09/23/2014 - Topic Downtown Issues WORK SESSION MINUTES
TOPIC DOWNTOWN ISSUES
CITY OF CLEARWATER
September 23, 2014
Present: Bill Jonson Councilmember
Jay Polglaze Councilmember
Also present: Anne Fogarty France Downtown Manager
Nicole Sprague ORLS Coordinator
The work session was called to order at 2:35 p.m. at City Hall.
Discussion ensued regarding the success of bringing people to the downtown district
during Blast Friday events. The Downtown Development Board's (DDB) vision was to get as
many people into the downtown area for the events, hoping it would translate into expansion of
retail and businesses. When Blast Friday began, there was a children component with local
artists attracting local residents with a budget of$25,000 for the season. One of the drawbacks
during the early years of Blast Friday was the local restaurants would not stay open to
accommodate customers during the event. One of the logistical issues during the beginning was
the annual alcohol permit limit. A non-profit was only allowed to pull 3 permits a year, legislation
was changed eventually that allowed fifteen permits a year. It was said that the original
investment by the City in Blast Friday was meant to be seed money and for the events to
become self funded and other communities have been successful with their downtown events
being self funded.
When Ruth Eckerd Hall (REH) became involved, the events grew in size with bigger acts
being booked, and the children's component was not emphasized as much. REH used a
business model that worked for them, paying $12,000 to $15,000 per event. It was said it is
important to continue Blast Friday events, as it is one piece of the puzzle for downtown
redevelopment. There is a lot of interest from the business community about the Urban Land
Institute (ULI) recommendations. It was said the REH was told to try to get back to the roots of
the event with local talent. REH was expected to bring a proposal to City Management about
their ideas for the coming season and their request for funds from the Community
Redevelopment Agency (CRA). It was said it would be a detriment to investors to lose feet on
the street at this point. Potential investors want sustainability, either through ULI
recommendations or looking at the current code.
Discussion ensued regarding issues to discuss at the next meeting. It was said that
regulations regarding sign code and parking restrictions need to be addressed and a discussion
on a Downtown Character District was suggested. There has been interest from the downtown
community regarding a character district. A concern was expressed regarding the amount of
time it took to get parking signage for the Garden Street parking garage.
It was said that the ULI recommendations give the City a possible roadmap and it will
show good faith to the community in starting projects that we can do right away. Private sector
will come forward and invest, and the City will need to get out of their way and be prepared.
Anne Fogarty-France said the downtown advisory signs were at graphics and will get
installed as soon as possible.
Discussion ensued regarding when the next meetings will take place. It was determined
that Ms. Fogarty-France will get with Council's Executive Assistant to coordinate schedules to
set up two additional meetings, two weeks apart.
The work session adjourned at 3:38 p.m.