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Despite all the hubbub over downtown redevelopment, an activist and the developer maintain their demeanors at a forum about the plan.
By THOMAS C. TOBIN
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 7, 2000
CLEARWATER -- If things keep going the way they did Tuesday afternoon, the battle for supremacy in the July 11 special election on downtown redevelopment will resemble a backyard social.
At an event that dripped with Southern gentility, developer George de Guardiola and activist Anne Garris politely disagreed about the details of de Guardiola's proposal to remake downtown Clearwater and its waterfront bluff.
It was the first time since the city and de Guardiola joined forces last month that the developer has appeared at a forum with Garris, who is the spokeswoman for Save the Bayfront, a group of former city officials and others opposed to the plan.
Though the two debated the particulars of the plan, their differences were more philosophical.
The plan on the ballot is about infusing downtown Clearwater with an air of "success, authenticity and permanence that is very difficult to duplicate," de Guardiola told the gathering at the East Branch Library, which was sponsored by the Clearwater Community Women's Club.
Garris framed the election as a choice between a downtown waterfront dominated by restaurants and retailers and a more serene setting filled with "leisurely recreation and culture." Garris favored the latter, saying, "In my opinion, we can put shops and theaters other places."
After the 90-minute meeting, an audience of 80 people -- including a handful of current and former city officials -- politely applauded. Garris, the local veteran, and de Guardiola, the newcomer, smiled and embraced like old friends.
Earlier, the developer told the audience his plan took a "holistic approach," based on input from the community and a full study of downtown.
Under the plan, he said, the city would retain what it has now on the waterfront, but it would be more vibrant.
Its centerpiece would be a park that sweeps across the front of bluff, anchored by an amphitheater at the north end and a botanical garden at the south. In the center would be a pier fashioned from the east half of the Memorial Causeway drawbridge, which is scheduled for replacement. The pier would be home to a small marina, restaurants and shops.
At the top of the bluff would be a new city library with 40,000 square feet of retail space on the first floor and a City Hall on the floors above.
The current site of the Harborview Center would be made into a multiplex theater. To the south, two buildings now owned by Calvary Baptist Church would be turned into a hotel and conference center. Further south still, the existing City Hall and parking lot, as well as another Calvary property, would be turned into residential development.
"We are re-creating, recasting the activity that takes place in those (existing) buildings," de Guardiola said.
Farther back from the top of the bluff, east across Osceola Avenue, would be a "super block" north of Cleveland Street with apartments, stores, restaurants and a parking garage to make up for spaces that would be taken to expand the park.
The theaters, the park and a grand staircase down Cleveland Street would be the main features, creating "a seamless flow of people in a four-block area," de Guardiola said.
The development would take six to nine years to unfold, he said.
Garris said she wants a bigger park like de Guardiola has proposed. She also wants a library on the bluff and downtown redevelopment. She thinks the world of the developer, she said.
"However," she said, "we have some strong questions about this particular project."
Garris questioned the 99-year leases the developer would receive on seven parcels owned by the city, including the proposed pier, Harborview Center, and first floor space in the library building.
"Ninety-nine years is a long time to obligate something this big and this important," Garris said, adding that she was uncomfortable the agreements between de Guardidola and the city would not be completed until after the election.
At present, she said, there is no clause on how the land will revert to the city after 99 years and no clause preventing de Guardiola from selling the leases to someone else.
Voters would be giving "open permission to do pretty much whatever the developer and the (city) commission work together to do," Garris said.
She also said Clearwater deserves a main library and city hall that are separate and free of retail outlets. De Guardiola said that part of the plan was acceptable to city officials, but Garris said, "That doesn't sound very elegant to me."
She said her alternative plan would be to spend $2-million in Penny for Pinellas tax money the city would spend anyway as part of the development to expand Coachman Park. She also said she would push city officials to revive the Harborview Center and improve its financial performance instead of complaining about it.
De Guardiola said the 99-year leases are necessary to secure financing for the project. He added that the city has the option to get out of the leases after 60 years if it pays the developer 40 percent of the value of the buildings on the property.
Without the leases, he said, the city would have to risk going into debt. West Palm Beach, he said, is $80-million in debt after redeveloping its downtown.
"We are not magicians," de Guardiola said. "This is what we can do. This is what we hope you can do. If you cannot do that, then you have the wrong people."