Economic Development and Housing

Team Up to Clean Up! East Gateway Cleanup Day
A cleanup of Clearwater's East Gateway Neighborhood is scheduled for Saturday, May 3rd from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm. City staff and volunteers will meet at at 9:00 am at Dreyfus Law Offices at 1463 Gulf to Bay Blvd to begin the event. Everyone is invited. For more information, please contact Becky Melendez in the Development and Neighborhood Services Department at 562-4585.

CRA Board to Consider Draft Action Program
The Community Redevelopment Agency will consider the approval of the draft East Gateway District Five-Year Action Program on Tuesday, May 13, 2008. The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. in Council Chambers, Clearwater City Hall, 112 S. Osceola Avenue (3rd Floor), Clearwater. If you would like more information, please contact Tammy Vrana at (727) 562-4047.

Plans

Downtown Boat Slips

Downtown Redevelopment Plan (Planning Department)

Downtown Design Guidelines (Planning Department, also see pages 79-80 of the Downtown Redevelopment Plan) - Design Guidelines ensure that public and private development projects implement the Goals, Objections, Policies and Visions of the Downtown Plan

East Gateway District

Downtown Boat Slips Rendering

East Gateway

Projects

Proposed and Completed Residential Developments
Maps: 1 | 2

Clearwater Automotive (See page 9-10 of Annual Report 2005-2006) - The City through an exchange of real property acquired an automotive junkyard located near the Prospect Lake Park area in downtown Clearwater. Once remediation of this 3- acre (MOL) site is complete and all requirements of the Brownfields Site Rehabilitation Agreement have been completed the CRA intends to issue a Request for Proposal for redevelopment.

Downtown Market Study (See also: page 3 of Annual Report 2004-2005) - To identify the market potential for future redevelopment within downtown Clearwater and investments that could act as catalysts for further development, the CRA contracted to provide an assessment the existing economic base, market conditions and trends that impact development and investment.

Downtown Cleveland Street Façade Design Analysis (See also: page 3-4 of Annual Report 2005-2006) - The façade improvement concept identifies opportunities and establishes a vision for building design and character on Cleveland Street, from Osceola Avenue to Myrtle Avenue in downtown Clearwater. The Façade Design Analysis provides recommendations regarding design for new façade building elements, historic building restoration, canopy and awning design, signage location, sidewalk utilization and adherence to the Downtown Design Guidelines.

Station Square Condominium (See page 11 of Annual Report 2005-2006) - Visit www.stationsquareclearwater.com.

Water's Edge Condominium - Visit www.yourwatersedge.com.

Clearwater Centre Condominiums (See also: page 5-6 of Annual Report 2005-2006) - Visit www.clearwatercentrecondos.com.

Marriott Residence Inn (See page 5 of Annual Report 2005-2006)

Clearwater Automotive

Station Square

Water's Edge Condominium

Clearwater Centre Condominiums

Marriott Residence Inn

Downtown Streetscape (See also: page 13 of Annual Report 2005-2006) - The City is in the process of implementing a $8.9 million Cleveland Street Streetscape Project between Osceola and Myrtle Avenue. The Cleveland Streetscape will create a pedestrian- friendly environment and improve the public realm of our "Main Street". The streetscape project is under construction.

Programs

Façade Improvement Program - Clearwater is the Cleveland Streetscape project. To complement the new Cleveland Street the CRA is encouraging the adjacent private property and business owners to improve the facades of their buildings. To meet this goal the CRA approved a Façade Design Analysis, which recommended a Café Society that promotes a sidewalk café environment. The Façade Improvement Program will lead to the implementation of this unified café society concept in downtown Clearwater.

Main Street - The Main Street approach is based on four points: economic development, organization, design and promotion. All four are necessary to revitalize downtown, increase economic activity in the town center, and improve the quality of life for the citizens throughout the community. The Main Street program is a movement that is citizen driven and encourages public-private partnerships in order to make downtown successful.

Demographics at a Glance

Incentives, including:

Brownfields Redevelopment Initiative (Environmental Site Assessments) - Brownfields are abandoned or underutilized industrial/commercial sites either contaminated or perceived to be. Incentives are available to aid in the economic development and environmental restoration for these sites located in Clearwater's Brownfield Area.

Enterprise Zone (State Tax Credits) - Florida offers an assortment of tax incentives to businesses that choose to create employment within an Enterprise Zone, which is a specific geographic area targeted for economic revitalization. These include a sales and use tax credit, tax refund for business machinery and equipment used in an Enterprise Zone, sales tax refund for building materials used in an Enterprise Zone, and a sales tax exemption for electrical energy used in a Enterprise Zone

Qualified Target Industry (QTI) Tax Refund Project (See page 249 of Downtown Redevelopment Plan) - The QTI Program encourages job growth in targeted high value-added businesses, specifically within an Enterprise Zone and Brownfields Area, and provides tax refunds for new jobs created

Business Relocation and Expansion Grant Program

Partnerships

Clearwater Downtown Partnership

Downtown Development Board

Regional Chamber of Commerce

Farmer's Market

Jolley Trolley

Other Helpful Links

Urban Land Institute

International Downtown Association

Florida Redevelopment Association