The first retailer is staking a claim at the future St. Petersburg Pier.
A Pier tenant for 25 years, The Columbia Restaurant will remain downtown with the Lens.
The Columbia will open a new restaurant on the Pier approach, known as the hub.
Plans call for a $3 million, 7,500 sq. ft. restaurant with indoor dining for 220 diners, and seating for 100 additional diners on the waterview terrace.
The restaurant will include a rooftop tapas bar with sweeping views of the waterfront, the new dramatic Pier and the city skyline.
The city will own the building and invest $500,000 under a 10-year agreement.
The announcement didn't go over well with everyone. Nearly a dozen protestors stood with signs. Some of them called it a hasty decision.
“It came about pretty quickly and I feel like it was kind of backdoor maybe,” said Sherry Suttrich.
Others said they just want a vote on the entire Lens project before the restaurant goes forward.
“I just feel strongly that we should have a say in it,” said Lee Palmer.
Even the Columbia Restaurant president said he used to be against the project but now he's clearly found a future in it.
“Like many of you I thought we could save it. I thought there was an opportunity but I realized every pier has had to be changed because Mother Nature took its toll,” said Gonzmart.
In January 2012, a five-member panel unanimously selected the design known as the Lens for the new St. Petersburg Pier.
The Lens, designed by Michael Maltzan, is an open loop that extends out over the water.
The new St. Pete Pier promises a place for visitors to “fish, eat, shop, paddle, gaze, stroll, run and reflect on the beauty that is - and will be - classic St. Petersburg,” its advocates say.
The original structure, an inverted pyramid, has been in place since 1973. It's expected to shut down in May.
The future Columbia restaurant is scheduled to open the same time as the new Pier- Labor Day 2015.
The Columbia occupies the 4th floor of the current Pier, offering expansive waterfront views.