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Letter to the editor

Credence for a revival for our Clearwater?

Downtown St. Petersburg gets most of the attention these days when people in Pinellas County talk about a revitalized downtown. ¶ However, for those who haven't noticed, the hint of a renaissance is in the air in downtown Clearwater too.

The most recent sign of pending change was printed in this newspaper Wednesday. An investor has purchased the long under-utilized northeast corner of Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue for potential development. The one-acre property currently has an Avis rental car office, a wicker furniture store and vacant buildings, including the former Fiore's Gourmet. A representative of the new property owner, Rule Development of Largo, offered this explanation for buying the property: "Right now, Clearwater is the place to be as a developer."

How long have Clearwater officials waited to hear those words? Years.

The fact is that since the new bridge to Clearwater Beach opened and the main street through downtown, Cleveland Street, became a dead end rather than a pass-through to the beach, new signs of life have erupted.

Cranes and workers are busy at the sites of two high-rise condominium and retail projects on Cleveland Street. The projects will provide new shopping opportunities at street level, and on the upper floors, condo homes for people who will be customers for the new stores. Another major residential project is nearing completion on Myrtle Avenue just a few blocks from Cleveland Street.

Downtown's second national retailer just opened. The first was Starbucks. The second is Jamba Juice.

Clearwater officials who have hoped for a new movie theater for Clearwater, especially Mayor Frank Hibbard, are busy selling downtown as a good location to potential theater developers.

The city government is doing its part to bring change to downtown. The city recently completed a new streetscaping project to dress up Cleveland Street and slow down traffic. By next year, the city hopes to be building the boat slip project along the base of Coachman Park that voters approved in a referendum.

Rule Development, the new owner of the corner of Cleveland and Myrtle, is negotiating with several restaurants, hoping to bring new eating establishments to that busy corner.

Downtown Clearwater still has a long way to go before anyone could say it is thriving. But signs of a beating heart are there. Those who suggested downtown Clearwater should just be abandoned because it had no future might want to reconsider.

[Last modified January 24, 2008, 06:41:18]