November 4, 1997
4th Street N Beautification?
By Timothy J. Baker
IT'S HAPPENED MANY times. Somebody looks at the North Shore neighborhood and sees lovely old homes, shaded streets, and a world-class waterfront.
Then they turn their eyes to 4th Street N, the busy commercial street that forms the neighborhood's western border.
Why can't this be better? they think.
Parts of 4th Street are just plain ugly, and most of it is harsh, especially to a pedestrian. Speeding cars, oil-stained parking lots, heaps of old tires, too many curb cuts, too much noise, and nothing much in the way of landscaping to soften the blow.
There are bright spots, to be sure - the expansion at the Fourth Street Shrimp Store, Fancy's re-opening at a new location, the renovation of the Saad building for an antique store. But these examples, and there are more, too, just prove that the street really could be better.
OVER THE YEARS, various campaigns have been launched to improve the street, but little has happened. There have been many reasons for this, but one constant stands out. 4th Street is controlled by the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), not the City of St. Petersburg, and where the city sees an urban street that should be pedestrian friendly, the state sees a highway.
So, when the city persuades a new business to install some landscaping, the state says no, nothing but sod is allowed. Or when a business wants a brick-paved sidewalk, the state says no, only concrete or asphalt is allowed.
Spurred by such decisions in several recent cases, a new effort has been launched, and this one is different because it is aimed squarely at getting planning control of 4th Street turned over to the city.
This effort was kicked off on November 3, when about a dozen people met at the Rutland Bank office on 4th Street N to discuss the future of the street.
Those attending represented various neighborhoods that abut 4th Street N, from downtown out to Riviera Bay. The 4th Street Business Association was also represented. City planner Jamie Shelton also attended.
Ms. Shelton told the group about various problems that have arisen on 4th Street N during her ten years as a city planner, and about her unsuccessful attempts to resolve differences between the city and FDOT.
WHAT EVENTUALLY EMERGED was that the state might be willing to cede control of 4th Street N planning to the city, if an acceptable master plan for the street can be worked out by the city, the businesses located there, and the abutting neighborhoods.
4th Street N, of course, is a complex beast, with a character that changes radically from one end to the other. Thus, it is likely that a neighborhood association from the north end of the street might have entirely different goals than the NSNA, and a business association might have still other aims.
The solution might be to divide the street into several zones, with different planning principles applied to each.
Thus, the section from Central Avenue to, say, 22nd or 30th Avenue, might be treated as an urban shopping street, while the section near Gandy Boulevard might be treated as a scenic highway.
One thing that seemed clear is that a major effort to improve 4th Street N will take considerable time and dedication, and the help of many people from different areas.
The ad hoc group did not decide anything specific at its first meeting, other than to continue meeting, and to choose a name for itself in the near future.
Representing North Shore at the meeting were Steve Lange, Timothy Baker and Tom Hennessy. Anyone who is interested in this project can call any of these three at the phone numbers listed at https://members.tripod.com/~nsna/officers.htm.