Clearwater / Gateway / Northern Pinellas Development News

[FloridaFuture]

It does look like a nice project for Downtown, but I haven't heard anyhting on this before and can't find a website for it. It is at least 3 months old because it says the video was added on Sept. 5, 2007.

[I-275westcoastfl]

Does look nice but never heard of it either, would be cool to have a building like that in the Skyline.

[TampaMike]

Awesome. So, according to one of the renders in the vid, retail will be inside the overall tower and not just street shops? Pretty Cool!

[Jahi98]

Originally Posted by Jasonhouse

^Hey all I'm saying is that the project's FAR is less than the ratio of the 2 story townhouse development I live in... That's a problem imo.

OK. A third of site is recreation space, too. So, that may contribute to the overall lower-than-expected density, too.

[dpw1983]

I drove through downtown Clearwater yesterday and snapped a few pictures.

[gstolze]

Nice Pics. Thanks for sharing. I can hardly wait to visit Clearwater again. I will arrive on April 17th and I am very excited to see all the changes since my last trip in Nov. 2005.

[I-275westcoastfl]

That pic actually makes downtown look like its an urban city.

[blackjetta1100]

What you're looking at is the Streetscape: it'll stretch from Fort Harrisson to Gulf to Bay on Clevelans street. The 1st phase is now finished. The 2nd phase, from Myrthle to Missouri, will start in March, with all the walkways, pavers, palms and pedestrian freindly streets. There's another new project that will be built in the vacant City lot where the park and the water fountain is off of Cleveland, but it'll be luxury rentals and shopping center. Also, the Buick dealership across the Street from Clearwater Centre (now called The Strand), will host a major development that will completely change Downtown Clearwater.
In other words, major projects are in the pipeline for the east side of DT Clearwater, and in 2 years, it'll look drastically different.

[TampaMike]

Originally Posted by blackjetta1100

What you're looking at is the Streetscape: it'll stretch from Fort Harrisson to Gulf to Bay on Clevelans street. The 1st phase is now finished. The 2nd phase, from Myrthle to Missouri, will start in March, with all the walkways, pavers, palms and pedestrian freindly streets. There's another new project that will be built in the vacant City lot where the park and the water fountain is off of Cleveland, but it'll be luxury rentals and shopping center. Also, the Buick dealership across the Street from Clearwater Centre (now called The Strand), will host a major development that will completely change Downtown Clearwater.
In other words, major projects are in the pipeline for the east side of DT Clearwater, and in 2 years, it'll look drastically different.

Cool Thanks. I can't wait until Clearwater, well downtown, has a fantastic skyline. It;s well needy for a great city. I still wonder why they don't repaint or redevelop the shops on that street though.

Anyone know what the project on the Buick dealership is?

[TampaMike]

Beach Walk Construction Ahead of Schedule


CLEARWATER, Fla. – Work on South Gulfview Boulevard should be completed in May, at which time the road and new promenades will be opened for the public. There will be one northbound lane and one southbound lane, which is the final configuration of South Gulfview Boulevard. The only portion of the east side walkway that will remain closed is in front of the Hyatt Aqualea construction site.


When South Gulfview Boulevard opens, workers will move to Coronado Drive, where on-street parking, final asphalt and more lighting will be added. This is expected to take two or three months.


New sand volleyball courts are available south of Pier 60, and showers along the beachside promenade are working.


The targeted date for substantial completion of the Beach Walk project is before Super Bowl 2009, but all work should be done in July, well ahead of schedule. For more information, visit www.myclearwater.com/beachwalk.

http://www.clearwater-fl.com/news/news_detail.asp?item={7CD0D0D2-759B-47C1-8366-A2DDA8651CB8}

[TampaMike]

^ I guess the link isn't working, I copied the whole thing!

Anyone know about the developements in Dunedin. I haven't been down in that area forever (I think August was the last). There's Marina Dundin and I know there is another development on Scotland St.

[FloridaFuture]

^The project on the water (or at least acroos the street form the water) in downtown Dunedin has its site cleared but that's all I know. If that helps.

[TampaMike]

Originally Posted by FloridaFuture

^The project on the water (or at least acroos the street form the water) in downtown Dunedin has its site cleared but that's all I know. If that helps.

lol, yeah, that site has been cleared for ages. Guessing now, the project will be on hold until the housing market gets it's groove back.

I sent a email to them to see what is going on. God, I wish I was a developer, I have so many dreams for that city.

[TampaMike]

I didn't know this, but I guess Clearwater has web cams of BeachWalk. Pretty Cool!

http://www.clearwater-fl.com/gov/dep...kcam/index.asp

[TampaMike]

Gosh, I'm going crazy today in this thread!!!!

I just recieved a email from Kiran Grand on Clearwater Beach telling me they are all sold out of rental units. Sounds like this is a big hit.

[TampaMike]

Hey guys! Just a couple things I would like to post.

Got a email from the sales person for Marina Dunedin. As I expected, they're "under construction" is a lie, or I guess a fib to make it sound nice. They plan to start construction in the Fall, I guess they think the market will be better by then. So it's a wild guess on whatever happens on this.

Judging from the cams I posted earlier, the Hyatt Aqualea is 3 or 4 stories already. I like the view from the second cam. The tower near the Memorial Bridge in Downtown always escapes me, but I must say, it packs a punch in the horizon.

