The Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency approved a lease, property‑operation agreement and a $500,000 grant to the Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition (CULC) to develop a shipping‑container village on a combined site of four parcels along North Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue.

Eric Santiago, CRA division manager, told trustees the combined development site will include the CRA‑owned parcel at 1325 N. MLK Jr. Ave. and three city parcels at 1317 and 1321 N. MLK Jr. Ave. and 1106 Tangerine Street. Under the agreement, the CRA will lease the four‑parcel site to the coalition under a 10‑year lease with two optional five‑year renewals at the coalition’s discretion. Rent is set at $2,000 per month with a 3% annual increase; the first four years’ rent will be waived.

CRA staff described the project as a community‑centered, entrepreneurial activation of the MLK corridor using at least five shipping containers to house retail, dining and entertainment businesses. The agreement includes development milestones: within one year obtain development review approvals and building permits; within two years obtain certificate of occupancy for two containers; and within four years obtain occupancy for the remaining three containers. The CRA grant funds, sourced from ARPA allocations, will be disbursed in installments tied to the development timeline.

Gloria Campbell, president of the Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition, addressed trustees, described four years of planning and community work on the site and characterized the grant as an economic‑development investment rather than a handout. Trustees discussed the project in supportive terms and voted to approve the lease and grant agreement.

The agreement also includes administrative terms, a development timetable with limited extension authority (city manager may grant up to six months; additional extensions require city council approval), and a repayment/oversight structure detailed in the grant agreement. Staff will coordinate next steps including grant disbursements tied to milestones and permitting.