St. Petersburg - Construction on the long-awaited redevelopment of the Baywalk retail complex could begin in a matter of weeks after the project cleared a final regulatory hurdle this week.

Developer Bill Edwards plans to transform the 80,000-square-foot retail plaza on Second Avenue North, embarking on a $30 million overhaul to rebrand it as an upscale retail and dining plaza called The Shops at St. Pete.

Edwards would not comment on what tenants are lined up. None has been announced so far, and Edwards has missed a couple of self-imposed deadlines for naming tenants.

The new complex could be ready to open this year or in early 2014, said Kevin Dunn, project developer for The Bill Edwards Group.

The 10-month project will replace Baywalk's Mediterranean revival style architecture with a sleek modernist look that includes large Jumbotron screens housed in two of the four towers proposed for the complex.

The ground-floor plaza will become a venue for fashion shows, wine tastings, food shows and other events to attract shoppers. Plans for the terrace include covered balconies for shops and alfresco dining.

Even the marquee for the Muvico movie house will get a makeover.

The development is intended to help The Shops at St. Pete compete with Tampa's International Plaza for upscale shoppers. City Council members agreed that the design fits in with the city's overall downtown development plan at their meeting Thursday.

"It's hugely important as a central part of our entertainment district," said St. Petersburg Mayor Bill Foster. "It'll create hundreds of jobs and economic opportunities for shops and restaurants."

When it opened in 2000, Baywalk's mix of a movie house, shops, restaurants and bars such as Wet Willie's and Dan Marino's Town Tavern helped revitalize downtown St. Petersburg, said Dave Goodwin, the city's planning and economic development coordinator.

"People talk about what were the main factors that got downtown St. Petersburg turned around as far as reinvestment, and Baywalk was one of those projects," Goodwin said.

But the complex became a magnet for teenagers and a regular venue for protesters. Customers complained that they didn't feel safe there and eventually went away. Most of the stores left soon after.

Edwards bought the ailing complex in 2011 for about $5 million.

When complete, the complex will help link up the city's core downtown area with Beach Drive and the waterfront, city officials said.

"It creates another destination for downtown," Goodwin said. "It will inject some energy into Muvico as well.