Might as well give it its own space:
Plan for Central Park unveiled
Developers want to use 28 acres of government property to create a mixed-income community.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published July 28, 2005

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


TAMPA - Developers with an interest in land adjacent to a downtown public housing project unveiled a plan Wednesday to combine their holdings with the government's and build a blend of low-income public housing and upscale condominiums.

Known as the Central Park Group, the developers outlined plans for redeveloping Central Park Village, a dilapidated 484-unit public housing complex just north of downtown Tampa.

They would combine the 28 acres of property owned by the Tampa Housing Authority with nearby land under contract for purchase by principals in the Central Park Group. That would let them create a 60-acre mixed-use, mixed-income community.

The development would include about 4,000 homes, with condominiums and townhouses with an average price of $300,000 and costing as much as $1-million. Public housing units would be mixed in with market-rate apartments.

"Nowhere do we plan on putting public housing as a stand-alone land use," said Bill Bishop, president of a Better Place Group. Better Place and Bank of America constitute the Central Park Group.

Current residents of Central Park Village would move into new homes either within the Central Park project or in other nearby locations developed by the Central Park Group as they were built.

"We need not ask any person to relocate from their home until we are in a position to provide them with a superior alternative home," Bishop said.

New homes would be available to everyone now living in Central Park Village who wanted one, Bishop said.

The first new units would be open by 2008, but as early as September of this year senior citizens in Central Park Village could move into new homes in Centro Place. Centro Place is a rehabilitation of the Centro Asturiano, a historic hospital now being redeveloped as seniors housing by Bank of America. Centro Place is about one mile away from Central Park.

The Central Park Group also wants to establish a 2.5 percent transfer fee of the sales price of finished real estate in the community from one homeowner to another. That money would go to charitable foundations that would pay for community programs, and toward the cost of operating and maintaining public and affordable housing in Central Park and other city neighborhoods.

The plan also calls for the Tampa Housing Authority to contribute its 28 acres to the project in exchange for a 33.3 percent interest in the land development effort, which Bishop estimates will be worth $1.6 billion.

The project includes retail space, an African-American history museum and public parks.

The critical piece of the Central Park Group's proposal is the assembly of land beyond the borders of the existing development. The group already has a contract to purchase the nearby Tampa Park Apartments and a retail complex on Nebraska Avenue, a total of about 22 acres.

To acquire additional properties, Central Park Group wants to establish a community redevelopment area, which provides tax breaks for new investment. It was the Hillsborough County Commission's reluctance to create such a district in 2003 that killed a plan by the for-profit developer Civitas to build a 157-acre master-planned community in place of the Central Park complex.

Bishop and Don Wallace, chairman of the Central Park Group, were key players in Civitas. Now their team is the only one bidding to redevelop the Central Park.

The 28-acre parcel is between Ybor City and the north end of downtown Tampa, which is the midst of residential redevelopment boom.

Michaels Development and Creative Choice Homes, the other two companies chosen by a selection committee to submit a proposal, withdrew from the competition last week after learning from Housing Authority attorneys that they couldn't join in a partnership on a proposal. John Weir, senior vice president at Creative Choice, said the two companies wanted to work together because they were competing with Bishop and Wallace, who had a two-year head start through their work with Civitas.

"The goal of our alliance was to offer a genuine alternative to Civitas," Weir said. "We regret the residents of Central Park, the Housing Authority and the city fo Tampa won't have a chance to evaluate that alternative."

Tampa Housing Authority spokeswoman Beth Leytham said the agency had no comment on the Central Park Group's plan.

"We're honoring the process that's been put in place and relying on the selection committee to go through it and make its recommendation," she said. In August a committee made up of county, city and Housing Authority officials will recommend to the Tampa Housing Authority whether to accept the Central Park Group proposal.

Janet Zink can be reached at 226-3401 or jzink@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 28, 2005, 01:18:21]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/28/Hillsborough/Plan_for_Central_Park.shtml

Jasonhouse, they have the pdf's at this site - pelase cut and paste, my good man.
http://www.centralparktampa.com/

Developing A Vision

By SEAN LENGELL slengell@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 28, 2005






TAMPA - Sprawling plazas flanked by quaint shops, sidewalk cafes and parks. Shiny corporate office centers. Tony, low-rise town houses typical of Manhattan and Paris.
These, mixed with hundreds of new, rent-subsidized apartments, could replace one of Tampa's most blighted areas - if one group's vision becomes reality.