[FloridaFuture]

Appeal denied in city's rejection of condo plan
By Times Staff Writer
Published February 27, 2008

DUNEDIN

The 2nd District Court of Appeal denied a developer's request to force the city to reconsider its decision to reject the final site plan of his project, a condominium complex planned at 715 Edgewater Drive. The developer, Kelly Prior, is also pursuing a claim seeking $1-million to $6-million in damages to make up for revenue he claims he lost when his plan was rejected.

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/02/27/No..._in_city.shtml

[HARTride 2012]

Primed for development

Clearwater leaders want a mixed-use project to replace the Harborview Center.

By Mike Donila, Times Staff Writer
Published March 4, 2008


Clearwater city commissioners are discussing the future of Clearwater's Harborview Center, which opened January 15, 1996. In addition to 30,000 square feet of exhibition space and 35,000 square feet of meeting, ballroom and public space, the Harborview building is home to the Pickles Plus Too! deli and to the upscale Stein Mart specialty store chain. The center has placed Clearwater on the map as a venue for trade shows, conventions, and conferences from international, national, regional and state markets.

Once again, Clearwater leaders are preparing to ask voters to sign off on a major downtown waterfront development.

City officials would like to see the Harborview Center, a former department store with a view of the Memorial Causeway, torn down and replaced with a mixed-use development that includes shops, restaurants and, possibly, a movie theater.

Work on such a project, however, is still years away. And under the city's charter it would need voter approval, which wouldn't happen before March 2010.

The City Council, sitting as the Community Redevelopment Agency, said Monday that officials first must meet with potential developers and devise a plan. The city also will hold several public meetings before selecting a developer.

The biggest obstacle could come from residents, who haven't exactly been friendly to waterfront development in the past decade, turning down a number of major mixed-use proposals, such as the $300-million array of public and private amenities, including a library, a botanical garden, apartments, a movie theater, a pier and three downtown parking garages proposed in 2000.

But voters last March did sign off on an $11-million proposal to build 129 boat slips, a fishing pier, a boardwalk and a promenade near Coachman Park.

Still, the site in question - 3.18 acres that includes Harborview Center, which features a Stein Mart department store. the Pickles Plus Too Deli and a 107-space parking lot - is a touchy issue for many residents.

In the past, some have said they'd like to turn the area into green space. Others feel the city should build a cultural center or a museum on the property.

Whatever happens, city leaders say they have to do something with the building. Although Stein Mart and Pickles have done well since the city bought the building in the early 1990s, the convention center has not. And at this point, money is tight and the convention center is a losing operation. In 2006, the city spent $342,000 to subsidize the center.

City leaders said Monday the development community will be interested in the site, mostly because of its location on the bluff.

Council members stressed that residential development is not allowed under current land use plans and they have no intention of changing that.

Mayor Frank Hibbard said he hoped developers could create a project to act as a catalyst to continued downtown revitalization.

He added that he'd like to see something "low-rise and attractive and kept for public use."

Whatever is built there, though, must be incorporated into nearby Coachman Park, the Main Library and the downtown core, Hibbard said.

Assistant City Manager Rod Irwin said he's "got five or six firms in mind" that he's planning to meet, but declined to name them because they haven't all been contacted. He said that several of the firms were local.

He added that other plans for the building, on the corner of N Osceola Avenue and Cleveland Street, could include a hotel with some convention space, so the city could keep some of the events typically hosted there.

City leaders said they would rather lease the land than sell it. They also acknowledged that any development could lead to a future parking problem, because the boat slips will be ready by then and more people may visit the Main Library as city leaders consider closing more branches as a cost-cutting measure.

Clearwater officials also said they want to work with Stein Mart and Pickles to keep them in the downtown.

They said they still have time to iron out those details.
Fast facts:

During the next few years, city leaders want to revitalize the Harborview Center and some of the land around it. Here's a look at the planned schedule:

April-May: Meet with potential developers

July: Council discusses what direction to move based on interviews

September: City leaders hold two or three resident focus groups to talk about the project

October: More details to the plan ironed out based on residents' suggestions

February 2009: City issues a request for proposals for developers

April 2009: Developer selected

August 2009: City and developer negotiate the details

March 2010: City lets residents vote on whether to approve the plan

December 2010: Work on the project starts if residents approve the plan

It's a destination

City leaders are looking at turning the Harborview Center over to a developer, a move they say could boost tourism with shops, restaurants and, possibly, a hotel or movie theater. Although the center held 193 events in 2007, bringing in almost 86,000 guests, it typically doesn't make money for the city. Some recent major events include the Tampa Bay Motorcycle Expo; the Southeast Barista Championship, in which baristas competed in coffee, cappuccino and espresso-making competition; the Taste of Clearwater and the Festival of Trees.

[Last modified March 3, 2008, 21:15:22]

http://www.sptimes.com/2008/03/04/No...velopmen.shtml

[FloridaFuture]

Harborview Center does need to be redone. The density of it now is not what it should be for Downtown. Not to mention I find it rather plain and ugly.

[TampaMike]

Isn't the Downtown Marine planned on the waterfront of that site? Whatever happens on that site, it must be mixed use. Hotel?Condo, Hotel/Office, etc, we need something good on that site.

BTW, has Clearwater ever though of a trolley system like Tampa's?