnered with the city to secure a $1.38 million federal Reconnecting Communities planning grant, which will fund traffic studies for converting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street South and 8th Street South to two‑way traffic.
Because the Florida Department of Transportation owns the land beneath the interstate, existing agreements will need to be revised before construction can begin. The project must also accommodate current uses, such as parking for the Vertical Ventures climbing gym, and will require a sustainable operations model. Friends of Trails Crossing expects to serve as the nonprofit steward, handling programming, sponsorships, fundraising and maintenance in coordination with the city and other partners.
What’s next: The Trails Crossing vision will be highlighted at the Florida Greenways and Trails Foundation Summit in St. Petersburg on Nov. 9‑10, where Barkett is slated to discuss repurposing interstate spaces. The next critical step is securing the funding needed for initial improvements and finalizing agreements for long‑term stewardship.
Sources: stpetecatalyst.com