Backed by members of the former Civitas project, a partnership called the Central Park Group has unveiled plans to redevelop the aging Central Park Village complex along Nebraska Avenue between downtown and Ybor City.

The group, responding to a Tampa Housing Authority request for proposals to raze and rebuild the complex's rows of obsolete barracks-style buildings, is the only developer to respond by the agency's deadline Wednesday.

The proposal is more ambitious than the housing authority's request to replace the 28- acre, 484-unit site with subsidized and market-rate housing. The group proposes to transform more than 60 acres, including Central Park Village and the nearby Tampa Park Apartments, into a community featuring more than 4,000 homes - all designed in a pedestrian-friendly manner.

Bill Bishop, a principal partner, said the group has a signed contract to purchase Tampa Park Apartments, which is about 20 acres.

``We want to be a part of rebuilding a vibrant section of town,'' Bishop said. ``We need to build more great, interesting urban housing.''

About three-quarters of the proposed units would be market-rate condominiums, with most of the rest reserved as subsidized units.

``We will be building more affordable housing than we will be destroying,'' Bishop said.

Unlike recent high-rise condominium projects downtown, in the Channel District and on Bayshore Boulevard, Central Park Group would limit buildings to about eight stories.

Bishop said the development would feature architectural styles designed to blend with the community.

``It would be damaging to have any monolithic, uniform architectural theme,'' he said. ``It should be seamless. Fifteen minutes after it's built out, it should look like it has been there for years.''

New housing would be built before any old buildings are destroyed, allowing Central Park Village residents to move directly into the new housing, if they qualify.

Central Park Group includes such high-profile backers as Bank of America; Bishop, a developer involved in planning landmark communities such as Westchase in northwest Hillsborough County and FishHawk Ranch near Lithia; and Don Wallace, founder and chief executive officer of Lazydays RV Center.

Additional partners include Columbia Residential, an Atlanta-based affordable housing company, and Formation Methods, a real estate development company specializing in market-rate housing.


Civitas Experience Not Wasted

Bishop and Wallace are familiar with the Central Park Village site. Both were involved with the former Civitas plan to redevelop a large swath of land between downtown and Ybor City, including Central Park. The proposal died last year after the Hillsborough County Commission balked at the project's details.

That experience, Bishop said, gave his group a jump- start.

The Central Park Group was one of three developers chosen by a selection committee in May as finalists for the project.

Last week, however, the group's two competitors, Creative Choice Homes of Palm Beach Gardens and New Jersey-based Michaels Development Co., withdrew after the housing authority rejected their proposal to submit a joint bid.

Jack Weir, senior vice president of Creative Choice Homes, said Wednesday that the Central Park Group's connection with Civitas was a daunting advantage.

``The goal of our alliance [with Michaels Development] was to provide a genuine alternative to Civitas,'' Weir said.


Lacking Competition A Concern

Even with only one candidate remaining, the selection process will continue, housing authority spokeswoman Beth Leytham said.

Central Park Group will present its proposal to the selection committee Aug. 9. The housing authority's board of directors, which has the final say, will meet and possibly vote on the proposal Aug. 16. See the proposal at www.central parktampa.com. parktampa.com.

Board member Gerald White said he is concerned about the lack of competition.

``I want everything to be right and to fit, and for that to happen, we need true competition,'' he said. ``We've been down this road before with one company with Civitas.''

Bishop said he also was disappointed when his competitors dropped out.

``We wanted somebody to beat,'' he said.


Reporter Sean Lengell can be reached at (813) 259-7145.

http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBOS2CFOBE.html

Thanks for the PDF link. Some of those files were pretty damn big, just a warning for those of you with dial-up.

The renders were better than I remember, but I just wish they would have used more brick. Perhaps they will when and if it's built, I don't want to see all masonry painted funky tropical colors. Looking at the site plan maps puts the whole thing in perspective and it looks like it will help reconnect Downtown and Ybor nicely.

Dial up... whats that?
;)

smiley, that link didn't work.

I think it's supposed to be www.centralparktampa.com.

That one worked for me. :)

This works - the one in the article doesn't (nice webmaster Tribune)

http://www.centralparktampa.com/

ok... I got it. I looked at the one file "in pictures", and will post some stuff late tonight or tomorrow.

