Print

Email story

Comment

Email editor

2 plans aim for revitalized coastline

By MIKE DONILA
Published August 4, 2006

The Clearwater Council Thursday night approved two initiatives members say could eventually reinvigorate the city's coastlines.

The mayor and council in a 4-0 vote officially signed off on a moratorium that will affect small development in the Marina Residential District, a 14-acre area just north of the Memorial Causeway bridge in Clearwater Beach.

The moratorium, which affects development smaller than 2.5 acres, expires Jan. 30. During that time, city leaders will look for better ways to preserve waterfront access, encourage the building of more hotels and motels and spread out restaurant and retail development.

In a unanimous vote, the council also agreed to let residents decide in November whether to allow for the development of up to 140 boats slips on the city's bayfront, both north and south of the bridge.

The eventual plan is to develop a $10.9-million project that includes 129 slips, public restrooms and a garage.

In recent months, the Save the Bayfront organization has asked the city to scale back the plan, either putting the slips only south of the bridge or abandoning the idea altogether for a park.

City leaders, though, said the slips would best help bring more people into downtown.

"Adding the boat slips to the downtown is a wonderful, wonderful addition to (nearby) Coachman Park," Vice Mayor Carlen Petersen said. "You can walk out to the ocean, you can see the dolphins ..."

[Last modified August 4, 2006, 07:06:09]