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The restaurant in front of Maximo Plaza will have a better drive-through layout, more parking and a nicer look.
By SHARON L. BOND
© St. Petersburg Times, published February 14, 2001
ST. PETERSBURG -- Construction is under way on a new, company-owned McDonald's on 34th Street S at the front corner of Maximo Plaza shopping center. The fast food restaurant should be open by mid April.
It replaces the McDonald's that had been on the spot about 20 years, according to Jim Kurtz, construction project manager with the chain's regional office in Tampa.
That restaurant was a high-volume one for the company, but its upkeep became too expensive, Kurtz said. It closed Jan. 9 and was torn down this month.
There were problems with the plumbing and wiring, and the roof needed repairs. One of the biggest drawbacks of the old restaurant was the poor layout of the drive-through. "We'll have a much better layout for the drive-through," Kurtz said. McDonald's typically gets 60 percent of its store sales from drive-through windows.
"It was important to get it fixed," Kurtz said.
The fast-food chain bought land from Maximo Plaza for the new building.
"It required a little more property to make a much nicer facility aesthetically and operationally," Kurtz said.
This week dirt-moving machinery was at work in preparation of building the foundation for the new restaurant. The new building should start going up next week, Kurtz said.
The interior will seat about 90 diners, and there will be a patio area outside covered by an awning, Kurtz said. The parking lot will be enlarged from 35 spaces to 50. Landscaping will be much improved.
The new McDonald's is one more sign of revitalization for Maximo Plaza, which sits between 43rd and 44th avenues on 34th Street S. The shopping center once had a grocery store and theater that brought shoppers in. It had been in decline for a number of years.
During last year the center got two important tenants: Maxi Mall, a sort of upscale flea market that occupies a large space and has numerous retailers, and Ace Hardware. It also was helped by the opening of small shops, such as Readers Choice Books & Gift Expressions, and the tenacity of stores such as Spare Room Mini Storage that have hung on through the past few years.