Looking over this plan, it strikes me what an important piece Central Park is in defining Tampa's core urban area. I hope the developer can make good on these plans as it really brings together the increasingly exploding CBD, The rise of the Channel District from nothing and the development of Ybor City from a slum into a hip city. Combine all this with Harbor Island, Davis Island, North Bayshore, The University Area and Hyde Park. I am struck by how well Tampa is coming together as a first rate urban city. I am very pleased.

frankly, I would rather they build taller on the portion fo the site towards DT core and the interstate, and then leave at least 20 acres along Nuccio for a big park.

The Curtin Hixon park will be nice, but DT is still going to NEED a real, big, usable park somewhere, and this is about as good a location as we will ever have...

Additionally, I see no accounting for mass transit ROW in this plan... Surely they don't propose to erect 4000 housing units between DT and Ybor, without providing some means for the streetcar system to link the nieghborhood to both??? That would be a seriously myopic mistake IMO.


[edit] Oh yeah, and GTE had damn well better do something useful with that huge plot of land, othe than sitting on it for "future use" for the next 25 years. :bash:

What land are you referring too?

^Their site near the interstate... It's like 15+ acres, but presently only has one building (thier new HQ), and then a buch of surface parking on it... it is an extrememly suburban, campus-like layout, and is totally incompatible with the coming nieghborhood redevelopment.

Doesn't the street car have a connection near Nuccio and 7th?

The problem with the streetcar in tampa is that the city believes it must have it's own "system" in place. ie, curbed rail lines that are detached from the roads. This means much larger rights of way and bigger more expansive roads that make it less pedestrian friendly. how many people do you see walking up Channelside? No one. I imagine this will continue to be the case even after more residential is completed.

Wouldn't it be better if the streetcar travelled in traffic, similar to the green line in boston or anywhere in Europe, instead of a seperate right of way? If they did that, it wouldn't necessarily matter if ROW was planned - it would be part of the street system and could grow with the street as needed.

jp

Central Park Village Plans Unveiled
By SEAN LENGELL slengell@tampatrib.com
Published: Aug 10, 2005




TAMPA - A coalition of developers, builders, business leaders and bankers formally presented a $100 million-plus plan to redevelop one of Tampa's most blighted areas, Central Park Village.
A selection committee responsible for finding developers for the 28-acre Tampa Housing Authority property peppered the group with questions, and both sides were encouraged by what they heard.

``Hopefully we've taken another step today,'' said Bill Bishop, a principal partner in the Central Park Group. The meeting ``was very constructive.''

Bishop and his partners are proposing to redevelop 60 acres along Nebraska Avenue, between downtown and Ybor City, including Central Park Village and the adjacent Tampa Park Apartments.

The group proposes to build a mix of public housing, rent- subsidized apartments and market-rate units.

Selection committee member Leroy Moore, director of planning and development for the housing authority, expressed concern that the proposal lacked financial details about support services for families forced to move out of Central Park Village.

``It's a pretty glaring omission,'' he said.

Still, Moore said, the proposal featured commendable aspects, and he said the partners seem committed to improving the area.

``I see a lot of value in their proposal,'' he said.

Housing board member Gerald White called the proposal ``entirely promising.''

He appreciated that the group features Bishop and Don Wallace, the founder and chief executive officer of Lazydays RV Center, who are familiar with the area.

The plan includes plazas and parks flanked by shops and sidewalk cafes that could serve as a gateway to downtown.

``We propose nothing less than the wholesale redevelopment of the whole Central Park neighborhood,'' said Bishop, who has developed communities such as Westchase in northwest Hillsborough County and FishHawk Ranch near Lithia. ``It is a critical keystone element in the future development of Tampa.''

The Central Park Group is offering the housing authority a one-third interest in the project.

The group plans to build 1,000 multifamily apartments, with 60 percent rented at market-rates and the remaining units reserved as rent-subsidized housing.

An additional 160 apartments will be built for seniors.

New housing would be built before the old buildings are destroyed, allowing residents to move directly into the new housing if they qualify.

The site ultimately could feature 4,000 homes, including condos and town houses.

The cost for the multifamily and senior apartments is estimated at $122 million, the group said. Bishop said the property value for the entire project could be as much as $1.5 billion.

Much of the cost would be fronted by Bishop and Wallace, who formed a partnership called A Better Place Group, and Bank of America.

Crucial to the deal is the establishment of a tax increment financing district, which allows a portion of property taxes raised in an area to be spent on infrastructure improvements.

