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City begins refining eclectic wish list

Now that residents have weighed in on what they want for the city, the council will piece together an official vision plan.

By AARON SHAROCKMAN
Published December 9, 2005

	[Times photo: Jim Damaske]
	This view of downtown looks west on Cleveland Street on Thursday night, when City Council members began finalizing a vision plan using suggestions from residents as a guide.

CLEARWATER - The vision of any future is often ambitious, sometimes unrealistic and usually scattered.

Living on the moon. Becoming president. Winning the Super Bowl.

In Clearwater, residents have been recording their vision of this waterfront city for four months.

The results were, as expected, ambitious, unrealistic and scattered.

Monorails. A railroad museum. More sidewalks.

Overflowing with options, City Council members began to corral the ideas Thursday at a special work session. They discarded musings that were too vague (stop selling too much of Clearwater Beach) and crafted thoughts of their own.

How about a second downtown in the heart of Countryside?

"I don't know where it would go," said the shepherd of the idea, Vice Mayor Bill Jonson. But, he reasoned, if city residents won't drive 20 minutes to Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue, why not build them a second downtown-type destination all their own?

It could be filled with townhomes and condos, street-level shops and cafes.

It's something to think about, said Jonson, a Countryside resident.

"We at Countryside leave Countryside every now and again," answered council member Carlen Petersen.

For more than two hours, the City Council weighed the city's future. Much of the discussion was predictable, which was a good thing, city officials said.

Revitalizing downtown is a priority, and residents agree.

Building a new marina is a priority, and residents agree.

Affordable housing and improved transportation systems are high priorities. And residents agree.

Much of the information will wind up in the city's official vision plan, which will be finalized in January.

And then, the future.

Some notable ideas for the city's future:

Canals for water travel

Pedestrian overpass at Chestnut and Court streets

Antiques district

Allowing artists to use condos waiting to be sold

State-of-the-art visitors center

Solar power for city buildings

Moving City Hall to the Clearwater Airpark property

[Last modified December 9, 2005, 01:18:14]