Pinellas County Commissioners on Tuesday declared 17 downtown Clearwater properties as surplus as the county prepares to vacate the spaces and move its main campus to a more centralized location.
The decision was required regardless of whether the county chooses to lease or sell the 24.5 acres of land, which is made up of 32 parcels.
“This is just the first step in what’s going to be a pretty long process,” County Commissioner Brian Scott said.
Central to the commissioners’ debate in recent weeks has been whether to lease the properties or sell them. They say they want to get as much as possible for the properties but also ensure the land is used in a way that’s beneficial to residents and the city of Clearwater.
Commissioners Chris Scherer and Vince Nowicki on Tuesday both voiced support for leasing. Leasing, Scherer said, would “provide us some control on the areas that we want to see activated, which is the ground floor and the shops and the sidewalks.”
The city and county are discussing the properties, and Clearwater officials helped inform the county’s goals for the parcels.
Those goals, according to a presentation from last month, include strengthened connectivity between Clearwater’s downtown, waterfront and beach, as well as an “activated, mixed-use” downtown.
Additionally, the county is seeking to place ownership and occupancy conditions on the properties, as well as legal protections in case standards aren’t met.
Clearwater is experiencing economic development downtown that elected officials are calling a renaissance. New projects include a hotel and apartment complex.
The city for years has struggled to develop its waterfront, and the county properties present a prime opportunity to bring more activity downtown.
Part of the challenge the city has experienced is due to the presence of the Church of Scientology, which has its international spiritual headquarters in downtown Clearwater.
The Tampa Bay Times has reported that since 2017, companies with ties to Scientology have purchased more than 200 properties in the downtown area that remain mostly empty.
Clearwater’s elected officials in recent years have shared their frustrations with development downtown and their desire for the church to develop its properties for public use. The Times has also reported the church has a past of prolonged construction work.
Members of the Save the Garden coalition, a group of residents who came together last year when the Church of Scientology was seeking a portion of downtown roadway for part of a long-planned auditorium, shared their concerns about the future of downtown Tuesday.
“Please don’t sell out Clearwater,” said Brooks Gibbs, who leads Save the Garden. “Set us up for a bright future.”
A public hearing is scheduled for April 29, followed by a workshop the next day. The topic will also be on the agenda at the May 5 commissioners meeting, but it has not yet been determined if there will be a vote that day.
“What we’re trying to do is get the community input, maybe take a pause, think a little bit about where we are,” Commissioner Dave Eggers said.
