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Marriott Residence Inn latest in downtown Clearwater's growth spurt

In print: Thursday, September 4, 2008

The Residence Inn, 904 Court St., Clearwater, is set to open Sept. 18. Each of its 115 suites has a kitchen and 37-inch flat screen TV.
	[JIM DAMASKE | Times]

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CLEARWATER — The finishing touches are being put on a new 115-room hotel that many in Clearwater hope will continue to spur downtown growth and development.

Situated on a 2.22-acre triangular lot at 904 Court St., the Marriott Residence Inn is set to open Sept. 18.

"It's just one more piece of the puzzle," said Clearwater Mayor Frank Hibbard. "Its greatest benefit is that it's a signal to other industries that Marriott believes that downtown is worthy of investing in."

The Clarkson Group, a Marriott franchisee out of Jacksonville, purchased the property from Senior Citizen Services for $1.7-million, said Assistant City Manager Rod Irwin. It cost another $12.5-million to construct the hotel, which consists of about 100,000 square feet.

The city will provide up to $400,000 in tax incentives to the Clarkson Group for building in an area where development is being encouraged. The hotel has brought nearly 50 new jobs to the city. Clarkson Group also owns a Hampton Inn in Tampa's Ybor City.

"We are excited about it," Irwin said. "It's the first hotel in a long time."

Many of the city's former hotels and motels have been turned into residential units. And the Fort Harrison Hotel, one of downtown's nicer overnighters, was bought by the Church of Scientology in the 1970s.

David Clarkson of the Clarkson Group said his company is slightly ahead of schedule with the hotel's completion.

"We are very excited to be a member of the Clearwater community," he said. "It will be a great spot for an extended stay."

The Marriott is one of several projects that's coming to fruition in downtown Clearwater. A major streetscaping of Cleveland Street was recently completed and progress is being made on the completion of two major downtown condominium projects.

"The hotel is incredibly important," said Geri Campos-Lopez, the city's director of Economic Development and Housing. "It's new development and a new tax base for the city."

Demorris A. Lee can be reached at 445-4174 or dalee@sptimes.com.