Developer who landed SI Resorts deal has new vision for downtown Clearwater
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 15, 2022

Downtown Clearwater is on the cusp of a transformation.

With the city’s Imagine Clearwater — an $84 million renovation of Coachman Park that will include an amphitheater that is expected to open July 2023 — and preparing to select a development team to breathe new life into two city-owned waterfront properties, there are a lot of big changes ahead for the downtown waterfront.

A private developer has been laying the groundwork for nearly four years to spark a change in Clearwater that could potentially set it apart from not just Tampa Bay but the rest of the state. Daniels Ikajevs, co-owner of The Ring Workspaces and a private developer, owns several properties throughout Clearwater and has a vision to make the city a destination for businesses, residents and visitors over the next decade.

He is leading the “The Smart and Sustainable City Framework” that aims to convert Clearwater’s existing urban infrastructures into a sustainable and economically flourishing city. The detailed vision has been presented to many within the city as well as other developers and stakeholders and has become a selling point for businesses relocating to Clearwater.

“This is not a plan to compete with our neighbors,” Ikajevs said. “This is a plan to create a niche market and to lock in an overall experience and operate in Tampa Bay.”

Chris Schroeder, CEO of Experiential Ventures and Sports Illustrated Resorts, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal that Ikajevs’ vision, along with the work his company Smart City Group has already begun in the city, played a vital role in the choice to establish the Sports Illustrated Resorts’ global headquarters in Clearwater.

“Once we started to see all the things that are happening in Clearwater — it’s very exciting, and I think in terms of what Smart City Group is doing in the city, we felt it would pretty much be a perfect fit for us to bring our company and all the brands we represent there,” Schroeder said.

Ikajevs is part of one of the three development teams wanting to redevelop the two city-owned waterfront properties downtown. Their concepts for both sites pair with The Smart and Sustainable City Framework, and his development partners signed on after learning about the future Ikajevs envisions for Clearwater.

The framework aims to utilize collaboration from industries like technology, education, health care and green energy to create a new foundation for Clearwater, building economic and community resilience.

With a focus on startups and incubators, a swath of small businesses could pop up throughout the city. As they outgrow their space, they move to a larger venue, and another small business takes its place. It keeps the city fresh and offers entrepreneurs an affordable method of launching a company.

The plan will also attempt to put Clearwater on the map as one of the country’s few successful smart cities. A smart city essentially is a city that creates a safe and sustainable environment that is centered on the well-being of its residents.

According to Ikajevs, two elements are needed to bring a smart city to life: a municipality dedicated to creating initiatives and a commitment from a tech company to invest in the city. Ikajevs said most smart city projects have failed because the infrastructure put in place does not think far enough ahead and thus quickly becomes obsolete.

“What we saw at a very kind of micro-level was this great opportunity to build what I call a playground for some of these technology partners or companies to come in here and have a space to do [research and development] for their technologies,” Ikajevs said. “By building and giving space to these companies to test R&D for their technologies, you create a unique opportunity. Soon you have built an ever-changing, ever-evolving city that will have access to the latest technologies.”

Ikajevs and his team’s next focus is acquiring a technology partner. Clearwater is still more affordable than Tampa and St. Petersburg regarding office and residential rates, which Ikajevs said acts as an asset when companies start looking for where to relocate. Once a tech partner is found, they will zero in on housing — including a heavy focus on workforce housing — to increase density downtown. For incubators and retail to work, there need to be more residential units downtown.

For much of his vision, Ikajevs has properties either in hand or on the radar. The goal is not necessarily for him to be involved in each element but rather to build the framework others can follow. He wants Clearwater to be the blueprint that other communities can replicate.

“There’s this mentality that it’s a doomsday here, but it’s really not,” Ikajevs said. “When you look at a map, there is so much land that is either currently available or will soon be up for grabs. There’s room to make this work. Really the scope and size of the opportunity here are tremendous, and people just don’t realize it’s here.”

Ikajevs has already begun putting Clearwater on the map for its smart and sustainable offerings. The Ring has set the bar for healthy workspaces in Tampa Bay and focuses on elements like recycled materials, oxygenating plants and living walls, smart technology and no single-use plastics.

The Ring was selected to be part of the Harvard T.H Chan School of Public Health CogFX study and subsequently a sub-study by Duke University. Currently the group is part of another research collaboration to pilot an educational program (Innovation and Sustainable Technologies).

“A lot is about to happen very quickly, but we’ve been laying the framework for years,” Ikajevs said. “This is an exciting time for Clearwater, and it’s the perfect opportunity to build something that sets us apart.”