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Downtown board sets aside $300,000 for Cleveland Street activation after merchants press for input
Summary
The Clearwater Downtown Development Board approved a $300,000 allocation for a Cleveland Street activation and mobile vendors initiative but merchants raised repeated concerns about process, vendor types and direct merchant involvement in programming.
The Downtown Development Board approved setting aside $300,000 to support a Cleveland Street activation and mobile vendors initiative, after a lengthy public exchange in which downtown merchants asked for a stronger role in planning and expressed worry that mobile food vendors could compete with existing restaurants.
The board unanimously approved the measure at its March 3 meeting. The allocation is described in staff materials as funding for mobile vendors, special events, public art and “streetscape and placemaking” along the Cleveland Street corridor from Osceola to Garden Avenue.
Board staff presented the initiative as a program to “transform Cleveland Street into a destination” by focusing on four elements: mobile vendors, special events, public art/pop-ups and streetscape improvements. Staff said they are collaborating with St. Petersburg College on a mobile vendor program and intend to involve merchants in planning.
Why it matters: Board staff and supporters framed the…
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