The plan also calls for a 2.5 percent transfer fee when property within the development is sold by the original owners. The money would be available for the maintenance and operation of affordable housing, among other things.

The selection committee will meet at 10 a.m. today to make a recommendation to the housing board. The meeting, at 1803 N. Howard Ave., will be open to the public.

The housing authority will meet Tuesday to discuss and possibly vote on the proposal.


Reporter Sean Lengell can be reached at (813) 259-7145.

http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGBSS4137CE.html

Redeveloping Central Park Gains Committee's Support
By SEAN LENGELL slengell@tampatrib.com
Published: Aug 11, 2005




TAMPA - A $100 million-plus plan to build thousands of homes on 60 blighted acres north of downtown is a step closer to approval.
On Wednesday, a committee charged with helping to find a developer to replace the aging Central Park Village public housing complex unanimously endorsed the proposal by the Central Park Group, a coalition of developers, builders, bankers and business leaders.

The committee's recommendation goes to the Tampa Housing Authority, which must decide whether to enter negotiations with the development group.

``This is potentially a tremendous opportunity for Central Park residents, the city and the housing authority to totally transform downtown,'' committee chairman Fradique Rocha said.

The Central Park Group, which includes local developer Bill Bishop, Lazydays RV SuperCenter founder Don Wallace and the Bank of America, plans to go further than simply replacing the 28-acre Central Park Village complex.

It also proposes redeveloping 60 acres along Nebraska Avenue, between downtown and Ybor City, into a community of 4,000 homes featuring a mix of public housing, market- rate apartments and high-end condominiums. Shops and parks also would be featured.

Bishop and Wallace are familiar with the site. Both were involved with the former Civitas plan to redevelop Central Park Village and the surrounding area. The proposal died last year after the Hillsborough County Commission balked at the project's details.

Overall, the five-member selection committee had praise for the Central Park Group's proposal, but it did have several concerns.

Several members said the plan lacks financial details and worried that it is too reliant on funding sources not guaranteed, such as a tax increment financing district, which needs government approval.

``While I think we all generally have a positive attitude [for the proposal], there are lots of inconsistences,'' Rocha said.

Committee member Fran Davin said the plan lacks details on how senior residents at Central Park Village would be relocated.

``The whole thing didn't come together cohesively in what they're going to do for the seniors,'' she said. ``That bothered me.''

Still, the committee, which includes representatives from the city, Hillsborough County, housing authority and Central Park Village residents, said if the proposal is approved by the housing authority, there would be plenty of time for it to evolve and be refined.

``Is it a reasonable approach at this point? Yes, it is,'' committee member Leroy Moore said. ``You've got to start somewhere.''

The committee will present its recommendation to the housing authority board at 9 a.m. Tuesday.


Reporter Sean Lengell can be reached at (813) 259-7145.

http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGBQ33FI8CE.html

Plan for Central Park okayed
The Tampa Housing Authority accepts a plan to turn Central Park Village into a blend of public housing and upscale condominiums.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published August 17, 2005

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TAMPA - With little discussion, the Tampa Housing Authority board on Tuesday voted unanimously to accept a proposal from a developer to rebuild Central Park Village.

Applause, cheers and tears of hope followed the decision.

"We have been waiting for this day," said Ruth Dewberry, vice president of the Central Park Village Residents Council, as she dabbed at her eyes.

This is the fourth plan that has been proposed in the past five years for rehabilitating Central Park, but the only one that has come this close to reality.

"This is a historic day for the city of Tampa," said board member Gerald White.

The vote allows the authority staff to begin negotiating a development agreement with the Central Park Group, which includes developer Bill Bishop, Don Wallace, chairman of the board for Lazydays RV SuperCenter, and Bank of America. The group wants to combine the Housing Authority's 28-acre Central Park land with nearby property to create a 60-acre community that blends public housing and upscale condominiums.

The plan calls for more than 4,000 apartments, condominiums and townhomes.

Jerome Ryans, executive director of the Tampa Housing Authority, said it will probably take a few months to work out details of the agreement.

Replacement housing for the more than 1,300 residents of the 484-unit complex is of particular concern. The Central Park Group's plans call for only 182 new public housing units.

"Hopefully we can have some improvement in that number," White said.

Displaced residents who don't return to Central Park would need to find another type of subsidized housing, possibly using vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The Central Park Group says new affordable homes will be available to all Central Park residents either in the old neighborhood or in locations nearby.

