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Letter to the editor

Landscaping shows Gulf-to-Bay's potential

By Times Staff Writer
Published December 2, 2007

Bou-le-vard n. a broad, well-made street, often one lined with trees, grass plots, etc.

- Webster's New World College Dictionary

A drugstore isn't exactly high-end development, but the new CVS Pharmacy on Clearwater's Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard is helping to put the elegance of a "boulevard" back in that commercial roadway.

The store is surrounded by lush landscaping that sets it apart from its neighbors, demonstrating that upgraded landscaping, especially when combined with good building design and sign control, can change the ambience of otherwise dated and tired-looking Gulf-to-Bay.

It isn't that no other properties on the road have landscaping. Some do, and some of them, including Walgreens, Einstein's Bagels and Liberty Bank, have planted trees and flower beds and actually maintain them.

However, the CVS property, which is owned by Boos Development Group of Clearwater and leased to CVS, kicks it up several notches.

The property has almost 100 palm trees, 22 live oaks, 31 Southern red cedars, hibiscus, plumbago, croton and hundreds of other plants in wide, lush beds that surround the property. It is quite a contrast to many other Gulf-to-Bay properties, where scraggly trees or pathetically thin bushes pass for landscaping.

The exceptionally lush approach used at the CVS isn't required under city landscaping codes, but was the result of some horse trading between the city and the developer, who wanted permission to exceed certain other limits the city normally places on such developments.

The City of Clearwater struggled for years to get businesses to take care of the relatively limited landscaping they were required to plant when they built their projects. Trees and bushes were stuck in the hot wasteland of a parking lot and seldom watered. They didn't last long.

City codes now address that situation. New development must meet exacting landscaping requirements; so must existing properties if they make major changes in their buildings or parking lots. The landscaping code is extremely specific, addressing what kinds of plant materials may be used, size of trees and even mulch materials. The codes also require maintenance of landscaping, including installation of an automatic sprinkler system.

Though the most stringent aspects of the landscaping code don't kick in unless a property is redeveloped - and redevelopment of Gulf-to-Bay Boulevard, particularly west of U.S. 19, has been slow - one exceptional project can start a trend. Other commercial properties may not be required to spruce up their properties, but they don't want to suffer in comparison. Expect to see improved landscaping on other properties. Indeed, the Walgreens drugstore across Keene Road from the new CVS plans to upgrade its landscaping soon.

The city's years-long effort to improve the aesthetics of Gulf-to-Bay and Court Street, the major tourist route to the beach, continues to bear fruit. The city fought in court to force removal of portable signs and billboards during the 1980s and '90s, downsized business signs through new ordinances and amortization, landscaped the medians on Court Street, added mast arms and palms at intersections, and now seeks to persuade private property owners along the thoroughfare to plant more greenery.

The resulting lushness isn't just easy on the eyes, it is good for business and the environment.

[Last modified December 1, 2007, 21:26:31]