Photo provided by CULC
Photo provided by CULC
A brand new mini mall is set to debut this year in the historic North Greenwood area of Clearwater. Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition’s (CULC) Executive Director, Gloria Campbell, is at the helm of launching the new venture and establishing a business incubator for the community.
In her position, Campbell oversees strategic planning, policy setting, and implementation for CULC. Her primary goal is to focus on economic development for the Clearwater community, an achievement that will be realized through the storage container mini mall, “The Grove @ 1105.”
With plans to establish a rotating three-year lease agreement for vendors, Campbell believes that as the mini mall grows, it can also function as a business incubator for the community.
“Our emphasis is about making sure that the community gets what they need and no one is left behind,” said Campbell.
Funding came from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), which granted the city of Clearwater $18 million. Campbell originally asked for funding in 2023; she initially requested $2 million to jump-start the North Greenwood Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and was granted $5 million.
Two million dollars were awarded for grant-funded stakeholder projects developed through community input, as well as projects submitted by nonprofits, along with commercial grant funding for businesses.
As CULC made plans for the mall project, $500,000 was set aside as seed money for the project’s development. Currently, Campbell and her team are planning and finalizing permits, and go before the planning and review committee in March, followed by land development in May.
This new mini mall will not be built as a traditional brick-and-mortar business. Campbell took design inspiration from reporting on successful malls in India and China that have been wholly fabricated with storage containers. CULC’s director also noted that the containers were more cost-effective than replacing buildings and could fast-track businesses’ start dates from construction to opening.
“You talk about a way that we could get businesses and storefronts up and running quickly. This would be the way to do it,” said Campbell.
The marketing department of St. Petersburg College (SPC) consulted with CULC to research container projects with similar builds and confirm the project’s feasibility. SPC’s Director of Marketing, Dr. Andy Rojas, and a select group of students embarked on research to establish key metrics needed for the projects to be successful. They referenced projects such as The Krate at the Grove in Wesley Chapel and Sparkman Wharf in Tampa.
The Grove @ 1105 will house 10 businesses, with two permanent shops and the remaining eight holding lease obligations. The selected businesses will mainly prioritize food vendors focused on health and wellness. This critical decision was made to reduce the gap in access to healthy, readily available food options in the area’s severe food desert.
“We want to make sure that people in the community will have an opportunity to come and shop and buy fresh fruits and vegetables at reasonable prices without having to travel outside the area,” said Campbell.
The leased space ranges from their smallest option of 200 square feet to their largest space at 800 square feet. Vendors will have a three-year lease on their designated space with two payment options: pay a discounted, market-rate rent with revenue sharing up to 30% with the development, or opt out of revenue sharing by paying full price for the rental space. Leasing starts around $200, with a max of $700/month.
The mall is set to have a soft launch in December with a planned grand opening in early 2027. Campbell’s mission is to build a thriving community by 2030 with support from the CRA.
“We will see community pride return,” reaffirmed Campbell.
In a pivotal step toward revitalizing North Greenwood, the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) approved an agenda item during its January 13, 2025, meeting to move forward with negotiations with Clearwater Urban Leadership Coalition (CULC) for a mini container mall project to be named, The Grove @ 1105. Photo: Clearwater Community Redevelopment Agency
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