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 "Pinellas by Design at a Glance" for the CommunitySurrounded by Tampa Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, Pinellas County boasts more than 400 miles of coastline. Its many communities, large and small, create a sense of diversity and charm, making Pinellas a unique place to live and work. For more than a century this favorable environment has attracted new residents, businesses, and tourists who have contributed to our robust economy and our exceptional quality of life.Over time, geography and population growth have combined to produce an unavoidable effect: the amount of developable vacant land is diminishing throughout Pinellas. Within the next few years, the county will reach buildout, in which virtually 100 percent of the greenfields will be gone. This can include a diminishing supply of land for new homes, businesses, roads, and other needs. To keep our economy thriving, Pinellas County has embarked on a unique redevelopment strategy that includes facilitating new construction projects, updating and renovating older commercial/industrial buildings for a variety of mixed-use, residential and commercial projects. By definition, redevelopment is a process in which older structures are rehabilitated or replaced, and new, sometimes different uses replace the old ones. Successful redevelopment projects include older downtowns renewed with townhomes and shops, obsolete malls reborn as open-air shopping centers, and modernized beach communities. A comprehensive redevelopment plan that involves key government stakeholders, the local business community and county citizens will ensure Pinellas remains a competitive business, tourist and residential destination. You need to get involved. About Pinellas by DesignPinellas by Design is a cooperative effort to address the issues of buildout and redevelopment in Pinellas County. It began in 2000, led by the Pinellas County Economic Development Department, the Pinellas Planning Council, and the Board of County Commissioners. The project has tapped the expertise of consultants in the fields of economics, real estate, and urban design, and has included broad participation from all twenty-five local governments, developers, the business community, homeowner and neighborhood associations, and interested citizens.Its most innovative feature has been a series of successful economic development and redevelopment summits, communitywide workshops that gathered input from hundreds of participants from the public and private sectors. A collection of reports, surveys, slideshows, and other publications has also been produced. The cornerstone of Pinellas by Design has been the creation of the Economic Development and Redevelopment Plan for the Pinellas Community, an initial attempt to define how we want to evolve as a county. The plan includes a set of strategies and techniques to help local governments guide redevelopment, including:
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