Richard Williams didn’t want to move to Roser Park four years ago. He did so only because of his wife’s new job. He didn’t feel safe walking the block at night. Crack dealers lined the street. Thieves stole his potted plants.
“The neighborhood scared me,” Williams says. “It hadn’t completely turned the corner yet, so I was unsure about living there.”
Historic Roser Park, so named since becoming St. Petersburg, Fla.’s, first designated historic district in 1987, has improved dramatically since then, thanks in part to the devotion of residents – and in part to the boom in property values. Williams developed enough faith in the neighborhood to invest in an addition to his 1926 bungalow. He says the property he bought for $154,000 would sell now for as much as $600,000.
And as near-downtown property becomes more attractive, improvements at Roser Park have begun to ripple into bordering communities in the traditionally neglected Midtown area. Homes are being built, sold or refurbished in Bartlett Park, Campbell Park and Ingleside.
“When I drive there, I sometimes do a double-take,” says developer Tom Brew. “The changes are all for the better.”
Those changes are not appreciated by all Midtown residents. The Uhuru movement, which promotes economic justice in the African-American community, worries that revitalization and gentrification will force out long-time residents who can’t afford the rising cost of homes and property taxes.
The Midtown area has long been home to a predominance of low-income families and a higher crime rate than the rest of the city. In 2005, Midtown experienced 11 of St. Petersburg’s 30 homicides.
Now some residents are embracing revitalization efforts, and hoping crime – not neighbors – will be forced out of the area.
Kai Warren moved to Roser Park 25 years ago, and has lived in the same house since. He’s thrilled to see a neighborhood that once was derelict and dilapidated become a flourishing sweet spot in the heart of St. Petersburg.
“These are beautiful homes and if they’re neglected, they’ll be lost,” Warren says. “You can’t blame people who are fixing up historic houses, bringing business in and kicking out crime.”
A native of St. Petersburg, Warren grew up in a family captivated by history. When he and his two brothers were looking for homes of their own, they all moved to Roser Park. They saw a neighborhood in transition and took a risk that, at some point in the future, the neighborhood’s gracious past would triumph.
Years of work by Warren and others in the Historic Roser Park Neighborhood Association can be credited for much of the progress in the 100-home district.
“Shortly after I moved here, we had an influx of new homeowners,” says Warren. “We had some minor setbacks – a crack problem in the late ’80s that we had to chase off – but all of a sudden we had an influx of people who were invested in Roser Park.”
Crime may still be a concern in surrounding areas, but Warren believes that will change as more people are drawn to the convenience and historic character of the district.
“More and more people want to move here, but they can’t because there’s no space, so they move as close as they can,” he says. “When they see so much positive change going on, they gain trust in the neighborhood.”
“People love moving into those historic areas, they love that old-style house,” agrees Michael Perry, a local developer who is currently building a house in Roser Park. “Its proximity to downtown gives it incredible utility.”
More recently, the city has lent a hand. Since 2002, St. Petersburg has been working on a Midtown Strategic Planning Initiative to help boost neighborhood and economic development in the downtown area. One example: the 22nd Street Sweetbay Supermarket that opened in November.
“We’ve brought a lot of people back downtown,” says Brew, the developer. “People who live there, both old and new, need and expect these developments.”
As in any neighborhood where homes suddenly appreciate in value, some buyers invest in property just to turn a quick profit. But Warren feels the situation in Roser Park is win-win.
“They leave because they’re not part of the community,” he says. “They see their house solely as a nest egg. But when they move out, new buyers can appreciate this neighborhood.”
The demand for houses in the Roser Park area is also attracting real estate agents and developers. Maggie Simon, an agent for Tierra Verde Realty, is listing a 2,500-square-foot house in Roser Park for $649,900. She says a lot of people see the potential and are taking advantage of it.
“People who are moving there are real close-knit,” Simon says. “These people are really communicating with each other.”
Continued revitalization is crucial to the Roser Park neighborhood, Warren believes. He says that simply building new homes isn’t a solution because they don’t fit in with the original styles. He prefers to see homeowners invest in older homes and work to preserve the historic value of the area.
“There’s a unique spirit in the historical district,” Warren says. “This is our special place in St. Pete and it creates a bond.”
Despite his initial fears, Williams has found a home in Roser Park. These days, he doesn’t hesitate to walk the streets at night. But with all the neighbors stopping to chat, it takes him 45 minutes to make it around the block.
“The neighborhood is definitely in a happy place now,” he says.
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