Along Largo’s West Bay Drive corridor, a sleek building complex featuring storm-resistant glass and sustainable materials has risen over the last few years – a mix of local government offices, restaurants, and retail that city leaders hope will re-energize the downtown area.
Horizon West Bay is one of several municipal construction projects that mid-sized cities around Pinellas County have in the works to revitalize key areas of their communities. Here are some of the projects underway and slated to finish in the next year.
Largo
Largo Mayor Woody Brown says city leaders hope $81 million Horizon West Bay, a mixed-use project that includes a new City Hall, will “have a stimulus impact on the redevelopment around it.” He notes the city’s goal to grow the housing and businesses in the West Bay Drive area predates plans for the government complex.
“We’re really hoping this will pump it up,” Brown says.
After last year's hurricanes halted work for a time and delayed the project, Horizon
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Largo FacebookHorizon West Bay is slated to open in the fallWest Bay is slated to open in the fall. In addition to the city offices, the mixed-use development will house retail spaces, a parking garage, and restaurants. While the building isn’t fully leased, Louis Pappas Fresh Greek restaurant, Strachan’s Ice Cream, and Parlor Doughnuts have signed on as tenants.
“It’s looking good,” Brown says.
Still months from completion, Horizon West Bay has already sparked additional development on the corridor. Directly across the street on the south side of West Bay Drive, Liberty Yards, a two-story retail development with a rooftop bar and dining area, is under construction, with Foxtail Coffee as the first signed tenant.
Biltmore Construction is the general contractor for Horizon West Bay, and ASD I SKY is the architect.
For more information, go to Horizon West Bay
Vision to revitalize
There's no shortage of cities focused on similar efforts to reinvigorate their downtowns. For cities across the country, downtown plans that set out strategies to revitalize and reimagine the urban core “have long served as a framework for building successful, vibrant and healthy spaces,” according to Lisa Pool, a public policy consultant and former senior planner for the city of Bellingham, Wash.
Writing in a blog for the Municipal Research and Services Center (MRSC) of Washington, Pool noted that downtown plans are usually part of a city’s comprehensive plan and are “developed with a robust community engagement process and include goals, policies, and actions around topics like jobs, housing, mobility, urban design, public spaces, and more. These elements work together to foster walkable, mixed-use downtowns that serve as the economic, cultural, and civic center of a community and region.”
Pinellas Park
South of Largo in the city of Pinellas Park, officials are anticipating the completion of several projects in key areas of the city. Three of them, the Sprowls Horizon Sports Park, the public safety complex, and a teen center, are scheduled to open within the next year.
The Sprowls Horizon Sports Park is a multipurpose youth sports complex with
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Provided by Pinellas ParkRendering of Sprowls Horizon Sports Park spring training-inspired baseball diamonds that will be owned by the city and operated by the Sports Facilities Companies.
“The goal is really to be one of the crown jewels of the area – something Tampa Bay can be proud of – and something Pinellas Park athletes can have here,” says Pinellas Park spokesperson Chris Torella.
In 2022, the city received a $13.5 million grant from the state toward the nearly $30 million cost of the sports complex, which is expected to open in the spring or summer of 2026. Park & Eleazer Construction is the general contractor on the project.
“It’s all part of economic development. It also brings a lot of pride – this kind of revitalization of Pinellas Park,” Torella says. “This is just a real opportunity to shine within Pinellas County, the state, and the region.”
The city is building its new public safety complex, which will include a new two-story police headquarters and a one-story future fire station 33, on a property next to the existing Pinellas Park Police Department headquarters.
“This is about bringing both departments into the current day and age with technology,” Torella says. “As our city continues to grow, that is more people the fire and police departments have to serve and protect.”
The modern facilities, scheduled for completion by fall 2026 with a total cost of $30 million, will help to recruit and retain and boost morale, he says.
“It will be a point of pride," Torella says. "It’s an investment in both departments.”
H.J. High Construction is the contractor. Wannemacher Jensen Architects is the design firm.
Across the street from the public safety complex, Pinellas Park is converting a former neighborhood services building into a nearly 3,000-square-foot teen center, which is expected to be completed this fall.
The building, which will have a skate park next to it, will provide several opportunities for Pinellas Park teens, including sports and creativity spaces, as well as places to study and a kitchen, Torella says.
The total construction cost of the teen center is $752,438, with $118,000 coming from an energy efficiency Community Development Block Grant, he says.
It will be a “great, safe place for teens,” Torella says. “To have that space to learn, grow, and feel safe is important to the city.”
For more information, go to Sprowls Horizon Sports Park
Clearwater City Hall
In Clearwater, construction started in November 2024 on a $31.6 million, three-story, approximately 40,000 square-foot new City Hall that’s projected to be completed in July 2026. The new building is at 200 S. Myrtle Ave., directly south of
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City of ClearwaterConstruction on the new Clearwater City Hall started in November 2024the city’s Municipal Services Building, which is undergoing renovations to create a campus for city staff and provide residents a one-stop shop for most city services.
Ajax Building Company is the contractor, and Wannemacher Jensen Architects is the design firm.
Clearwater vacated the old City Hall on the bluff overlooking Coachman Park in January 2019 to free up the site for redevelopment. The building was demolished in 2023. Contractors for real estate developer the Gotham Organization are expected to start construction on a 400-unit apartment tower on the site in January 2026.
For more information, go to Clearwater City Hall
Oldsmar
In northern Pinellas County, the city of Oldsmar broke ground in May on a downtown redevelopment project on its 9.45-acre library site, so named because it is adjacent to the city library. Devon Rushnell, LLC, will develop the new mixed-use project, featuring 82 residential homes, including 18 units with live-work spaces.