EVO project clears another hurdle in Clearwater

Clearwater has approved the $1 million sale of a small city-owned parcel needed for the planned EVO Entertainment project downtown, while a separate fight over public streets within the site continues.

The Community Redevelopment Agency voted Monday to sell 103 N. East Ave. to Myrtle Development LLC, a Church of Scientology-affiliated development company. The property is slated to become part of the parking area for the planned 83,000-square-foot entertainment center near Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue.

The sale comes shortly after a separate debate over public property tied to the same project. Earlier this month, the City Council voted 3-2 to move forward with vacating Grove Street, part of Laura Street and an alley within the EVO site, drawing a large crowd and hours of discussion over whether the city should give up public rights-of-way for a private development.

Monday’s vote dealt with a different piece of land, but one Myrtle says it needs to complete the project. Clearwater declared the East Avenue property surplus earlier this year and advertised it for sale with a minimum price of $875,000. Myrtle was the only respondent and offered $1 million.

The parcel is less than a quarter-acre and sits between East and Myrtle avenues, north of Cleveland Street. It would be folded into a larger site planned for at least 400 parking spaces and the EVO complex.

Bob Potter, who represented the Church of Scientology and Myrtle Development at Monday’s meeting, said the property would serve as part of the parking area for the project. The entertainment center is expected to include movie theaters, bowling, arcade games, rock climbing, food and beverage options and other attractions. Potter said the development would occupy roughly five acres downtown and described the parking as critical infrastructure for the project. 

The city has owned the property for more than a century. Potter said Clearwater bought it in 1922 for $3,000, and a city waterworks building once stood there before being demolished in 2011. He said the $1 million sale would also return the land to the tax rolls. 

The development agreement places several limits on what Myrtle can do with the parcel. For the 15-year term of the agreement, the property is restricted to parking for the EVO project and related uses approved by the city.

Myrtle must obtain building permits within two years of the related street-vacation ordinance being adopted, begin construction within two and a half years and receive a certificate of occupancy within four years. The CRA can also buy the land back for $1 million if certain requirements are not met. 

The agreement does not give Myrtle final development approval, and the planning process is not finished. During Monday’s meeting, planning staff said Myrtle has met with the city since receiving comments from the Development Review Committee but has not yet submitted a revised site plan. 

Some of those comments dealt with street connectivity and whether the project meets downtown development standards. One concern was whether Laura Street should remain a through east-west connection rather than being cut off within the development site. Staff would not say whether the proposed configuration provides the same functionality because the revised plans have not been submitted. 

Grove Street and the alley are currently unused, while Laura Street remains open to traffic and provides public parking. That distinction has been at the center of the debate, with residents questioning whether Clearwater should permanently give up the rights-of-way and whether enough has been done to preserve public access through the site.

Supporters, meanwhile, have pointed to the roughly $50 million private investment behind EVO and the chance to bring more people downtown. Council members have repeatedly described the project as a potential draw for beach visitors and residents who currently spend little time in the downtown core.

Mayor Bruce Rector cast the lone vote against the property sale. Rector said his opposition was not about the EVO project itself, but about the city giving up ownership of the land.

“Once we convey it, we convey it,” Rector said.

He said he would have preferred for Clearwater to lease the East Avenue parcel, arguing that a lease would give the city more control over the property and help ensure it remains open for public use. Rector acknowledged that the development agreement restricts how the parcel can be used, but said a lease would provide stronger protection. 

The other four trustees supported the sale, pointing to the $1 million price, the restrictions in the agreement and the scale of the private investment downtown. 

The street vacations still have another vote ahead of them, and Myrtle still has to return with a revised site plan. Monday’s vote, however, puts an agreement in place for another piece of the land Myrtle says it needs to build EVO.