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“Visioning” may have been the word of the year for 2007 in Safety Harbor, but 2008 is shaping up to be the year that tests whether there really is a vision beyond a vague series of platitudes that define it as a sort of Florida version of Lake Woebegon, where Garrison Keillor famously proclaimed “all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average.”
The year has begun with a bang of demolition as several buildings have been cleared to make way for development of parking, retail/office space and condominiums. A slight expansion of the business district on Philippe Parkway has been approved and the city’s library expansion finally is to begin. All of this activity is in a narrow corridor along Second Avenue, from Mullet Creek on the north to the Safety Harbor Museum of Regional History on the south. It appears likely to be the most construction activity in the business district since the Harbour Pointe project began nearly four years ago.
Residents understandably have mixed feelings about this burst of activity. A piece of the city’s Old Florida charm disappeared when Hildegard’s Art House & Beer Garden was torn down to make way for parking and a condominium project. The same demolition took down an eight-unit apartment building, which means less affordable housing, but no tears for the loss of a bare-bones concrete box that had none of the charm of the tin-roofed, Cracker-style building next door. A block away, heavy equipment demolished a small strip center that once housed a neighborhood grocery and for many years was home of Pizza Hut’s local delivery service. The awkwardly designed building will not be missed. It had been only partially leased for many years and its proposed replacement should bring more first class retail and office space to Main Street. Two-thirds of the property is scheduled for condominiums, but with the continued uncertainty in the market for high-end residential property, the developers may yet delay that portion of the project.
Understanding uncertainty is a key part of having a vision for development. Economic factors drive development. Of all the pending projects, only construction of Safety Harbor’s library expansion is unlikely to be delayed — because it is not privately funded. Private developers are willing to assume risk, but are responsive to economic opportunity. If city leaders truly have a vision for the downtown and want to implement it, they have to find ways to create economic opportunity. That may mean purchasing property and tearing down old structures — the very steps that developers currently are taking — or it may mean hiring a professional within the city staff to actively solicit, encourage and guide the kinds of businesses that are desired.
If the city is unwilling to take a proactive role in implementing its vision, then we will get what developers perceive as offering the best opportunity. A few years ago that appeared to be high-end, multi-story condominiums. Now that vision seems a bit clouded. What will be next? Ask candidates for the city commission for details of their vision.
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Front Page 
Op-Ed 
