District Bistro Opens on Cleveland Street as Downtown Clearwater Begins Major Construction Phase

The District Bistro opened Wednesday on the 400 block of Cleveland Street in downtown Clearwater. It fills 20,000 square feet of retail space that Valor Real Estate Development has tried to fill since 2013. The restaurant serves American food with no-seed, oil-free choices.

Kevin Tatlici and Summer Tatlici own the new place. They're married. "The main idea was to actually have something that we are comfortable eating with American cuisine and also add the no-seed, oil-free option," Kevin Tatlici said.

"We're happy to complete that last piece of the puzzle and hopefully to see as the new projects continue to grow and all this construction's getting ready to boom around us that the next few years are only going to keep increasing," Summer Tatlici said.

Clearwater Assistant City Manager Alfred Battle says filling the block shows progress. Big progress. "The hope is that the momentum continues to spread and as that occurs that excitement builds and other investment opportunities and development opportunities will hopefully continue to manifest itself," Battle said, according to Fox 13.

The ground-breaking of the 10-story Ballad Hotel happens Thursday on Osceola Avenue. The plan includes retail space, an underground parking garage, and a rooftop bar with views of BayCare Sound and Coachman Park. Workers should finish in under two years.

"The Coachman Park and BayCare Sound, the hotel and apartment projects will continue to set the stage for what we believe downtown can look like, can be, and create the experience that we're looking for in terms of a great urban environment for people to come and visit," Battle said.

A high-rise apartment tower with 400 units, retail space, and an underground parking garage is planned for the old city hall site down the street. That building should open by April of 2028.

Work on a nearly 400-spot public parking garage at Pierce Street and Osceola Avenue starts soon. It'll be done in about a year. Crews will also make improvements to Osceola Avenue from Court to Drew Streets, including underground utility upgrades, new 10-foot sidewalks, better drainage, and on-street parking.

"It's definitely not dead down here. We're seeing month-over-month growth and we're seeing more people. We're seeing a lot of families with kids walking around which you wouldn't be able to see in the past two years, but especially after the Coachman Park was opened up and the Sound Amphitheater," Kevin Tatlici said.

The new City Hall on South Myrtle Avenue is set to open between August and September of 2026.