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Rethinking growth in marina district

Officials say a six-month moratorium on some projects in a Clearwater Beach district would help them reinvigorate the area.

By MIKE DONILA
Published August 3, 2006

CLEARWATER - Just north of the Memorial Causeway in Clearwater Beach lies the Marina Residential District, a small area lined mostly with worn-down motels and a few old-fashioned seafood restaurants and capped with a grand condominium complex.

It's an area that has experienced little development since it was established five years ago, as property costs escalated and the housing market slowed. The area also has seen quite a few shops shut down since 2001.

City leaders want to change that.

They'd like to see developers reinvigorate the 14-acre district with more motels and hotels, some waterfront restaurants and less housing.

To do that, they're expected tonight to rubber-stamp a six-month moratorium that will affect projects smaller than 2.5 acres and begin immediately.

Then they'll begin tweaking the district's land use plans.

"We want to take a breath ... and relook at the area, talk to professionals and find out what we can do to create the right environment for overnight accommodations, rather than just more townhomes and more condominiums," said Mayor Frank Hibbard. "But one thing we're desperate to see is to replace some of the tired, old motels, but keep them hotels or motels."

The marina district is bounded by Poinsettia Avenue on the west, Clearwater Harbor on the east, the causeway to the south and the Bell Harbor development to the north.

City leaders have discussed the moratorium several times in the past month, and so far the only opposition has come from a small group that wanted to build a duplex in the area, said city planning director Michael Delk. The group was granted an exemption because it had already filed plans for the development.

City planners say they don't know of any other projects in the pipeline that will be affected, and tonight's City Council meeting is the last time residents can weigh in before the council votes.

In the meantime, some residents who work in the area are applauding the proposal.

"They need to create something for everyone to come and enjoy, not just condos," said Rodney Dusette, who handles maintenance for the district's Nicky Motel and Olympia Motel.

Dusette, 46, says it's disheartening to watch developers scoop up some stores, like the old local hardware shop, shut them down, but not build homes because the market is no longer there.

He said he would like to see more motels that cater to tourists, who would then pump money into new local businesses, possibly ones located along the waterfront.

"We need something that will keep bringing people back here," he said. "A lot of places, after they closed down, became nothing but eyesores."

The moratorium, which would run through Jan. 30, 2007, is expected to buy city leaders time to find better ways to preserve waterfront access, encourage the building of more hotels and motels, and spread out restaurant and retail development, said Delk.

The marina district was established in 2001 when the city adopted Beach by Design, a land use plan created to help revitalize Clearwater Beach. This plan designated eight districts and set development rules for each.

The marina district was designed mostly for residential use, but allowed for a few motels and restaurants. The restaurants, though, aren't allowed along the waterfront.

Under current development guidelines, projects larger than 2.5 acres that granted public access to the waterfront were given incentives, such as allowing for taller buildings.

Janet Baustert, vice president of Frenchy's, which has three popular restaurants in the district, said she wasn't in favor of taller buildings, but she did praise plans to place restaurants along the waterfront.

"It's about time (city leaders) stop and take a look at the development in the area," Baustert said.

She said the "overabundance" of housing in Clearwater Beach has "gotten out of hand" and affected local businesses.

"It will be nice to let boaters pull up along the docks and take their families to a nice restaurant," she added.

Because development of large projects in the district is at a standstill, city leaders say they want to look at giving incentives to smaller projects that create and preserve waterfront access.

Delk said the city also wants more flexibility in where businesses can be located.

"It doesn't seem to be too well-balanced right now," he said. "This could give us the latitude to promote good design and good planning."

[Last modified August 2, 2006, 22:26:34]