LARGO – With future development plans well under way downtown and at the east end of East Bay Drive, city planners are now turning to the Largo Mall area.
The City Commission Nov. 20 hired a consultant to study the Largo Mall area’s future potential and to recommend how the city should govern that area’s future growth. This area, a mile surrounding the Largo Mall and busy intersection of Ulmerton Road and Seminole Boulevard, is one of the city’s “activity areas” as identified in the city’s “Strategic Plan” for growth.
The commission hired the TBE Group, formerly known as Tampa Bay Engineering, to undertake the first phase of the study for $50,000.
The report was scheduled for completion by next spring. The second phase of the study would then look at new land-use regulations for the affected area, including potential mixed-use developments.
Acting city Community Development Director Robert Klute said the study’s two phases should result in guidelines and strategies to guide the targeted area’s growth. After similar studies, the downtown area, including the Clearwater-Largo Road corridor and the downtown area were declared blighted areas to qualify for federal, state and county financial assistance for redevelopment.
Looking farther east, the studies resulted in plans by a developer to renovate the empty Crossroads Mall into a mixed-use development including retail stores, homes, professional offices and public common areas.
In the Largo Mall area, the consultant will do a market analysis of the area and report on market conditions; opportunities and roadblocks in the area, a development strategy and a way to determine boundaries of the area to be affected.
Vice Mayor Andy Guyette noted that some of the initial boundaries projected by the city staff fall outside of existing city boundaries. Klute replied that some areas might be annexed eventually but all were part of the city’s established utilities services planning area. He said these property owners would have to rely upon those facilities even if they remained outside of the city so they would have to be included in any future development plans.
Klute added that, although given lower priorities, there are other major intersections in the city that are showing signs of significant future growth and should be considered “activity areas” for regulated growth. He said these included the intersections of Missouri Avenue and Rosery Road and Belcher and East Bay Drive.
In other action involving local businesses, the City Commission voiced support for plans to allow local businesses to provide discounted memberships in the city’s parks and recreation facilities.
Recreation, Parks and Arts Director Joan Byrne said that the annual ordinance establishing fees refers to a new program for business owners. She said members of her staff will be meeting with large employers to explain the new program to them.
“This is part of our mission to make a more business-friendly atmosphere in the city,” Byrne said.
Other significant changes in the city fee structure, she added, are addition of fees for use of the city’s skateboard park so that supervisory staff can be hired, creation of a discount card that would be sold to city Golf Course users, addition of a catering fee for those using the Largo Cultural Center for private events and increased fees for the annual children’s summer camps.
