Largo Seeks Resurgence Through Redevelopment Of Downtown Core

The city of Largo's primary goal in seeking to shape the city's future is to increase density in the traditional downtown district.

"We're not trying to recreate ourselves as a downtown St. Petersburg or Tampa," explains Teresa Brydon, economic development manager for the city of Largo. "We recognize our residents want moderate density. So what we're looking at is six-story buildings designed for mixed use; businesses with housing mixed in.

"This process has been going on for a couple of years," Brydon continues. "We'd already started doing things before the plan was finalized. We added a Holiday Inn Express and a diagnostic clinic as part of the Largo Medical Center campus. So things have already started."

According to Brydon, Largo is nurturing a medical community surrounding the hospital, its clinic and St. Michael's Eye & Laser Institute. But she says that whatever plans the city considers will ultimately be dictated by transit. "That will play a huge role in what we do."

Brydon also shares that the city is attempting to attract the interest of developers, such as those attending this year's International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC), which will hold an annual conference in Florida this year.

"We're central," Brydon explains. "We're less than 10 minutes from the nicer beaches and the areas where most business employment is. The airports are close by. There's a lot going on and our downtown is the center of it all. We want to build a quality of life for all ages so they can work and live in the same area or catch a train to Tampa or wherever else they need to go to do business."