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Dunedin staff propose CRA master plan update and downtown entrance improvements
Summary
Economic development staff asked commissioners to fund a CRA master plan update and concept work for Alt‑19 entrance and a Virginia/Milwaukee bulb‑out; the $250,000 study would be partly leveraged with county and partner contributions and intended to guide downtown investments through the CRA sunset period.
Economic development staff asked the commission for approval to update Dunedin’s Community Redevelopment Area master plan and to fund concept and entranceway improvements aimed at strengthening downtown’s sense of place.
“It's time to get a new CRA master plan,” Economic Development Director Bob Ironsmith said, noting the current plan dates to 2011. Ironsmith said the proposed master-plan supplement would include public input, merchant charrettes and an economic study; the total study cost is estimated near $250,000 with the city contributing about $50,000 and county and partner time and dollars leveraged to cover the rest.
Ironsmith also outlined two entranceway/streetscape projects: concept planning for the North Alt‑19 entrance near Skinner to include streetscaping and median improvements, and a $75,000 “bulb out” and landscaping on Virginia and Milwaukee (adjacent to City Hall) to replace plastic bollards with concrete curbing, irrigation and planting that staff said would both improve safety and create a stronger gateway. He told commissioners the curb would be a stronger physical barrier at a one‑way approach where some motorists still enter against signage.
Commissioners pressed on timing and value because the county portion of the CRA sunsets in 2033; some asked whether new investment made sense if the CRA will change. Ironsmith said a city-only CRA could continue after county sunset and that an updated plan would set a blueprint that could endure beyond 2033.
Vice Mayor and commissioners also discussed funding sources and whether design work could be done in house to reduce costs; Ironsmith said some design could be completed with city engineering staff while construction would need contractors.
Why it matters: commissioners framed the update as an investment to maintain downtown’s role as an economic engine — essential in a largely residential city — and as an opportunity to define priorities before county-level funding sunsets. Commissioners asked staff to return with refined scopes and cost breakdowns for the master plan and entranceway concepts.
What’s next: staff will return with project pages and a recommended funding approach for the CRA master-plan supplement and related downtown entranceway work.
