"Pinellas by Design at a Glance" for Local Governments

As Pinellas County embarks on a redevelopment plan, municipal governments have a unique opportunity to participate in a comprehensive, countywide redevelopment strategy. By strategically partnering with the business community, citizens, landowners, and developers, city governments can continue to encourage redevelopment projects that benefit the entire community. Many successful redevelopment projects have already been completed throughout the county including: older downtowns renewed with townhomes and shops, obsolete malls reborn as open-air shopping centers, and modernized beach communities.

By definition, redevelopment is a process in which older structures are rehabilitated or replaced, and new, sometimes different, uses replace the old ones. Pinellas County and its municipal partners have accepted this definition and 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.

Through this plan, the county can create land development regulations and procedures specifically designed for redevelopment, providing business owners with the opportunity to facilitate new construction projects, recycle underutilized land, and develop mixed-use, commercial and residential projects at a significant cost savings. In addition, streamlining development procedures with input from landowners, developers, and employers -- those who make redevelopment happen -- will ensure Pinellas remains a competitive tourist, business, and residential destination.

About Pinellas by Design

Pinellas 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:

Simplifying land development regulations and procedures
Allowing increased densities and intensities in specific, well-planned areas
Rewarding quality urban design
Providing an environment where business can thrive

Pinellas by Design is an ongoing effort that will continue to study the issues and provide the tools to shape our communities, resulting in a smarter future for businesses and citizens.