09/28/1976M
City Commission Special Work Session
September 28, 1976
M
The City Commission of the City of Clearwater met for a
special work session at the City Hall, Tuesday, September 29,
1976, at 1:30 p.m., with the following members present:
Karleen F. DeBlaker Commissioner
Karen Martin Commissioner
Darwin S. Frank Commissioner
Also present were members of the Downtown Development
Board and the Downtown Task Force.
Commissioner DeBlaker called the meeting to order & Dom
Minotti, Chairman of the Task Force, introduced the panel of
four members of the International Downtown Executives Associ-
ation: Don Moore from Brooklyn, New York; William Hill,
Roanoke, Virginia; Lucius Williams, Miami, Florida; and Dan
Sweat from Atlanta, Georgia.
The purpose of the meeting is to review what has been
done thus far-on the Downtown Development Plan. The role of
the Task Force is to discuss and review all reports of RTKL
and to make recommendations on whether to accept them, to act
as liaison between the community and other interested groups
in Downtown, and to provide guidance to the planners, the
Commission, and the Downtown Development Board to insure
that the plans produced are workable for Clearwater.
Donald Moore, past president of the I.D.S.A. panel,
stated the panel is composed of executives from all over the
United States and Canada. It is a professional organisation,
and its members are particularly knowledgeable about the prob-
lems of downtowns. They are firmly biased in favor of the
redevelopment of downtown and the centralization of many func-
tions. Their purpose as interested professional outsiders
will be to listen, study and review the concept of the pro-
posed Downtown plan.
George Pillorge stated the reconnaissance phase will be
reviewed and the goals, objectives and strategies of the con-
cept plan will be discussed at this meeting.
At the second meeting the'I.D.E.A. panel will report on
their judgments and opinions on the plan and suggestions as
to the next step.
The third meeting will be a discussion of prior happen-
ings with a joint work session with the Commission and the
Downtown Development Board; the purpose to give direction to
RTKL and the Task Force.
The planning process involves five steps:
1. Reconnaissance.,
2. Goals and objectives and strategy.
two steps have been completed.)
3. Preliminary plan and program.
1.
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Tom Wall, of Gladstone Associates, Economic Consultants,
has conducted an economic research evaluating existing condi-
tions in selected areas of land values, vacancy rates and
rents. This is continuing research and a summary is current-
ly being conducted of the real estate market in four land use
areas: 1. Housing and multi-family buildings, rental and
owneT8hl~8. 2. Office propertiea/office buildings. 3. The
hotel/motel transient housing. 4. Commercial/retail real
estate.
The trend in the past years has been for the larger re-
tail merchants to move from Downtown into surburban areas.
Downtown Clearwater has approximately 800,000 square feet and
can be considered a regional shopping center with Mans Brother.s
at the western end--an important factor.
The survey also shows a surplus of office space with a
low occupancy rate; a number uf unsold apartments, which will
eventually be sold and the motel/hotel industry needs a stim-
ulus.
nob Smith reported the Downtown planning goals of thp.
Planning Team and the Task Force included: 1. Strengthening
Downtown Clearwater as a multi use center that will attract
and serve the people of tha Clearwater area. 2. Develop
Downtown Clearwater 8S a unique place within the Tampa Bay
region because of its distinctive natural setting and its lo-
cation. 3. To strengthen Downtown's contribution to the gen-
eral well-being of the community. The revitali:ation effort
should be directed through focusing on serving the community,
expanding employment opportunities, improving business and
investment opportunities, and increasing tax revenues to
stimulate private redevelopment. 4. To improve the physical
image of Downtown Clearwater. Special environmental featureb
such as the waterfront, the bluff, mature live oak trees and
historic landmarks should be properly recognized, preserved
and enhanced; and a pleasant pedestrian oriented environment
should be created within the Downtown core. area. 5. Revital-
ization of Downtown Clearwater must he successful and ongoing.
A workable implementation program must be established on a
continuing basis with community support, public, private sec-
tor cooperation, realistic market support, creative design
solutions and effective implementation mechanisms.