Susan Greenbaum, an anthropology professor at the University of South Florida who has a $15,000 grant to study the relocation of Central Park Village residents, said she's skeptical that affordable housing will be easy to build in Tampa's "overheated" housing market.

"I don't know how any developer can do affordable housing on ground that's so expensive," she said.

Still, she said, she likes the Central Park Group's vision.

"I'm really hopeful this can be what it promises to be," she said.

Moving forward also requires creation of a special taxing district to help pay for new infrastructure. Haggling between the city and county over the details of such a district killed a similar plan to redevelop Central Park in 2003.

Mayor Pam Iorio told the Housing Authority board Tuesday that she remains committed to establishing the taxing district.

"We have the city," said Housing Authority board member Manny Alvarez. "But we need the county. And we don't know where we stand with the county."

Ryans said he hopes residents will be relocated in the next year so that demolition of Central Park Village might begin by fall 2006.

The first new units could be open by 2008, the developers say.

But senior citizens in Central Park Village could move by the end of this year to new quarters in the old Centro Asturiano Hospital building on 21st Avenue and 14th Street, now being redeveloped as senior housing by Bank of America.

Janet Zink can be reached at 813 226-3401 or jzink@sptimes.com

[Last modified August 17, 2005, 01:08:12]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/17/Hillsborough/Plan_for_Central_Park.shtml

^^YES, its about time. Downtown is beginning to go in a syncronized plan with these projects. No more random stuff. Lets make Tampa into a neighborhood. :)

Yep, when all this falls into place DT Tampa will be ringed by dense urban neighborhoods, mostly upscale :grouphug:-- Hyde Park/SoHo/Bayside and Davis Islands are already in place, a 20-story condo tower is building in the last large open area on Harbour Island, Channel District is under construction, Ybor is filling up with lofts and townhouses. The Heights project will transform Tampa Heights. The Central Park development as proposed will fill in the ring to the north. The only weak sector will be to the west, but development from Hyde Park is beginning to move north of Kennedy. Adding together the new condos in Channel District, downtown, and the units proposed for the Heights and Central Park, means 11,000 new housing units in and adjacent to the downtown core. :colgate: Next step will be filling in the acres of surface parking, demolishing the barn-like low-rise parking structures and making some real progress on a mass transit system for Tampa.

I just hope Tampa can handle all this development. I think we need to see some real job growth in the area to support all of this development. Jobs bring in people, but retirement does too. I think the plans are coming together nicely...now, it just needs to happen.

Yep, when all this falls into place DT Tampa will be ringed by dense urban neighborhoods, mostly upscale :grouphug:-- Hyde Park/SoHo/Bayside and Davis Islands are already in place, a 20-story condo tower is building in the last large open area on Harbour Island, Channel District is under construction, Ybor is filling up with lofts and townhouses. The Heights project will transform Tampa Heights. The Central Park development as proposed will fill in the ring to the north. The only weak sector will be to the west, but development from Hyde Park is beginning to move north of Kennedy. Adding together the new condos in Channel District, downtown, and the units proposed for the Heights and Central Park, means 11,000 new housing units in and adjacent to the downtown core. :colgate: Next step will be filling in the acres of surface parking, demolishing the barn-like low-rise parking structures and making some real progress on a mass transit system for Tampa.

HEAR, HEAR!!!!!!!

I hope you urban soldiers work hard to make this a reality while I graduate and live in Seattle, Philly, or SF but will still come back to visit my parents, and partake in the progress Tampa has made.

I just hope Tampa can handle all this development. I think we need to see some real job growth in the area to support all of this development. Jobs bring in people, but retirement does too. I think the plans are coming together nicely...now, it just needs to happen.

Remember, and I'm not saying this should be all of it but when all of these people come DT hundreds of jobs will be created in DT. For all the restraunts, shops and other service jobs. As more and more people move DT bussinesses will be attracted to it and in comes the nicer jobs like Westshore. It'll take time but in the end. But soon Downtown will strike back. :) :cheers: :cheers: :cheers:

There will be no problem with the jobs - just have to make sure people buy - and I think they will. Residents also bring better jobs to downtown and maybe, one day, and office building - but those seem to be passe everywhere.

Jobs are not a problem... The area is back to having solid job growth again, with the most recent 12 month YOY period having a net gain of 45k jobs.

