The city, not private developers, would pay $17-million to beautify downtown Clearwater.

By CHRISTINA HEADRICK
St. Petersburg Times
October 11, 2000
CLEARWATER -- A new plan for downtown redevelopment suggests that the city should spend millions to beautify Cleveland Street, create a better bayfront park and establish new financial breaks for private redevelopment projects.

The plan, obtained by the Times Tuesday, is much less aggressive and puts a heavier burden on the city than the $300-million plan to remake downtown that voters rejected in a July referendum.

"It's a starting point for us to engage the public on how they want to see the downtown redeveloped," said interim City Manager Bill Horne, who will discuss the plan with the commission at a workshop Monday.

In contrast to the rejected plan, this time the city proposes little private development on public land downtown. But the new proposal calls for the city, not developers, to pay for the beautification of downtown.

The city's expenses -- if commissioners decide to proceed -- could exceed $17-million. Funding projects could require a property tax increase of roughly $1.90 per $1,000 of taxable property value, the plan states. Also, some projects would have to be approved by yet another voter referendum on downtown's future.

The theory of Downtown Clearwater: Our Downtown is that public projects in a core area surrounded by Myrtle Avenue, Court Street, Drew Street and Clearwater Bay will attract private development there.

Boca Raton-based development consultant Charles Siemon, author of the plan, said he broke little new ground with his proposal. Rather, he has consolidated ideas about rejuvenating downtown -- some of which have been discussed for years -- so the city can finally decide what to do.

"I say make your case (to residents), show them the benefits and if the citizens of the city don't want a great bayfront park and they're not willing to pay for these other improvements downtown, then that's fine,"

Siemon said. "Then you can say, "Don't complain to us that the downtown is a bad place.'"

The plan suggests:

Reroute Alt. U.S. 19 to Myrtle Avenue, then beautify Fort Harrison Avenue and Cleveland Street, making the roads two lanes with landscaped medians down the middle. The Cleveland Street beautification would cost up to $5.5-million and would include live oak trees planted down the road's center, new street lights, benches, bicycle racks and decorative crosswalks. A third of the street's parallel parking would be converted to wider sidewalks.

Create new financial incentives to attract new retail and a special destination restaurant. For instance, property taxes could be given back to downtown businesses that invest in redevelopment projects.

Schedule city-sponsored concerts and events downtown weekly instead of monthly at Station Square Park on Cleveland.

Join with a developer to subsidize a small downtown parking garage, new retail space and apartments, which would be built on the city parking lot next to Station Square. Such a project would boost confidence in investing downtown, Siemon said.

Remove about 700 parking spaces from the city's waterfront bluff and, with help from a private developer, create a parking garage-apartment project on land east of Osceola Avenue between Drew and Cleveland streets.

Spend up to $7.7-million to expand the city's bayfront Coachman Park and devote another $3.5-million to build a new city amphitheater on the waterfront.

Consider knocking down and rebuilding the Harborview Center.

Loosen even further restrictions that remain on development downtown, such as a height cap of 100 feet on new buildings, to spur private redevelopment.

The city has only $2-million in its budget, money that's allocated to the bayfront park. No source for the rest of the money that the plan would require has been found. Siemon suggests a property tax increase of $1.90 per $1,000 could pay for the park and amphitheater.

"The big difficulty," Siemon said, "is that we still have limited funds to fund these ideas. The city may have to make some tough choices, including the bond issue to finance the bayfront park."

At this point, the city has no developer waiting to do projects downtown, even though George de Guardiola, who was involved in this summer's failed referendum, at one point expressed interest, Siemon said.

http://www.sptimes.com/News/101100/NorthPinellas/Plan_offered_to_remak.shtml

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