CLEARWATER, Fla. — Clearwater leaders approved steps this week tied to a proposed 83,000-square-foot entertainment center downtown, including vacating streets and an alleyway and selling city-owned land for the project.
The proposal calls for an EVO Family Entertainment Center at Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue, with a multiplex featuring what backers describe as the world’s largest screen as its anchor. The development is planned by Elevate Entertainment Group and funded by the Church of Scientology.
Clearwater City Council approved vacating Grove Street, Laura Street, and an alleyway between North East and North Myrtle Avenues. Leaders also approved selling land in the 100 block of North East Avenue for the project.
Erin Banks, a Church of Scientology spokesperson, said a broader downtown effort represents “a $200-million private investment” and includes the EVO Family Entertainment Center.
“It’s a game-changer. Everyone’s really excited,” Banks said.
The Cleveland Street Alliance, a group made up of the Church of Scientology, parishioners, urban planners and others, said the development will include a movie theater, bowling, laser tag and other entertainment options.
Banks said EVO is expected to bring one million people downtown each year, with 90% coming from outside Pinellas County. She said the street vacations were needed for parking and safety.
Some speakers at Thursday’s City Council meeting questioned the plan and the decision to vacate public rights of way.
“Our actual rights-of-way, losing our public navigational routes downtown, is a bridge too far,” one speaker said. “Once they’re gone, they’re gone forever.”
On Monday, ahead of a community redevelopment agency vote to sell city-owned land for the project, Clearwater Mayor Bruce Rector said he would have preferred to lease the property.
“I just want to make sure that it stays open to the public type thing because the reality is the property owner can convert it to a club-type thing at some point where, you know, selective folks are invited in or not in,” Rector said.
Banks rejected that concern, saying, “Nobody would invest $50 million into a family entertainment center with the premier family entertainment center in the nation, Dolby Laboratories. Everybody’s on board, and nobody would do that to make it so it wasn’t available to everybody.”
Some downtown business owners said they hope the project brings more visitors to the area.
“I’m all for it because I really cannot wait til the downtown is filled up with people,” said Natalya Harrison, owner of Soul Sicilian Fusion.
Harrison said downtown looks different depending on whether there is a concert at the BayCare Sound.
“When there’s a big concert, there’s thousands and thousands and thousands of people, and there’s not enough restaurants, there’s not enough coffee shops, there’s not enough shops,” Harrison said.
Jessica Tello, managing partner at Nash Keys Dueling Piano Bar & Restaurant, said she is comfortable with the latest votes as long as the entertainment center is built.
“The problem we’ve had is that they just close up — you can look across the street, and it’s just beautiful storefronts, but nothing inside of them,” Tello said.
There are multiple properties along Cleveland Street that council was previously told are owned by limited liability corporations for which the majority of investors are Church of Scientology members. Council members were told earlier this year that those buildings were undergoing renovations that were either complete or in progress.
Banks said the projects are moving forward. She said that after Thursday’s vote, architects are preparing construction documents so final planning can be completed for the family entertainment center.
Source: baynews9.com