Fortune 100 firm may build at Central Park Village

JANET ZINK. St. Petersburg Times

Developers planning to rebuild Central Park Village, a public housing complex north of downtown, have said a Fortune 100 company is interested in putting a regional corporate office in the project.

They won't say which company it is, but some of their own site plans offer hints: Graphics in the group's proposal show Bank of America offices at the corner of Cass Street and Seventh Avenue.

Bank of America has already signed on to finance the $137- million development, but is mum on whether its plans include regional offices.

"It's premature to comment on whether or not we would be doing that," said George Owen, a spokesman for Bank of America.

Last week, representatives of a financial services company spoke to Tampa Chamber of Commerce officials about employing 2,500 to 5,000 people in Tampa on a 500,000-square-foot campus.

It was unclear where the employees would come from or what type of work they would do.

The company is "internationally recognized" and considering sites in Tampa, Orlando, Jacksonville and Miami, according to an e-mail sent by Beatriz Bare, the chamber's director of corporate recruitment, to Mark Huey, the city's economic development manager.

Huey said he had not been told whether the company considering Tampa was Bank of America.

"It's early, and we have very sketchy information," Huey said.

Bare did not return calls from the St. Petersburg Times.

Myron Hughes, vice president of economic development for the chamber, declined to give details on last week's discussion.

"There is no timetable for what might take place," he said.

Bank of America is a partner in the Central Park Group, the developers chosen to rebuild the dilapidated neighborhood. Their plan calls for combining the 28 acres owned by the Tampa Housing Authority with surrounding land to create a 60-acre mixed-income community with more than 4,000 single-family houses, condominiums and apartments. Central Park currently has 484 units.

The Central Park Group's proposal says the project would be "backed by the balance sheet" of Bank of America, which tops $838 billion.

"There's no floor and no ceiling on what we're willing to commit," said Bank of America vice president Elon Metoyer during a presentation Aug. 9.

Bank of America is the nation's third-largest financial institution. Its Florida headquarters used to be in Tampa, but are now in Jacksonville.

Florida has historically been a chief profit center for the bank and its predecessor, NationsBank. Bank of America chief executive Ken Lewis spent his formative years learning the industry in Tampa, where he ran the statewide operation in the mid 1980s.

Bank of America's national headquarters is in Charlotte, N.C., where the company helped turn a public housing complex located within view of its offices into a mixed-income neighborhood.

Times staff writer Jeff Harrington contributed to this report. Janet Zink can be reached at (813) 226-3401 or jzink@sptimes.com.

That's interesting. I work for the bank and I haven't heard anything about it...not that I would. I think it would be a great thing for the city though.

The Central Park Group's proposal to redevelop the Central Park area states relocating current residents is first, then rebuiding the infrastructure (streets, utiltites) with the first construction to be completed in 2008. This gives you a few years to pack up your personal stuff at work prior to the move. :lol:

Village project minus 20 acres

An expired contract for 20 acres to combine with other land won't halt Central Park Village.

By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published January 6, 2006

TAMPA - Plans to redevelop a dilapidated public housing complex near downtown into a mixed-income community have hit a snag.

A contract that developers had to buy a 20-acre piece of the proposed 60-acre project expired in late December with no deal. Developers were going to combine that land with the 28-acre Central Park Village public housing complex, and other land, to create an urban village that would include upscale condos along with apartments for the poor.

City officials heralded the project as an important element in the transformation of downtown Tampa into a residential hub.

"This is very disappointing to us all," wrote Don Wallace, founder of the Lazydays RV SuperCenter and one of the project's backers, in a Dec. 22 letter to Tampa Housing Authority officials. He and developer Bill Bishop had hoped to buy the 20-acre Tampa Park Apartments to complete their vision for Central Park Village.

City leaders, housing authority officials and the developers pledged Thursday to continue with the project.

"From a long-range planning perspective, it would be so much better if Tampa Park Apartments were part of the larger redevelopment," said Mayor Pam Iorio. "But didn't happen. Central Park Village can still go forward. It's viable by itself."

The developers say they will present a scaled-down plan to the Housing Authority, which owns Central Park Village, this month. They also will continue to try to buy the remaining 12 acres envisioned for the project, though the overall plan could now change.

