Subject:
Title
Resolution amending the West Bay Drive Community Redevelopment District Plan as requested by the City of Largo.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Conduct a public hearing and approve the resolution amending the West Bay Drive Community Redevelopment District (WBD-CRD) Plan as requested by the City of Largo. The Resolution proposes revisions to the WBD-CRD Plan to remove regulatory language and to update the Plan’s development vision.
• The West Bay Drive Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) and accompanying Redevelopment Plan were established in 1997.
• The Plan was amended in 2010 and a midterm review conducted in 2020.
• The current proposal will result in streamlined design standards to guide future development that will:
o Ensure the WBD-CRD Plan serves as a guiding document, with specific design standards relocated and regulated through the City’s Comprehensive Development Code (CDC).
o Align proposed density and intensity ranges with the Countywide Rules and Forward Pinellas’s Investment Corridor Strategy - Advantage Alt-19.
o Consolidate redundant character district standards into a unified District Design Vision (Part II).
o Provide Redevelopment Toolkit Tables for each district to define unique visions and standards (Part II).
o Provide updates to Capital Improvements chapter specifying projects that carry out the overall vision (Part IV).
• The City will amend its CDC with the relocated design standards following approval of the WBD-CRD Plan amendment.
• No changes to the CRA boundary, term or trust fund are proposed. There will be no fiscal impact on the County and the Tax Increment Financing contributions will remain unchanged.
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Strategic Priorities:
Resilient Infrastructure and Environment
1.2 Maintain and enhance county infrastructure
Healthy and Safe Communities
2.2 Enhance community safety
Prosperity and Opportunity
3.1 Increase the availability of attainable housing
3.3 Increase workforce opportunities
3.5 Foster business growth
Summary:
Summary
Chapter 163 Part III of the Community Redevelopment Act, Section 163.361 F.S., allows for the modification of community redevelopment plans. On October 29, 2002, the Board of County Commissioners (Board) approved Resolution No. 02-289, specifying that the Board retains authority to review and approve the initial redevelopment plan and amendments prior to implementation.
The City of Largo is requesting approval of a plan amendment to the WBD-CRD Plan. This amendment primarily updates Part II key components-such as permitted uses, density and intensity standards, and design guidelines-to more effectively support redevelopment efforts within the district and ensure consistency with the Forward Pinellas Advantage Alt19: Investing in People and Places Plan for the Alternate US-19 Corridor and Countywide Rules. The specific regulations, to be approved, will exist within the City’s CDC.
No changes to the Community Redevelopment Area (CRA) boundary, term or trust fund are proposed.
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Background Information:
The West Bay Drive CRA was established in 1997 along with Board approval of the Redevelopment Plan (1997) and Trust Fund on September 12, 2000. In 2010, the Board approved amendments updating the Plan and Trust Fund that established a 15-year review requirement by the Board of the overall performance of the Tax Increment Financing (TIF) revenues. On July 21, 2020, the Board accepted the midterm review and included a provision within the code to reflect that the County will ensure that its annual contribution to the trust fund does not exceed that of the City in any given year as formally approved in Ordinance 21-01 on January 12, 2021.
The bulk of the proposed changes are concentrated in Part II: The Plan, which focuses on streamlining and consolidating development and design standards. These updated standards are slated for integration into the CDC through a separate City ordinance anticipated in 2026.
The primary intent is to position the WBD-CRD Plan as a strategic framework, while ensuring that detailed design regulations are codified within the CDC. In addition, the amendment refines density and intensity ranges across character districts to better align with the Forward Pinellas Investment Corridor Strategy and Countywide Rules.
The updated language of Part IV within the WBD-CRD Plan outlines the types of projects that will accomplish the overall vision.
Fiscal Impact:
If this item is approved, there would be no impact to the overall TIF.
Staff Member Responsible:
Gregg Mims, Director, Housing and Community Development
Luis A. Garcia, Principal Planner, Housing and Community Development
Partners:
City of Largo
Attachments:
Proposed Resolution with Exhibit A- Amending West Bay Drive Community Redevelopment District Plan (Strikethrough)
Largo Ord 2025-22 Ordinance
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