Entertainment complex planned for downtown Clearwater

Developers say “the largest movie screen in the world” is coming to Clearwater.

Cleveland Street Alliance, LLC has announced plans for an 83,000-square-foot “family entertainment complex” at the corner of Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue. The plans call for a seven-screen multiplex theater, with one screen topping out at 131 feet in width.

Built and operated by Texas-based EVO Entertainment, the facility will include bowling, arcade gaming, laser tag, dining and “interactive entertainment.” Request for a demolition permit for the current building has been submitted to the City of Clearwater.

According to a prepared statement announcing the entertainment complex, it represents an approximately $50 million private investment.

The entertainment complex is being designed as the “gateway” to a re-imagined Cleveland Street corridor. Cleveland Street Alliance, LLC is going building-by-building with historic restoration and redevelopment projects. Twenty-three projects, it says, are already underway on the historic thoroughfare.

The alliance, which is associated with the Church of Scientology, debuted an 1,400-square-foot showroom April 18 at 331 Cleveland Street, with large-scale digital media and a detailed downtown model, so that residents and visitors can see, and comment on, future plans.

Cleveland Street Alliance, LLC is managed by Scott Dobbins, founder and principal of the Tampa-based commercial real estate firm Hybridge. “Historic structures are reinforced and preserved,” Dobbins said in statement to the Catalyst. “New interventions prioritize transparency, accessibility and usability. What was once a collection of aging and underutilized properties is becoming a cohesive, active and architecturally distinct corridor.”

Alliance partners include Halflants & Pichette architects, Streetsense, Gensler and Fairmount Properties.

“The Cleveland Street Alliance is comprised of the Church of Scientology, its parishioners and world-class professionals who are working together to bring this vision to life,” Dobbins said.

Many of the principals, including Dobbins, appear in this promotional video from the Church of Scientology, discussing the Cleveland Street transformation:

Cleveland Street restoration work: Roofing staff fasten barrel tiles along the Peoples Bank building roofline, 432 Cleveland, from a boom lift. Photo: Cleveland Street Alliance, LLC.