"We continue to be willing and able to close on the Tampa Park Apartments in accordance with the terms of the contract," said Deanne Roberts, a spokeswoman for the Central Park Group. "Meanwhile, we're moving on and creating a reconfigured site plan without that parcel since we and the Tampa Housing Authority feel an urgency to replace Central Park Village."

Officers in Tampa Park Apartments Inc., who include former City Council member Perry Harvey Jr., Florida Sentinel Bulletin chairman C. Blythe Andrews Jr., and former Housing Authority Board member Kay Andrews, did not return phone calls or said they had no comment. The Hillsborough County property appraiser puts the assessed value of the land at $13.1-million.

"If they're not willing to sell, they're not willing to sell," said Jerome Ryans, executive director of the Tampa Housing Authority. "If Tampa Park is not a part of it, we've still got (28) acres. We're going to move ahead. Nothing is going to stop this."

The Tampa Housing Authority board in August chose the Central Park Group, which includes Bishop, Wallace and Bank of America, from three competing teams to redevelop the 484-unit complex. The Central Park Group got high marks for being able to incorporate adjacent properties into its proposal, an edge the other bidders didn't have.

Their plan called for more than 4,000 apartments, condominiums and townhomes, parks, sidewalk cafes and a town center.

Now, they'll have to come up with a new plan with one-third less land.

"It will be the same plan, the same mix, just less of it," Roberts said.

The contract to buy Tampa Park Apartments, which provides subsidized housing in more than 350 units, dates back to 2003. That's when Bishop and Wallace first proposed redeveloping Central Park Village and the surrounding land into a 157-acre community. Those plans fell apart when, under a tight deadline to apply for federal funding for the project, the city and county failed to reach an agreement on creating a special taxing district to support the effort. Bishop and Wallace came back with a smaller proposal last year.

Officials with the Housing Authority and the Central Park Group say they are working now on an even smaller initiative.

"Twenty-eight acres is big enough to make it a feasible project," said Elon Metoyer, senior vice president of Bank of America.

Mark Huey, Tampa's manager of economic development, said the redevelopment of Central Park is one of the city's most significant projects and would continue even without Tampa Park Apartments.

"Redevelopment of that scale takes a lot of twists and turns," he said.

It's likely Tampa Park Apartments will be redeveloped eventually, too, he said, "whether it's now or five to 10 years from now."

Janet Zink can be reached at 813 226-3401 or jzink@sptimes.com

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/01/06/Hillsborough/Village_project_minus.shtml

It's pretty clear that the Tampa Park owners are seeing dollar signs even bigger than the ones they saw before, when Civitas first bought the right to buy them out.

It's a shame that their greed may well cripple this project, and stagnate proper redevelopment of the nieghborhood for who knows how long.

Don't think it will stagnate anything anymore that it would have stagnated before. . . Everybody wants to build and cash in.

This will still go on right?....but not as large.correct? Sorry spead read through it.

Although the article does not really say why the owners will not close, I think Jason may be right. Why risk being sued unless you think there is more $$$ to be made on the deal.

There is no risk of being sued, The contract expired. They can do what they want.

Here's the proposal for Cental Park, I'm surprised it has two 26 story towers along with retirment apertment towers. Should be interesting. :)

Central Park Village Proposal Pitched
Skip directly to the full story.
By JOHN W. ALLMAN jallman@tampatrib.com



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TAMPA - A neighborhood with ample parking, local shops, a prominent museum and a refurbished park.

That's the plan for the Tampa Housing Authority's 28-acre Central Park Village as proposed Monday by Bank of America and a group of private investors. The large-scale urban redevelopment project, if approved, would take four years to complete and stretch from Cass Street north to Scott Street, flanked by Nebraska Avenue to the east and Orange Avenue to the west.

The proposal includes:

• Up to 2,030 new housing units in 11 proposed buildings: five buildings of multifamily units for rent or for sale, two high-rise 26-floor towers of luxury condominiums for sale, three retirement towers with apartments for sale, and one senior facility with rental apartments.

• A refurbished St. James Episcopal Church, which would be converted into a black history museum.

• A refurbished Perry Harvey Park.

• Up to 60,000-square-feet of office space and up to 35,000-square-feet of neighborhood retail shopping.

• Space for a new, 50,000-square-foot, four-story Tampa Housing Authority main office building, which would be built at THA's expense.

The amount of public housing would be nearly double what is available currently, with up to 800 units. Those buildings would stand between seven and nine stories each.

All of the buildings would have their own designated multilevel parking as well as retail and office space on the ground floors.

