CRA Workshop Summary 11/19/13

St. Pete Beach CRA Plan Workshop

– 11/19/13 – Summary During the evening of November 19, 2013, the City of St. Pete Beach, with assistance from planning consultant firm Tindale-Oliver & Associates, hosted a community workshop on the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) Plan as part of Community Design Week. Topics of conversation focused on the creation and administration of CRAs, how the CRA Plan relates to the Corey Avenue Design Project, an explanation of the St. Pete Beach CRA characteristics, and possible improvement projects. Workshop participants were asked to rate projects related to transit and transportation, utilities and infrastructure, and public amenities for the two CRA sub-districts—Downtown and Gulf Boulevard—for consideration of inclusion into the final draft of the CRA Plan.

As part of a discussion, St. Pete Beach residents, business owners, and employees were asked to identify what is working well currently, opportunities for improvement, and issues and concerns with the CRA boundary. Activities such as outdoor concerts and outdoor dining on Corey Avenue, as well as beautification projects such as a new palm trees on Gulf Boulevard and lights on Corey Avenue, were among the positive things that citizens wanted to see continued. Trends for improvement included better bicycle and pedestrian facilities, improvement to utilities, expansion of community amenities, introduction of a wayfinding and signage program, better street lighting, and an increase in public art.

Planners and urban designers from Tindale-Oliver & Associates will be processing the results from the workshop to identify and prioritize improvement projects within the CRA for completion in the coming years. The St. Pete Beach CRA Plan is expected to be completed in early 2014 and adopted in the Spring of 2014.