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02/27/1998 - Downtown Retailers MeetingDOWNTOWN RETAILERS MEETING CITY OF CLEARWATER February 27, 1998 Present: J. B. Johnson Commissioner Robert Clark Commissioner Ed Hooper Commissioner Michael J. Roberto City Manager Diane Smith Downtown Manager Gwen Legters Board Reporter Downtown Retailers Members of the Public The meeting was called to order at 8:00 a.m. at Clearwater Main Library. Downtown Manager Diane Smith profiled activities planned for the Brown Bag Luncheon Series in Station Square Park. Main street merchants will distribute flyers advertising the series, scheduled Tuesdays and Thursdays from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. during March and April. Ms. Smith stated one action item in the "One City. One Future." blueprint is an opportunity to transform Cleveland Street into Clearwater’s “Main Street.” Becoming a main street community offers merchants the opportunity to obtain a small stipend and tap into professional assistance. Three professional managers will address the community in City Hall Commission Chambers, April 22, 6:00 p.m. Scheduled to attend are Karen Slevin, a certified Main Street Manager from Kissimmee, Gail Hamilton from Dade City, and David Pierce from Venice, a main street community since 1988. Ms. Smith said Clearwater needs community support and involvement to be a successful downtown main street community. City Manager Mike Roberto presented the "One City. One Future." concept based on the premise that all areas of the City are interrelated and must be addressed comprehensively. Because city development is not easy, everyone must be on the same page to ensure what is started today will continue to make sense as the community, administration, and elected officials change over time. Government can help facilitate private sector development. Because governments do not change directions easily, a specific course must be chosen and pursued long enough to achieve results. Community dialog is being generated regarding five major areas: Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard enhancements will solve perceptual issues, create a sense of place, and make a statement at the City’s entryway that will clearly define Clearwater’s character. Improvements will be accomplished through a partnership consisting of the City, Pinellas County, FDOT and property owners. Downtown defines a community. Clearwater has a good amount of disposable income and the bluff is an opportunity to add retail and entertainment components. Marketing downtown as the “East Beach”, improving pedestrian orientation by converting the existing 80% asphalt on the bluff to 80% green space, and doubling the size of Coachman Park will give people a reason to visit and something to do when they get here. Features to generate economic activity and create an enjoyable experience are being conceptualized. Bringing activity into downtown is more effective than law enforcement in dealing with the homeless issue. A shelter opening in April will provide transitional housing. The shelter will operate a jobs program that will lead to full time employment for many people. Ideas for a multipurpose entertainment complex at the base of the new bridge are up for discussion. One such idea is a baseball stadium with additional programmed entertainment, but Mr. Roberto said consideration is open to many other ideas. A physical connection must exist to encourage interchange between the Clearwater beach and downtown. Examination of the issue indicates keeping the existing bridge after building the new one may not be feasible. It is hoped to create a spur to downtown. Investigation is underway of alternatives to bring to the City Commission. Clearwater Beach redesign will move parking one block landward, creating a pedestrian component along the beach. The focus will be on maximizing the water view and generating “walking around” activities. Wider sidewalks will be created to encourage outdoor cafés. Improving traffic flow and identification signage will ease congestion for the 35,000 cars coming onto the beach daily. A better transition will be created beach between residential and commercial areas. North Greenwood is the area most impacted by downtown changes, and provides the best opportunities for moving in a positive direction. It is necessary to show inclusion of all parts of the community. Land Development Code while the most important, is the most difficult area on which to focus public attention. The existing code was written while Clearwater was a development community, and must be rewritten to facilitate redevelopment. A consultant is rewriting the code to add value, enable a more fluid permitting and approval process, and establish standards that will drive the physical look of Clearwater. Mr. Roberto stated Clearwater has a tremendous amount of underutilized assets. He cited a decline in the average length of stay for tourists, increased business vacancies, and commercial property devaluation. He noted Countryside is under major assault because the surrounding communities offer a better, newer product. He stressed the way to make it work is to determine priorities, build partnerships, work together, and establish continuity in leadership. He was impressed by the foresight and dedication of the City Commission in creating the vision and mission statement that laid the groundwork for "One City. One Future." Questions were raised regarding implementation timing. Mr. Roberto directed attention to a series of immediate action items on page 13 of the "One City. One Future." document. He noted some projects will be addressed within 30 days. More definite time frames will be known in 90 days. Substantial improvements should be seen within 24 months. He suggested completion in five years is not an unreasonable expectation. He noted strong input and participation from merchants is needed to establish priorities, so City government can focus on its job of picking up garbage, catching bad guys and bouncing basketballs. Ms. Smith stressed the main point of the main street program is to generate strong community support that gives the City access to good professional input at a low price. The main street managers’ talk in April is an example of such input. Application to the main street program will be submitted to the State in July. Once Clearwater is designated as a main street community, the program can begin. Discussion ensued regarding whether Cleveland, Court, or another street should be designated as the main street. Mr. Roberto felt Clearwater has enough cars to generate multiple main street areas. In response to questions, Mr. Roberto said "One City. One Future." has no preset notions regarding appearance of the final product. All areas must work together for their mutual benefit. The concept will be driven by what the marketplace wants, because if retailers make money, so does the City. It may be possible to offer development incentives to businesses that offer daytime and nighttime activities. He cited Club More as an example, with its daytime outdoor furniture business and second floor nightclub. Mr. Roberto encouraged everyone to vote in the March 10 election. One commission seat and three ballot questions are to be decided. He reviewed referendum details. Ms. Smith reviewed with retailers last minute details regarding promotion of the brown bag luncheon series. Minutes of the first downtown retailers meeting are available and anyone wishing to obtain information, or participate in the meetings was strongly encouraged to contact Ms. Smith or Benetta Slaughter, or Les Spits. The meeting adjourned at 8:57 a.m.