Pirates buy Bradenton eatery for expansion

BRADENTON — In an effort to add more spring training parking spots, the Pittsburgh Pirates purchased Popi's Place I, a restaurant across the street from McKechnie Field, where the team trains in March.

Terms of the purchase, for the property at the corner of 17th Avenue and Ninth Street West, just north of downtown Bradenton, weren't released or available yet in Manatee County property records. The team plans to demolish the restaurant after spring training and then turn the lot into parking for future seasons, at least in the near-term, according to a release. The lot is about one-third of an acre.

“The restaurant's owners let us know they were ready to retire from the business and sell the property,” Pirates Senior Director of Florida Operations Trevor Gooby says in a release. “This parcel is included in the city's and the Pirates' strategy for redeveloping the area around McKechnie Field as an arts and entertainment district. The Pirates are making this investment with that in mind.”