City of Largo, Pinellas County

Introduction

The City of Largo views redevelopment as a way to grow and strengthen the entire community. The City developed the City of Largo Strategic Plan to address Largo's most challenging issues, including infill and redevelopment. The Strategic Plan provides a vision for how commercial corridors will redevelop, the business community will thrive, infrastructure assets will be maintained, transportation choices will be expanded, parks and open space will be cultivated, and neighborhoods will be preserved. The Strategic Plan is used to align City programming and capital improvements with the community's goals. Through implementation, the community and City government use the Strategic Plan to focus on common goals, guide community growth and change, and move closer to a connected community. As part of the implementation of the strategic plan, the City has undertaken several initiatives to encourage redevelopment including the establishment of two Community Redevelopment Districts Campaign, a new Downtown Largo Multimodal Plan.

Community Redevelopment Districts

The two Community Redevelopment Districts within the City of Largo were established in order to target areas for revitalization. The Districts are the West Bay Drive Community Redevelopment District and the Clearwater-Largo Road Community Redevelopment District. Both Districts have unique Plans to assist in revitalization of their areas. The West Bay Drive Plan addresses the special assets, character, and identity that make this area of downtown Largo unique while seeking to foster a mixed-use urban environment. The Plan reflects the community's desire to regenerate the traditional downtown and make it the center and heart of the city. The Clearwater-Largo Road Community Redevelopment District is a commercial corridor located northwest of the downtown core in the West Bay Drive Community Redevelopment District. The corridor is experiencing redevelopment spurred by assistance programs and a resurgence of energy from residents and business owners. The intent of the Plan is to transform the Clearwater-Largo Road area into a vibrant mixed use district. The Plans guide policy changes and the investment of limited public resources for maximum aesthetic, economic and social impact within the areas. The Community Redevelopment Districts are funded through Tax Increment Financing, Community Development Block Grants, and the activities and programs administered by the City of Largo Community Redevelopment Agency.

The City utilizes other programs to further encourage infill and redevelopment including: a Florida Brownfield Designation for the Clearwater-Largo Road Community Redevelopment District to provide tax credits and other business incentives for redevelopment in the Largo Community Redevelopment District; the development of the first Multimodal Transportation District (for the City to allow for greater development flexibility in site design and off-site mobility contributions to facilitate higher density development; and the Downtown Redevelopment initiative to guide ongoing implementation of the Community Redevelopment District plans and the Downtown Largo Multimodal District Plan. The Downtown Redevelopment initiative includes actions intended to facilitate private investment and new development in the downtown, improve public infrastructure systems to support redevelopment and growth, preserve neighborhood character, and encourage community engagement.

Additional Information

• City of Largo, Florida | Planning and Development Services
• Florida Redevelopment Association; Community Redevelopment Agencies Basic Training