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Committee may be established to develop strategy
By THOMAS MICHALSKI
Article published on Friday, Dec. 8, 2006 |
PINELLAS PARK – The city may create a special committee to study the possibility of creating a mixed-use “theme” for the Park Boulevard business district that now is a jumble of old and new residences and commercial properties.
Councilman Ed Taylor, a long-time city resident, said the committee could consist of lawmakers, developers and others that would work toward a “clear strategy” to revitalize the district.
“Our present redevelopment efforts are not in trouble,” Taylor said, “but a more defined plan may be required to make future efforts more effective.”
Taylor said most rehabilitation efforts in other Pinellas County municipalities are water-orientated, such as at John’s Pass in Madeira Beach and The Pier area in downtown St. Petersburg. He said that Pinellas Park has no shoreline so a different theme, perhaps one designed around the arts, would have to be created.
“There is no reason why Pinellas Park can’t eventually become a major tourist attraction,” Taylor said.
There already has been talk of launching a Saturday morning farmer’s market in the area of Park Station or at the England Brothers Band Shell. Each area can accommodate the parking that would be needed. Markets have been successful in other cities.
The city is also hoping to draw people by offering musical, stage and other productions at the old Crosspointe Baptist Church auditorium in back of city hall that currently is being refurbished.
The City Council last month also approved plans to modify existing zoning laws aimed at rebuilding the business district for residential and commercial development. The original district was in the area that is now Park Boulevard, once named Broadway, chiefly around Park Station.
Taylor said efforts have been successful in recent years to inject new life into the business district. A multi-generation Floridian, his family moved here in 1964 from Tampa when the city was little more than farms and a scattering of buildings.
“Some cities such as St. Petersburg are spending tax dollars to revamp their business districts,” Taylor said. “We are using a market-driven process whereby developers and others are footing the bill for new construction and improvements.”
Many current structures date back decades, some even to the turn of the last century. Taylor said property owners are spending money on new facades, landscaping and other improvements. The city, in some cases, even offers matching funds for certain improvements.
Taylor’s own building on Park Boulevard houses a funeral business, but originally was constructed as a church.
“We would like to draw people to a tourist area of art shops, coffeehouses and related businesses,” Taylor said. “We want to eventually create a unique area that could be developed from present and new structures.”
Taylor said a cluster of bungalows near Park Station known as United Cottages would be ideal for use as small businesses. Built in the 1940s as a tourist colony, they eventually became permanent housing units. A few actually are mobile homes with false sidings that make them look like brick and mortar structures.
Taylor said the council two years ago rezoned the area for business development. He said the former vacation bungalows easily could be converted into shops and crafts stores.
“We have had too many consultants here,” Taylor said. “But when the rubber meets the road it’s up to local officials to make the right decisions for the city.”
Taylor said a development committee of sorts already exists, but its goal is more to help builders wade through the jungle of paperwork, inspections and permits that are a part of the construction process.
“A committee to study in detail how to re-create the business district into a theme shopping/residential area might be the key to make the whole redevelopment plan work,” Taylor said.
Thomas L. Shevlin, assistant city manager, said recently that the success of the city’s business area depends on the future market and the other components that drive success.
One consultant, Jeff Katims of Fort Lauderdale, recently proposed to the council several plans to redefine the business area. One, “form base zoning,” called for drastic changes in zoning, construction and methods used to attract new development.
Another option called for staying within existing zoning guidelines and amending them as required, a plan that seemed more attractive to city officials.
The city is in the process of revising the Land Development Code. The goal is to support an actual downtown-type retail and entertainment mecca that would be separate from Park Boulevard’s existing big box stores, drive-thru businesses, automotive and storage areas.
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Article published on Friday, Dec. 8, 2006
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