Clearwater’s plan to turn the city-owned Landings Golf Club into a sprawling sports-and-entertainment campus is headed for another public showdown this week, with council members weighing whether to advance the unsolicited proposal and invite competing bids. The vision promises soccer fields, pickleball, water attractions, wellness facilities and food venues, while nearby residents fear the project could bring a lot more traffic, lights and noise to the neighborhood.
The proposal appeared on Monday’s work session agenda as a direction item, not a final construction approval. A City of Clearwater public notice says the council will consider the proposal Thursday at 6 p.m. and allow public comment.
What The Proposed Sports Campus Would Pack In
The plan would replace the public golf course with 13 multipurpose fields, including a championship field with a 1,500-seat arena, plus pickleball courts, sand volleyball, a food hall and arcade, miniature golf, a water park, fitness and wellness facilities, and walking and biking trails. The city’s financial review also describes parking for roughly 1,944 vehicles, with charges possible during outdoor tournaments.
Sunshine Recreational and Entertainment LLC submitted the proposal through a public-private partnership process, with Porter Development and other firms on the development team. The project is designed to serve both local recreation programs and out-of-town tournaments, making sports tourism the centerpiece of the pitch rather than golf.
Developers Are Selling A Big Economic Scoreboard
Developers say the complex could serve about 1.5 million people, create more than 600 jobs and generate a projected $566 million economic benefit over 10 years. In a report from Tampa Bay 28, developer Les Porter also said the project could contribute more than $2 million in property taxes and send roughly $600,000 to $700,000 annually to Clearwater’s general fund.
Porter has framed the redevelopment as an expansion of recreational access and a chance to clean up an old landfill area on the property. City staff also identified tourism and national sporting events as potential benefits, though those projections depend on the complex attracting enough tournaments, visitors and paying customers to support the operation.
Neighbors See Traffic, Noise And Stormwater Risk
At a recent community meeting, residents questioned the scale of the proposal and raised concerns about parking, congestion, pollution and drainage. Bay News 9 reported that residents pointed to flooding and stormwater concerns around the golf course and Keene Road, while developers said new infrastructure would be built to current code.
Neighbors are also asking the city to reopen the bidding process instead of moving forward with a single unsolicited proposal. Residents told Tampa Bay 28 that the complex could introduce traffic, noise and lighting impacts that the surrounding homes do not experience today.
The Public-Private Deal Comes With Fine Print
The proposal carries an estimated price tag of $179.6 million, with financing envisioned through a private loan, private equity and about $44.9 million in Pinellas County tourist development tax funding. The city’s independent financial review found that commitments for the private loan and county funding had not yet been secured.
The review also flagged a proposed long-term lease with significant rent abatements during the early years of operation and no proposed revenue-sharing arrangement with Clearwater. Its conclusion was that the project’s main value to the city would be economic development and sports tourism, rather than a large direct financial return from the lease itself.
What Clearwater Council Can Actually Decide
The City of Clearwater staff memo says council members can reject the proposal, accept it and direct negotiations to proceed, or accept it as a qualifying project and solicit competing proposals. Staff is recommending the last option, which would open a 30-day window for additional bids.
The city’s review also says a voter referendum is not required because the proposed recreational use is consistent with the property’s open-space and recreation zoning. For neighbors and supporters alike, Thursday’s meeting is less a ribbon-cutting moment than a decision about whether this particular vision gets to move into the next round.
