Since the St. Pete Beach City Commission approved a $279,630 planning contract with the Michael Baker Jr. Corporation on September 18, the public had its first real chance November 19-21 to participate in planning aimed at transforming the aging Corey Avenue commercial district into what city officials hope will become a “vibrant downtown community.”
Residents, business owners and merchants were invited to attend a series of meetings and workshops that included an overview of the Corey Avenue Enhancement Project and how it relates to the city’s Community Redevelopment Area; Community walking tour in the Corey Avenue District to identify areas of concern and ideas for improvement; Breakfast Meet and Greet for local merchants, business owners and employees to discuss ideas about the district plan; Community focus group discussion of the proposed downtown couplet traffic plan; Community walking tour with the focus on the potential to improve streetscaping, architectural styles, pedestrian circulation and public spaces; Community workshop to explore ideas for improving the Corey Avenue District, the general vision for the area, urban design preferences, gateways and streetscaping; and a windup City Commission workshop to discuss results of the week’s meetings and community reaction.
George Kinney, SPB Community Development Director, said an estimated 200-plus participated in the recent three-day program and that he was very pleased with the combined input. Another set of workshops is planned for February. While there are no defined boundaries, the District generally is bounded by 76th Avenue to the north, 73rd Avenue to the south, Boca Ciega Bay to the east and Blind Pass to the west.
He told Paradise News, “Until now we’ve had limited public input with an earlier Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council project that included several public workshops, a stakeholder web survey, presentations and Planning Board workshops..
“The key project parties now include the City Commission, the City’s Planning Board and the Michael Baker Jr. Corporation. We’ve initiated LIDAR-based digital 3-dimensional mapping of the area and are preparing for more extensive public planning, all under the coordination and direction of our City Planning Department.
“We encourage all property and business owners, and interested community members in St. Pete Beach to discuss and explore ideas for future improvements to the Corey Avenue District.”
The Baker project includes five phases over a nine-month time frame, with a final report anticipated by summer 2014. Phase 1 Project Initiation covers plan review, existing conditions inventory, staff meeting and tour, community workshops and Planning Board meetings. Phase 2 Conceptual Design covers circulation and mobility concept, streetscape and urban design concept, land use and development concept. Phase 2 Community Review involves staff review meeting, community workshop and Planning Board meetings; Phase 4 Illustrative Plan incorporates refined circulation, land use and design concepts, and a vision poster; Phase 5 Final Concept includes community confirmation and Planning Board meeting.
Local businessman Michael Lehman is the sparkplug for the innovative LOVEit LOSEit ST. PETE BEACH companion project. “We live in paradise,” he exclaimed. “Yet, in some cases, paradise needs a makeover. As the city prepares for redevelopment, they need to know what we love about our city; local architecture, landscaping, streets, utilities, anything in our built and natural environment. They also need to know what we don’t like, what we’d rather lose.
“Sharing photos is easy, and every picture tells a story. Like what you see? Send photos to loveit@sunrisetosunset.org. See what you don’t like? Send photos to loseit@sunrisetosunset.org. LOVEit LOSEit ST. PETE BEACH is designed to assist the city in planning for a better future.” Lehman can be reached via email to info@sunrisetosunset.org or phone at 727-492-4452.