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Stalemate over boardwalk tangles waterfront plan

By MIKE DONILA
Published January 20, 2007

CLEARWATER - City leaders want to make the beach's marina district a boater-friendly destination for shopping and dining, not a waterfront neighborhood.

But any changes could take awhile and probably will need the support of about 12 property owners and a few developers.

If all the parties can't come together, then the area - currently lined with run-down mom-and-pop motels, a couple of seafood restaurants and an upscale condominium development - most likely will look the same for a long time.

The 14-acre area in question is the Marina Residential District. It's bounded by Poinsettia Avenue on the west, Clearwater Harbor on the east, Causeway Boulevard to the south and the Belle Harbor condominium development to the north.

The City Council in August approved a six-month residential building moratorium to find better ways to preserve waterfront access, encourage the building of hotels and motels and spread out restaurant and retail development.

On Thursday, the council spent almost three hours with about 25 beach residents discussing the issue, and will revisit it during its Jan. 31 meeting.

The council is looking at a number of amendment changes to the area's zoning plans that would give builders more development incentives in exchange for creating a waterfront boardwalk.

Residents don't like the plan because it would mean shutting down popular Eastshore Drive, which splits the district and is often used to avoid the busy roundabout at the tip of the Memorial Causeway.

Residents say the closure would add to the area's traffic woes and slow down hurricane evacuation routes.

"It doesn't take much to back it up," said Marty Alter, a Belle Harbor resident.

The city says developers need the roadway to make up for what they'll lose building a boardwalk.

To offset the loss, Clearwater planners say, the city wants to connect Poinsettia to the Memorial Causeway so residents can still avoid the roundabout.

However, council members say they will not abandon the two-block-long Eastshore Drive if a boardwalk cannot be built to where it occupies a full block. This means they need everyone who owns property on a block to cooperate and help build the waterfront boardwalk. If they don't work together, then someone could inadvertently lose access to their land.

Council members hope the incentives are enough to encourage consolidation.

"This is really incumbent upon the developers to come together," Mayor Frank Hibbard said. "Either it will remain the status quo or we'll have something of substance."

The council continued Thursday's meeting to give the administration time to meet with the 12 property owners who own land along Eastshore Drive and some developers interested in building there.

The council also wants the city attorney to find ways to buy time so developers can consolidate land and come up with plans. This could mean another moratorium, but nothing is final.

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

The marina currently is zoned mostly for residential use, and restaurants are not allowed along the waterfront.

[Last modified January 19, 2007, 23:38:06]