City of Clearwater to hold third and final round of “Imagine Clearwater” community workshops

The City of Clearwater is holding the third and final round of community workshops next week to present and discuss the Imagine Clearwater master plan, which will establish a framework for the future of the downtown Clearwater waterfront area.

The consultant team will be presenting the first draft of the final master plan, which will illustrate a proposal for a dynamic new waterfront open space, an active Bluff designed to frame the new park, a revitalized Osceola Avenue corridor, and improved access and connectivity between downtown and the waterfront.

The draft master plan, rooted in the community’s vision and guiding principles for the downtown waterfront, includes a design for the future waterfront park, recommends a set of catalyst projects that will generate excitement and activate the downtown core, proposes an integrated circulation strategy, and walks through the steps that the City and community can take to implement the plan.

Imagine Clearwater is a community-focused visioning and master planning effort for Clearwater’s downtown waterfront and Bluff. The area is home to Coachman Park, a treasured community gathering space that hosts a wide array of cultural events that attract residents and visitors from across the region and beyond.

Since August, residents have had the opportunity to provide input on how they would like to “reimagine” the future of the downtown waterfront. Hundreds of residents have attended five community workshops and many more have shared their vision for the waterfront via email, on ImagineClearwater.com, and through the City’s various social media channels.

During this third and final round of workshops, the consultant team will present the first draft of the master plan, and provide the public with an opportunity to provide detailed and direct feedback to the team. Following the workshops, the consultant team will refine the master plan based on the community’s in-person and online feedback before the final master plan is presented to City Council for approval by the end of 2016.

The community workshops will be held:

• Tuesday, November 29, 6:30 p.m. at the Countryside Library, 2642 Sabal Springs Dr.
• Wednesday, November 30, 6:30 p.m. at the Downtown Clearwater Main Library, 100 N. Osceola Ave.

“We have had tremendous turnout at the previous community workshops, which confirms to me how important this process is to Clearwater residents,” said Michael Delk, Planning and Development Director for the City of Clearwater. “The community is excited about the redevelopment opportunity of this part of Clearwater and they have made sure that their voices have been heard at each step in the decision-making process.”

For residents who are unable to attend a community workshop, written input will be gathered from now until early December. Visit www.imagineclearwater.com and leave a comment online, or follow the City of Clearwater on Facebook and post comments or questions to the page.

“As we draw near the end of this six-month planning process, the City of Clearwater remains committed to getting significant public input on this project and then using it in a meaningful way,” said Delk. “The downtown Clearwater waterfront is an iconic area for this region, and we want to ensure that all the residents of Clearwater have a strong voice in how this area will look and feel in the future.”

For more information on the Imagine Clearwater project or the community workshops, visit www.imagineclearwater.com or call Gina Clayton at (727) 562-4587.