Developer unveils makeover of high-traffic retail area

ST. PETERSBURG — The Sembler Company, a St. Petersburg-based shopping center developer, held a grand re-opening for one of St. Pete’s busiest shopping centers: Disston Plaza, a Publix-anchored neighborhood center at the corner of 49th St. N. and 38th Ave. N. The new Publix supermarket opened on Saturday.

“Disston Plaza is a great example of a type of project we feel makes a huge impact at an ‘everyday’ level,” states Josh Beyer, Sembler’s senior vice president of development. “We were able to work with the city of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Publix, our tenants, nearby residents and neighboring businesses to make Disston Plaza a more convenient, safer, more attractive place for the hundreds of local residents who shop there daily.”

Sembler tore down the existing Publix and replaced it with a new, 45,600-square-foot store. Other upgrades, the release states, include new lighting and landscaping as well as improvements to parking and pedestrian areas. Additionally, traffic flow in the area was improved by a new traffic signal placed on 49th St. N. and the widening of 49th St. N.

“Our commitment is to the communities we touch,” Sembler CEO Ron Wheeler states in the release. “Much of our business is in neighborhood centers — places where people go every day to buy groceries, eat dinner, go to the doctor, and shop. Because of that, we end up feeling extraordinarily invested in the markets we serve.”

Sembler’s portfolio, developed over 50 years in business, stretches throughout the southeastern U.S. and Puerto Rico; it currently leases and manages nearly 10 million square feet, according to the release.