The buzz in Clearwater has largely been about what development project would get selected for the downtown waterfront area. This area’s redevelopment is familiar to many due to the popularity of the adjacent project – Imagine Clearwater.

Imagine Clearwater

Imagine Clearwater project – St.Pete Catalyst

Imagine Clearwater is a construction project that will redevelop the Coachman Park area. One of the most notable additions is the 4,000-seat bandshell. Outside of this structure the grounds will be made pedestrian friendly and allow a connection between the waterfront and the downtown area. Clearwater’s city website lists out the extent of the redevelopment: “An expansive park and recreational spaces, a gateway plaza and bluff walk that connects the park to downtown, a bay walk promenade overlooking the Intracoastal Waterway, a lake area with picnic shelters, and an ocean-themed play area with an interactive pop-jet water feature.”

Construction on this project has already begun and you can even view a live feed of the project’s progress. The park area is the current priority and is set to open in the summer of 2023.

The Bluffs

Another space, known as the downtown bluff, went up for grabs directly next to the Imagine Clearwater Project. Clearwater’s City Council put out an open invitation for developers to propose projects for this area. With several different proposals, they voted and unanimously selected a development team on June 16th.

The winning group, The Bluffs, will now work with the City Council in order to create terms that they feel will receive approval from the residents. The terms must be sorted out by July 7th in order to make the deadline to get the referendum question on the November ballot.

This project is set to include a 13-story, 150-room hotel with 15,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, a conference center, a rooftop bar and pool, and 163 below-ground parking spaces. It also includes two 27-story towers with a combined 600 rental units, with 25,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space and 600 below-ground parking spaces.

This project would be built in two phases. The first phase focuses on the hotel and first residential tower and would be set to be completed in 2026, the second tower would then be completed in 2028.

Cleveland Street District

Cleveland Street, Clearwater restaurants – Fox News

Back in 2021, the city announced the permanent closure of some of the streets in the Cleveland Street area. This was done after 2020’s temporary closures of the streets brought a new vitality to the area. The Cleveland Street District is lined with restaurants, entertainment, and shops. Closing the streets directly outside of the restaurants allowed them to move seating outdoors for their patrons. The area is now filled with almost continuous people visiting, eating and enjoying themselves.

Local and Visitor Impact

These two major projects will totally revitalize the downtown waterfront area for locals and visitors alike. The bandshell will bring music, parks bring greenery, new pathways will make for scenic strolls, retail and restaurant space gives new places to explore, and hotels and residential buildings bring more people to the area.

Considering the already popular Cleveland Street District, these additions all come together to make for a future filled with even more fun, beauty and opportunity in the downtown area!