Clearwater has moved a proposed $180 million redevelopment of the city-owned Landings Golf Course into the next stage, accepting the developer’s bid as a qualified offer and opening the 77-acre property to competing recreation proposals.
The Clearwater City Council voted Thursday night to accept the proposal from Clearwater-based Porter Development LLC and Sunshine Recreational and Entertainment LLC. The decision does not award the project to the development team. It establishes the proposal as a qualified offer and allows the city to consider other proposals for recreational uses of the property before selecting a development partner.
Porter and Sunshine have proposed redeveloping the municipal golf course at 1875 Airport Drive, near Clearwater Airpark, into The Landings Sports & Entertainment District, a privately developed and operated recreation complex built on land that would remain under city ownership.
The approximately $179.6 million proposal calls for 13 multipurpose rectangular fields, including a championship field designed for soccer, lacrosse and football, along with 24 covered pickleball courts and 12 sand volleyball courts. Plans also include two 18-hole putting courses, golf simulators, pools, a lazy river, water slides and children’s splash and play areas.
A fitness and wellness center would add space for yoga, CrossFit, Pilates and other classes, while outdoor components would include training areas, running and biking trails and hot and cold mineral-infused pools.
Under the proposal, Sunshine would lease the property from Clearwater, finance its redevelopment and operate the complex. The development team says the project would require millions of dollars in private investment in public infrastructure and would not require long-term city operating subsidies.
The developers estimate the completed property would generate nearly $3 million annually in property tax revenue. That figure comes from the development team and has not been independently verified by TBBW.
The proposal also calls for replacing aging drainage infrastructure and addressing existing environmental conditions on the golf course property as part of the redevelopment.
“The highest and best use of public land is one that creates the greatest public benefit,” Porter Development President Les Porter said. “Our proposal transforms an underutilized golf course into a modern recreation destination that dramatically expands access and creates new opportunities for children, families, seniors and residents of all ages to enjoy this public space.”
The council’s decision moves the project beyond the unsolicited-proposal stage while leaving the eventual redevelopment of the property unsettled. Clearwater can now solicit and evaluate competing proposals before deciding whether Porter and Sunshine will receive the right to redevelop the site.
The Landings Golf Course has drawn redevelopment interest before. In 2020, Clearwater considered replacing much of the property with roughly 750,000 square feet of industrial development, but the proposal did not move forward.
The current proposal would retain the property for recreational use while substantially changing how the land operates. The existing golf course would give way to tournament fields, pickleball and volleyball courts, aquatic attractions, fitness facilities, trails and other amenities designed for local use and traveling sports events.
The council vote begins the competitive process that will determine whether that plan ultimately gets built and whether another developer proposes a different recreational use for one of Clearwater’s largest city-owned properties.