Opportunities

City of Clearwater Opportunity Zone 

Download the city of Clearwater’s Opportunity Zone Prospectus (ADA) document to learn about the area and program

Located in the heart of Tampa Bay’s robust market, the city of Clearwater, Florida stands out for its vibrant business community, supportive city leadership, family-friendly environment, extensive indoor and outdoor activities, and untapped opportunities.

Capital Analytics Associates sat down with a panel of experts, including Denise Sanderson, city of Clearwater’s Economic Development and Housing Director; Opp Zone Capital’s Principals Jeanine Blake and Brion Lindseth; and Derek  Mateos, President, Matcon Construction Services, to discuss Clearwater’s Opportunity Zone, how they successfully partner with the private sector to develop projects, and why Clearwater is the ideal place to do business.

Census Tract 259.00 (12103025900) – Downtown Clearwater

The Opportunity Zone Program was created as part of the 2017 Federal Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Opportunity Zones are economically distressed census tracts designated by the U.S. Treasury Department. By investing in an Opportunity Zone, through a qualifying Opportunity Fund, investors can defer and/or reduce their federal capital gains tax liability. These tax benefits increase the longer investments are held. There is no cap on the amount of capital that can be invested and the Opportunity Zone incentives can be applied to a wide range of investments in real estate and operating companies.

Description

The Downtown Clearwater tract contains 851 acres. It is bordered by the Intracoastal Waterway on the west, Drew Street on the north, Lakeview Road on the South, Missouri Avenue on the east. Opportunity Zone aerial map with outline of entire zone in red and CRA in green

Land Use/Zoning

The northern half of the tract is Activity Center due to its designation as a Community Redevelopment Area (CRA). The southern portion of the tract contains a mixed uses including Residential, Office, Retail/Services, and Employment.

Designations

The northern half is Clearwater’s Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) and the City of Clearwater offers unique incentives as part of its CRA program including grant funding for commercial property owners for building improvements.  Most of the tract is a state designated Brownfield Area and the entire tract is a NMTC Higher Distress area.

General

The tract houses both the City and County governments’ center and the County Courthouse.  It is a focus of redevelopment efforts through the CRA and Imagine Clearwater, a new master plan to revitalize the Clearwater waterfront.  The CRA has tax increment financing funds to assist in the redevelopment and revitalization of the area.  Public investments already made include substantial streetscape for Cleveland Street.

Opportunities

There are excellent opportunities for all types of redevelopment in this tract.  Downtown offers an urban setting for office, residential, commercial and mixed-use projects.

Contact

For more information on the CRA’s opportunity zone, contact Anne Lopez, Interim CRA Director, at 727-562-4039 or anne.lopez@myclearwater.com. For more information on the city’s opportunity zones, contact Denise Sanderson, Economic Development and Housing Director at 727-562-4031 or Denise.Sanderson@myclearwater.com.