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Outback probably won't sizzle till summer
By SHARON L. BOND, Neighborhood Times Business Editor ST. PETERSBURG -- Residents in and near downtown will have to wait a few months longer for an Outback Steakhouse on Fourth Street N because of a decision to make more extensive renovations to the building it will occupy. It probably will be summer before the popular Australia-themed restaurant opens in the old Bradford Coach House at 1900 Fourth St. N, according to Outback and Boyd Development Co. of Ocala. "We anticipate a completion date (for construction) of June," said Clark East, director of real estate for Boyd. "It could be open by the summer of 2002." An Outback spokeswoman was less specific, saying opening would be sometime in the first or second quarter of this year. Late last year Boyd bought the coach house and adjacent parking area that used to be a Christmas tree lot from an investment group called the 1900 Coach House Partners Inc. East would not divulge the purchase price of the coach house. The sale on the parking lot is pending. "We made a determination that the structural integrity of the building needed additional work," East said. "Because we have a 20-year lease (with Outback), it's better to spend a little more now and make lasting changes in the construction so we won't have maintenance in the future." East said Boyd would spend about $2-million on construction. He said Outback would spend another $2-million on the interior of the restaurant. Because of the construction changes, the plans for the coach house are being reviewed again by the city of St. Petersburg. The 1900 Coach House Partners bought the vacant Bradford property in early 2001 for $1.35-million. They announced that they expected to sign Outback for the coach house. They also said they were working to get Krispy Kreme Doughnuts to build in the parking lot next door. They also bought land to the rear that faces Crescent Lake and planned nine to 11 townhomes there. The first target opening date for Outback was last September, then year's end and finally the first quarter of 2002. Demolition work was going on inside the coach house while the partners owned it. The 1925 building, which was a popular gathering place for civic groups because of its banquet rooms, had been vacant for some time an had become an eyesore on Fourth Street N. East said Boyd Development is a preferred developer for Outback and has built a number of its restaurants around the state. "Outback called us about this site and asked if we were interested. We made an offer to Jack (Bodziak) and, fortunately, it all worked out," he said. Boyd will continue to own the property after Outback moves in. Bodziak, a St. Petersburg architect, was the representative for the 1900 partners, which included his son John C. Bodziak and Vicki Loges, owner of the Fourth Street Shrimp Store in St. Petersburg. Bodziak confirmed the sale of the coach house and said Boyd's purchase of the parking lot should be complete in February. Loges said she now is sole owner of the 290 feet on Crescent Lake where the townhouses will be built. Plans for the homes are going forward, she said. East said he had gone to the partners in an effort to get Krispy Kreme at the site when they still owned it. But the popular North Carolina doughnut chain finally decided the site was not right for one of its shops and a distribution center. The old coach house will include Outback at the south end in the largest space, Optical Outlets in the middle and Panera Bread on the north end. Panera is a soup and salad cafe with an upscale bakery. East said the second floor of the coach house will be gutted for "class A office space." Boyd is working with Outback to get a tenant for the parking lot site that will not compete with the steakhouse, East said.
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From the Times South Pinellas desks |
