Clearwater leaders say city has ‘urban renaissance’ feel with downtown construction projects starting

Building up downtown Clearwater

FOX 13's Kailey Tracy shares details about several projects that are already in the works in Clearwater.

CLEARWATER, Fla. - The revitalization of downtown Clearwater has been a long-discussed topic, but city leaders say they’re on the cusp of a construction boom that will transform the city.

"The city of Clearwater is definitely experiencing an urban renaissance or renewal per se," Assistant City Manager Alfred Battle said.

The renaissance is taking shape as development in downtown Clearwater.

"We’re very excited about the future, very bullish on what that looks like," he said.

What they're saying:

Battle said after years of downtown revitalization talks, there will be shovels in the ground in the next 30 days for projects.

"I think it's a large change in terms of what you see today and what the future will look like. Part of change is feeling good about the change, but the physical construction, I think, will represent a different part of change. It goes from talking about it and it being policy, conversations, and just conversations over time where the public and the private sector have expressed an interest in seeing this great city come back to life," Battle said.

Projects include a 10-story hotel, called Ballad Hotel, with an underground parking garage, retail space and a rooftop bar overlooking the BayCare Sound and Coachman Park. The hotel will have 158 rooms. Construction will start soon and take about 21 months.

Construction will start in January 2026 on the Bluff Apartment Development on the former City Hall site near Coachman Park.

By the numbers:

It will be a 28-story mixed-use building with 400 rental apartments. The development will have about 10,000 square feet of retail space and an underground parking garage with 440 spaces. It will be done by April 2028.

"The downtown core area where there just is, I think, a great palette of there being just this blank opportunity for the artistry of development to take over and make it a very, very unique place," Battle said.

Crews will also make improvements to Osceola Avenue from Court to Drew Streets. Those improvements include underground utility upgrades, new 10-foot sidewalks, improved drainage, on-street parking and more. Construction will start in early 2026 and wrap up in early 2027.

Construction on a nearly 400-spot public parking garage at Pierce Street and Osceola Avenue starts soon and will be finished in about a year. The garage will include electric-vehicle chargers. The city is also actively marketing the 12,000 square feet of retail space.

Crews are already working on the new City Hall on South Myrtle Avenue. It’s set to open between August and September 2026. It’s part of a $31.6 million civic redevelopment project. It’s two stories and 40,000 square feet.

Battle says they’re also optimistic about what could come to Pinellas County government’s buildings in downtown when they relocate to the ICOT Center Business Park off of Ulmerton Road in a couple of years.

"Their relocation and disposal of a number of properties in their portfolio that are all right in the heart of downtown we think, you know, creates a different type of opportunity in that you never want to see a large employer leave, but the benefit of that is, is that they are going to turn over the development opportunity to the private sector, and we believe that our influence can help," Battle said.

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The backstory:

Battle says the Church of Scientology, which owns and operates a significant number of properties in downtown, has started renovations on its buildings, and the city hopes to work with the Church.

"The relationship is a longstanding one. I can't really speak to all the history of it, but it's something that we hope will benefit both parties that as the development continues to happen in downtown Clearwater, the investments and the holdings that the church has, we’ll both see the benefits of those," he said.

City officials say they’ve already seen a huge influx of visitors following the opening of Coachman Park in 2023 and the BayCare Sound. More than 100 concerts have brought 336,500 people, the city says.

As part of the development, there will be traffic changes. Southbound lanes on North Osceola Avenue have shifted to share the northbound lane just south of Drew Street to accommodate construction for the new hotel and apartment high-rise.

You can find construction updates on the city’s website.