The North Greenwood Container Mall moved a step closer to construction after the Clearwater CRA proposed allocating $500,000 to the project, advancing plans for a retail and food hall development intended to create lower-cost space for small businesses in the city’s North Greenwood neighborhood.
The development, planned for Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue and Tangerine Street, will include six shipping-container buildings surrounding a central courtyard with space for restaurants, retailers and wellness businesses.
Clearwater’s Community Development Board approved the project in May, and organizers expect shipping containers to begin arriving later this year ahead of an anticipated early 2027 opening.
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“We’ll be building infrastructure to bring some of those businesses along so they can move into bigger facilities,” Campbell told board members.
The Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition, which is leading the project, has said the Container Mall is designed to serve as a small-business incubator.
During the Community Development Board’s May meeting, Executive Director Gloria Campbell said the goal is to help entrepreneurs establish businesses before expanding into larger commercial spaces.
Tenants have already been identified for most of the development’s 10 business spaces, which are expected to focus primarily on food, beer, wine and wellness concepts.
The coalition is also raising an additional $100,000 through a capital campaign to support the project.
The proposed funding is included in the Clearwater CRA’s third-quarter budget amendment, which would create a dedicated capital project for the development. Budget documents show about $86,000 has already been committed, leaving roughly $414,000 available for future work.
The Clearwater CRA is scheduled to consider the budget amendment July 13.
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