The Downtown objectives and strategies of the Planning
Te~m and Task Force included: general d~veloFment policy,
transportation, and land use objectives and strategies. The
Downtown Plan should recognize and build upon the basic
strengths existinG. The area is composed of a Downtown core
area, which is relatively compact, has a mixed use and a cen-
tral area which has a pedestrian' orientation; and the Eastern
corridor area which prima~ily has automobile oriented service
uses, whose eastern terminus is Cleveland Pl~za Shopping Cen-
ter. The Downtown core area includea the retail core, office
and banking facilities, the government center, and the water-
front. The plnn should primarily stress improvement of ex-
isting activity centers and secondarily introduce major new
land uses. The plan should establish a compatible relation-
ship between development, natural features and climatological
conditions with the nntural features being preserved and en-
hanced. The plan must alao recognize significant historical
and architectural landmarks. Preservation of these landmarks
could be facilitated by reinforcing their existing use or re-
cycling them with new useN. A number of transportation issues
muat bcmdressed in the plan including: access, circulation,
and terminals for various modes and functions of traffic
which service Downtown, including private automobile, public
transit, truck delivery and servicl~, public safety and pedes-
trian traffic.
3.
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The genernl land use objective is to achieve n mix of
mutually supportive land uses which will be compatible and
functionally related to create a vital and attractive Down-
town shopping environment, to promote Downtown as a center
for government, bankins, and professional and business ser-
vices, to provide additional permanent and transient residen-
tial accommodations, and to develop recreation and open space
activities as a special feature and attraction of Downtown.
The major findings of Questionnaire No. 2 were of a
negative nature with the citizens finding Downtown unattrac-
tive. The conclusions drawn were that most citizens came
Downtown once a week. It showed strong support for the City
to promote the Downtown area. There was a need to improve
the physical appearances of the buildings Downtown and to
improve ,the parking facilities. The report indicates strong
support for cultural activities and events and improving ped-
estrian and auto oriented traffic routes and for the redesig-
nation of State Road 60 and Alternate U.S. 19.
Robert Morris, Traffic Consultant, discussed the vehic-
ular circulation system as a means to improve traffic flow
around the Downtown area to remove heavy vc1umes of through
traffic on the main artery. Extensive sidewalk improvements
are proposed in the Downtown core of Cleveland Street and
Osceola Avenue with a loop off Osceola to interconnect with
Coachman Park. The idea is to make it convenient for the
citizens to get into town and get out of their cars without
interfering with pedestrian activity Downtown. Pedestrian
circulation systems should include special walkways, wider
sidewalks, paths that may go through parks but are planned
and designed for people to walk easily and conveniently.
The land use concept has Maas Brothers on the westerly
end, Cleveland Street as a pedestrian/vehicular system, and
a proposed eastern anchor near Myrtle Avanue. The eastern
anchor would generate pedestrian traffic on Cleveland Street.
The concept envisions another pedestrian link and open apace
recreation area (possibly with a marina along the waterfront).
Parking that exists along the waterfront could be decked over
with a recreation area,on top. The governmental section
could continue as it has started. The hotel/motel section
could be continued north of Cleveland Street, which is an op-
portunity area.
Santo Casella summarized and reported that the reconnais-
sance report made an important point that early action is ex-
tremely important to the success of the Planning program.
The Commission endorsed early action by disc~ssing with the
Florida Department of Transportation their requirements for
a redesignation of State Road 60 and Alternate U.S. 19, also
a bypass signing program and a review of the tree ordinance
for the preservation of Downtown trees. Another item endors-
ed by the Commission is a policy of welcoming efforts to stim-
ulate communitywide activity in the Downtown area.
The three key project areas included the retail core area,
waterfront area and potential marina, and a proposed new li-
brary facility. He stated the questionnaire indicated a co-
ordinated program was necessary to have an attractive appe.ar-
ance Downtown and a convenient parking system. The merchants
have prepared a trial parking plan with parking paid for by
the merchants instead of the customers. As there are many
vacancies on Cleveland Street, he suggested specialty shops
for seasonal use as Clearwater is a seasonal town. The pro-
posed marina would probably be an environmental issue.
4.
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