A 3D preview of downtown Clearwater’s next chapter

Construction cranes and scaffolding are part of downtown Clearwater’s scenery today. A new 3D visualization video the city has released showcases a future downtown transformed by the redevelopment projects now underway and highlights additional redevelopment opportunities in the urban core.

Created in collaboration with the Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council, the video provides an animated flyover of the ‘unprecedented public and private investment’ creating a ‘walkable, mixed-use urban center.’

Clearwater Assistant City Manager Al Battle says the goal is to build on the momentum of the current redevelopment activity to attract future investments and projects. 

“Since it’s visual, it does a good job of showing the landscape of Clearwater in a way that goes beyond your typical presentation,” he says. “It shows the proximity to other locations in the city, the beach, and different parts of downtown. 

It also shows what the future will look like when these projects are finished, which will hopefully create excitement and have people saying, ‘If I’m interested in doing real estate development, I need to pay attention to what’s going on in Clearwater.’”

A closer look at Downtown Clearwater redevelopment

The video showcases the ongoing redevelopment of former city-owned properties on the downtown bluff overlooking Coachman Park and Clearwater Harbor, a project led by the DeNunzio Group and Gotham Organization. There, The Ballad Hotel, a 158-room, Hilton-branded hotel with ground-floor retail and restaurant space and a rooftop bar, is under construction and slated to open in early 2028. Its sister project, 150 S. Osceola Ave., a 400-unit, 28-story upscale apartment tower with ground-floor retail, is under construction and scheduled to open in mid-2028.

Along the Cleveland Street corridor, the video spotlights a slew of projects the Cleveland Street Alliance, a redevelopment coalition involving the Church of Scientology and its parishioners, is leading as part of a $200 million private investment. The work includes restoration of historic properties such as the Peoples Bank Building, F.W. Woolworth Building, and The Telephone Building. 

At Cleveland and Myrtle Avenue, EVO Entertainment plans an 83,000-square-foot family entertainment complex featuring a seven-screen multiplex with a seven-story-tall, 131-foot-wide cinema screen as its centerpiece—to what developers describe as the world’s largest cinema screen, including Dolby Vision™ and Dolby Atmos™ sound.

A pair of City of Clearwater public infrastructure projects to support redevelopment are spotlighted. At Osceola Avenue and Pierce Street, the 397-space Osceola Parking Garage is under construction and slated to open in early 2027. The garage will include approximately 12,000 square feet of ground-floor retail space the city plans to lease out. The upcoming Osceola Avenue road improvement project will include pedestrian, parking, and landscaping upgrades.  

“The City of Clearwater is undergoing an urban renaissance, a revival of downtown with several active projects,” says Director of Economic Development and Housing Chris Edwards. “This 3D visualization project allows us to target not just residents, businesses, and stakeholders but developers and real estate investors interested in joining that renaissance. We’re working collaboratively with private property owners who are at work with their own projects to change the perception of downtown to advance a more thriving, economically vibrant downtown.”

Future opportunities

Looking ahead, the video highlights several additional properties available for redevelopment, including an unprecedented opportunity. Pinellas County is relocating its administrative offices out of downtown, a move that will free up 34 parcels across 24.5 acres for one of the largest redevelopment opportunities in Clearwater’s history ‘and a rare opportunity to create a connected, walkable urban district that integrates residential, commercial, hospitality, civic, and public space uses.’

On October 13, county commissioners rejected the two redevelopment proposals received and opted to explore additional options.

Meanwhile, the City of Clearwater has launched a public outreach effort to attract the right development partner to transform long-vacant historic North Ward Elementary School into a vibrant, mixed-use development through a mix of historic renovation and new construction. In July, the city hosted a well-attended Night at North Ward event that included tours and community conversations about redevelopment scenarios. 

Battle says city officials continue marketing efforts to attract an organization with a vision to transform underutilized space inside the Clearwater Main Library into a cultural destination. 

A developer’s insights

For decades, Clearwater officials sought redevelopment activity that would breathe new life into downtown. In 2023, the $84 million reconstruction of waterfront Coachman Park created a downtown destination, complete with a concert amphitheater. Then, ground broke on The Ballad Hotel in December 2025, and 150 S. Osceola Ave. in April 2026, and the redevelopment the city long sought became reality. 

The DeNunzio Group Project Manager Gretchen Dominguez, who’s overseeing construction of The Ballad Hotel, says the project has personal significance for company founder Dustin DeNunzio, who attended high school in Clearwater after his family moved from the Boston area and lives in the city today.

“Dustin loves his life in Clearwater,” she says. “He lives out on Clearwater Beach. He would love to see the downtown grow. We want to see a resurgence of downtown Clearwater. It’s a beautiful downtown area overlooking the intracoastal. There’s a great opportunity with the quaintness and the character there.” 

The proximity to the adjacent BayCare Sound amphitheater, the inspiration for the hotel’s music theme, and to Clearwater Beach make it an ideal location, Dominguez says. 

The Ballad will have restaurants in the lobby, on the second-floor pool level, and on the 10th floor, which will have an upscale bar and tapas and an outdoor deck. There will also be a restaurant on the bluff below the hotel and two restaurants, an ice cream shop, and a Moke electric beach cruiser dealer in a separate retail building.  

Dominguez says construction should top out by the end of this year. She says crews are mindful of the downtown location and stop work during the Clearwater Jazz Holiday and other major events. 

“We work very closely with the City Manager’s office,” Dominguez says. “It’s been a very collaborative effort; they’ve been a dream to work with. It’s been a lovely endeavor for us because you don’t always get the coordination and collaboration we have gotten from the city. We’re very happy it’s been such a great partnership.”

She expects the current wave of redevelopment is the start of things to come.

“I’m excited about the growth that’s going to happen there, and it’s going to come,” Dominguez says. “Without hesitation, I think there’s going to be a resurgence. Given what the city is doing, what they’re putting into the area, and what we’re building, I really believe that if you build it, they will come.  We’re going to see a lot of people move to Clearwater.”

Watch the city’s downtown visualization video and learn more about the projects at www.myclearwater.com/development.