Plans to reimagine Williams Park in downtown St. Pete are starting to come into focus, with city partners emphasizing that the park’s future success will depend as much on daily activity and programming as on physical improvements.

Leaders with the St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership shared updates on the effort during a recent media availability at the Cordova Inn, where they were joined by Dan Biederman, a nationally recognized urban placemaking expert whose firm, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures, has been brought in to help shape how the park functions once construction is complete.

“It’s remarkable the progress St. Pete has made over the last four decades,” Biederman said, noting the level of downtown activity compared to other cities. “There’s a lot going on here at 11 o’clock at night — you don’t see that in many places.”

Williams Park, which opened in 1888, spans an entire city block in the heart of downtown, bordered by 1st Avenue North, 2nd Avenue North, 3rd Street North, and 4th Street North.

Long considered the city’s “town square,” the park has faced challenges in recent years related to perception issues, aging infrastructure, and an underutilized bandshell.

One of downtown St. Petersburg’s busiest nightlife blocks could soon look very different, with fewer cars and more room for people.

The St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership, working with planning and design firm Kimley-Horn, has unveiled a new streetscape concept for the 200 block of Central Avenue, home to popular nightlife spots like The Mandarin Hide and Mastry’s, as well as the 200 Central office tower and the newly completed Art House condo tower.

The idea is to trade curbside parking for wider sidewalks, outdoor seating, and a more pedestrian-friendly feel.

While much of the plan remains conceptual, part of it is already in place.

Mayor Ken Welch has released his recommended Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) budget for the City of St. Petersburg, a $967 million spending plan focused on affordable housing, infrastructure resilience, equitable development, and neighborhood health and safety.

The Capital Improvement Plan, which is funded through the city’s budget, includes an additional $202 million in funding for projects ranging from road resurfacing and wastewater treatment upgrades to municipal facility improvements.

The city’s total operating budget plus the proposed Capital Improvement Plan totals over $1.1 billion in spending for FY26.