Clearwater is opening up the 77-acre Landings Golf Club property to development ideas, after receiving an unsolicited proposal late last year to turn the city-owned course into a sports complex.
In a unanimous vote Aug. 6, the council chose to continue reviewing the proposal from local developer Les Porter, which would bring a number of amenities to The Landings, including a fitness and wellness center, playing fields, sand volleyball courts, a pickleball complex and a water area with a lazy river. The council chose to seek other proposals, giving developers a 30-day deadline for submission.
The plan drew pushback from neighbors worried about impacts on the environment and their quality of life, while others offered support, saying Clearwater needs venues for recreational activities and sports.
“This is not a vote to approve the project,” council member Lina Teixeira said, just a decision to further assess the plan.
Two council members abstained from the vote due to conflicts of interest.
Mayor Bruce Rector recused himself because he works as general counsel for The Sports Facilities Companies, a management company involved in Porter’s proposal.
Council member Mike Mannino is a part-time coach and trainer for a soccer club that would play at the complex. The city was unsure if Mannino had a conflict of interest, so the city attorney contacted the Florida Commission on Ethics for guidance. The lawyer did not receive a response by Thursday.
Depending on the commission’s opinion, Mannino may partake in future votes.
The proposed sports complex would take about three years to complete and cost an estimated $180 million. Porter would seek roughly $45 million from the county’s tourist development tax and fund the remainder of the project through a loan and private equity.
Under the proposal, he would lease the property from the city through a limited liability company, paying $20,000 a month. But the company wouldn’t pay rent for the first five years due to upfront investment costs. It would gradually increase payments over the next 15 years.
An advisory group to the city said Clearwater would have lower revenue for the initial 20 years because The Landings currently produces some profit.
“Everybody will win,” Clearwater resident Dominic Prioli said during public comment Thursday. “We have a unique opportunity to bring a premier recreation facility to our hometown and lead the region.”
The golf course abuts the the Clearwater Executive Airport and North Keene Road.
In 2020, Clearwater voters rejected a referendum to develop the golf course into a light industrial complex. The city determined a referendum is not required for Porter’s proposal because the general use of the course is not changing. The course is zoned for open space, which permits parks and recreation.
Residents formed a group called Keep Keene Green to campaign against the referendum and have stayed active since. They’ve criticized the potential loss of green space in a highly-developed county and have questioned the city’s determination that a referendum isn’t required, in part because of the number of proposed restaurants included in the plan that will support the venue’s revenue.
The development team met with neighbors to gather input and said it already has made changes to address concerns. That includes covering the pickleball courts to reduce noise and ensuring there is around-the-clock security on the property.
For some residents, those changes aren’t enough.
“We appreciate that the developer has made efforts to address neighborhood concerns,” said Melissa Stamos, a member of Keep Keene Green. “However, we do not believe those mitigation efforts will eliminate the impacts of this project. Traffic remains traffic. Noise remains noise. Bright lights remain bright lights.”
