Downtown Clearwater site cleared for $50M EVO entertainment complex

Developers have cleared the downtown Clearwater site where a $50 million EVO Entertainment complex is planned, moving the project from demolition into design and permitting ahead of construction.

Crews demolished five buildings across the 1.6-acre property in the 700 block of Cleveland Street along the Pinellas Trail, completing the work in June, about a month ahead of the project’s previously announced July target, according to the Cleveland Street Alliance. The demolition removed more than 21,000 square feet of buildings and more than 1,400 tons of concrete, steel, asphalt and other debris, leaving the site ready for the next phase of development.

The project represents one of the largest private investments announced in downtown Clearwater in recent years and is expected to add a major entertainment destination along Cleveland Street, where public and private investment has fueled redevelopment, historic restoration projects and new restaurants, retailers and mixed-use development.

Rendering shows EVO Entertainment’s planned downtown Clearwater venue with cinema, dining and interactive spaces

Plans call for an 83,000-square-foot entertainment complex featuring what developers describe as the world’s largest cinema screen. Elevate Entertainment Group also says every auditorium will include Dolby Vision projection and Dolby Atmos sound, creating what it describes as the world’s only multiplex equipped with both technologies in every theater.

“What we’re building here in Clearwater is not a traditional movie theater, nor is it a simple family entertainment center,” Mitch Roberts, founder and chief executive officer of Elevate Entertainment Group, said in a statement.

The project team includes Elevate Entertainment Group, Halflants + Pichette, RDC and TK Architects. Developers have not announced a construction start date.