EVO Entertainment Unveils $50M Downtown Clearwater Complex
EVO Entertainment Unveils $50M Downtown Clearwater Complex
Austin-based EVO Entertainment plans an 83,000-square-foot, $50 million family entertainment center at Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue, anchored by what developers call the world's largest cinema screen.
Austin-based EVO Entertainment plans an 83,000-square-foot, $50 million family entertainment center at Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue, anchored by what developers call the world's largest cinema screen.
EVO Entertainment has unveiled plans for an 83,000-square-foot, $50 million family entertainment center at the corner of Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue, positioning the two-level complex as the gateway anchor for downtown Clearwater's ongoing redevelopment. The project represents the flagship location for Austin-based Elevate Entertainment Group, the parent company behind the EVO brand, and will be the largest and most technologically advanced venue in the company's 19-location portfolio.
At the heart of the development is a seven-screen multiplex built around what developers say will be the largest cinema screen in the world, measuring more than 130 feet in width. The main auditorium will pair that screen with a Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos presentation system engineered specifically for its scale. Beyond the flagship auditorium, the Clearwater location will be the first multiplex in the world where every single screen in the building features both Dolby Vision projection and Dolby Atmos sound, setting a new premium-format benchmark for the industry.
The announcement builds on Elevate Entertainment Group's broader Dolby partnership revealed at CinemaCon, which will equip the company's EVX Premium Large Format auditoriums with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos across 17 screens at eight cinema entertainment centers in Texas, New Mexico, and Florida.
The Clearwater complex is designed as a full-day destination rather than a traditional cinema. In addition to the seven-screen multiplex, the venue will include bowling, arcade gaming, laser tag, a scratch-kitchen restaurant, and interactive attractions. The mix reflects the EVO model of keeping guests on-site for extended visits by blending movies, food, and experiential entertainment into a single environment.
Mitch Roberts, founder and CEO of Elevate Entertainment Group, called the project a once-in-a-lifetime transformation for downtown Clearwater and said the venue is intended to serve as a social destination drawing millions of guests across the Tampa Bay region.
The project is being privately led by the Cleveland Street Alliance, LLC, which has publicly stated it is composed of the Church of Scientology, its parishioners, and a team of professional advisors. The alliance is managed by Scott Dobbins, founder and principal of Tampa-based commercial real estate firm Hybridge. Its project partners include Halflants & Pichette architects, Streetsense, Gensler, and Fairmount Properties.
The alliance is pursuing a coordinated, building-by-building redevelopment strategy along Cleveland Street, restoring historic properties such as the Telephone Building, Peoples Bank, and F.W. Woolworth Co. buildings while reconfiguring underutilized parcels into a connected retail, dining, and entertainment corridor. Earlier this month, the alliance opened The Good Life Showroom, a 1,400-square-foot immersive space at 331 Cleveland Street featuring a 56-foot LED ribbon installation that walks visitors through the corridor's redevelopment plans.
The City of Clearwater has confirmed it has not yet received a formal development application for the EVO project, though right-of-way vacation applications have been submitted, and a demolition permit for the existing building on the site has been requested. In a statement, the city said its executive team has reviewed initial concepts and is supportive of an entertainment venue that would anchor other downtown projects, citing the recent groundbreaking of the Bluffs apartment tower and the active construction of the Ballad hotel. Developers have not released a construction timeline or a target opening date.
If delivered, the EVO complex would represent one of the largest single private entertainment investments in downtown Clearwater's modern history and could provide the sustained foot traffic the corridor has long lacked. Paired with new residential towers, hospitality development, streetscape upgrades, and expanded programming at Coachman Park, the project positions Cleveland Street to shift from a redevelopment plan on paper into a genuinely active urban district, provided the permitting and construction process moves forward as the alliance envisions.
EVO Entertainment has unveiled plans for an 83,000-square-foot, $50 million family entertainment center at the corner of Cleveland Street and Myrtle Avenue, positioning the two-level complex as the gateway anchor for downtown Clearwater's ongoing redevelopment. The project represents the flagship location for Austin-based Elevate Entertainment Group, the parent company behind the EVO brand, and will be the largest and most technologically advanced venue in the company's 19-location portfolio.
At the heart of the development is a seven-screen multiplex built around what developers say will be the largest cinema screen in the world, measuring more than 130 feet in width. The main auditorium will pair that screen with a Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos presentation system engineered specifically for its scale. Beyond the flagship auditorium, the Clearwater location will be the first multiplex in the world where every single screen in the building features both Dolby Vision projection and Dolby Atmos sound, setting a new premium-format benchmark for the industry.
The announcement builds on Elevate Entertainment Group's broader Dolby partnership revealed at CinemaCon, which will equip the company's EVX Premium Large Format auditoriums with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos across 17 screens at eight cinema entertainment centers in Texas, New Mexico, and Florida.
The Clearwater complex is designed as a full-day destination rather than a traditional cinema. In addition to the seven-screen multiplex, the venue will include bowling, arcade gaming, laser tag, a scratch-kitchen restaurant, and interactive attractions. The mix reflects the EVO model of keeping guests on-site for extended visits by blending movies, food, and experiential entertainment into a single environment.
Mitch Roberts, founder and CEO of Elevate Entertainment Group, called the project a once-in-a-lifetime transformation for downtown Clearwater and said the venue is intended to serve as a social destination drawing millions of guests across the Tampa Bay region.
The project is being privately led by the Cleveland Street Alliance, LLC, which has publicly stated it is composed of the Church of Scientology, its parishioners, and a team of professional advisors. The alliance is managed by Scott Dobbins, founder and principal of Tampa-based commercial real estate firm Hybridge. Its project partners include Halflants & Pichette architects, Streetsense, Gensler, and Fairmount Properties.
The alliance is pursuing a coordinated, building-by-building redevelopment strategy along Cleveland Street, restoring historic properties such as the Telephone Building, Peoples Bank, and F.W. Woolworth Co. buildings while reconfiguring underutilized parcels into a connected retail, dining, and entertainment corridor. Earlier this month, the alliance opened The Good Life Showroom, a 1,400-square-foot immersive space at 331 Cleveland Street featuring a 56-foot LED ribbon installation that walks visitors through the corridor's redevelopment plans.
The City of Clearwater has confirmed it has not yet received a formal development application for the EVO project, though right-of-way vacation applications have been submitted, and a demolition permit for the existing building on the site has been requested. In a statement, the city said its executive team has reviewed initial concepts and is supportive of an entertainment venue that would anchor other downtown projects, citing the recent groundbreaking of the Bluffs apartment tower and the active construction of the Ballad hotel. Developers have not released a construction timeline or a target opening date.
If delivered, the EVO complex would represent one of the largest single private entertainment investments in downtown Clearwater's modern history and could provide the sustained foot traffic the corridor has long lacked. Paired with new residential towers, hospitality development, streetscape upgrades, and expanded programming at Coachman Park, the project positions Cleveland Street to shift from a redevelopment plan on paper into a genuinely active urban district, provided the permitting and construction process moves forward as the alliance envisions.