Bank officials also said that preliminary discussions have been ongoing about building a middle school just outside the Central Park boundary.

Overall reaction was mixed, particularly from housing board Chairwoman Hazel Harvey, who expressed concern about the height of some of the buildings and the possible effect of clustering large numbers of low-income residents in such tight quarters.

Harvey and Mary Williams, Central Park Village resident council president, questioned how well families with small children might integrate into the more-urban environment. Board member Gerald White welcomed the building heights and higher density, saying he would fight to see as many people as possible be allowed to move into the new neighborhood.

The housing board is traveling Thursday to Orlando to view a mixed-income, urban redevelopment project similar to Central Park's redesign.

The two-hour presentation Monday emphasized the potential community benefit while reiterating the hurdles left to clear.

"We remain just as committed as we've ever been to seeing this through to completion," said Don Wallace, chairman of the Central Park Group, which is working with Bank of America.

It hasn't been an easy road to this point. The last redevelopment plan, brought by the Civitas Group, failed to secure approval for a joint Community Redevelopment Area designation from Hillsborough County commissioners in 2004. And the current plan almost was dealt a crippling blow in January when the owners of Tampa Park Apartments opted to remove their 20-acre site from consideration, forcing Bank of America and the Central Park Group to significantly overhaul the site design.

Central Park's 1,300 residents are set to begin moving out in July regardless of whether a redevelopment plan has been approved. The move is expected to take nine months, with the demolition of Central Park's existing buildings estimated for May 2007.

Everything but the relocation of residents now hinges on a June 7 vote by the Hillsborough County Commission - for the same CRA designation that was denied two years ago.

Roxanne Amoroso, Bank of America's vice president of community development banking, did little Monday to ease concerns. She reiterated several times that without a CRA, the proposal would be killed. A CRA is critical because it would create a special tax district allowing private developers to pay for street, storm sewer and other repairs.

The proposed 143-acre CRA encompasses much more than the Central Park site, which is why it should be approved, Mayor Pam Iorio said after the meeting. She said city staff members are meeting individually with each county commissioner to discuss issues they may have with the project.

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBPCC2NJNE.html (http://http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBPCC2NJNE.html)

It also says that the public housing units will be housed in mid-rise buildings...

In all, it sounds like there would be around 6-10 buildings of 7 floors or more as part of this initial portion of the revelopment project.

The project keeps getting smaller and smaller with the buildings getting taller and taller. I think the two towers are a great addition but I don't think they fit for low-income housing. Low-income housing should be fit for children which is four stories max! I pictured the area much like a traditional Chicago, Boston, or downtown Baltimore neighborhood. Lots of nice rowhouses with porches that would get people out on the street and not confine them to a unit 5-25 stories up.

That being said I really think this would be a much better addition to downtown than a Belmont Heights type development. I would rather see this built than what some pople are calling for regarding a low-density development.

With all of the new housing projects going up at least people will have a good choice as far as the type of housing they would like to live in. Hilslborough County will have everything from downtown urban to suburban residential. Even in low-income housing there should be choice.

^with such low densities, they would never be able to make the units any cheaper than they are now.

Besdies, not all units in this project are supposed to be cheap... They are providing public housing units and some "affordable" housing, but the bulk of housing units will be market rate.

It's still a nice project. I like how it brings the Black History Museum and the rennoevated park, along with new headquarters for the Housing Authoruty. The density is a plus and should be a nice neightborhood.

Sounds like a nice plan that has the potential to be a showpiece for the city. I'm assuming the subsidized units will be mixed in with the market rate units. Perhaps, if they were able to incorporate the other complex into the project they would've been able to do some lower buildings. I still think families would be fine, as long as designed with families in mind (play areas, play rooms, open space, etc.) Hope it comes to fruition. If this works out, perhaps something similar could be done with West Tampa.

I think a project like this with this much height, and this much children, will need a major park for them to release their energy. They will definitely need their space.

Personally, I wouldn't want to live in an area that has people on welfare living right beside me. I think this will be a big turn off to many buyers.

Housing complex proposal shrinks
The plan to redevelop Central Park Village has been scaled back by half. The development team appears to have gotten smaller, too.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published May 23, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAMPA - Bank of America on Monday unveiled its plans to redevelop the crumbling Central Park Village public housing complex, and it's a vastly different proposal than the one touted last year as the future of that rundown neighborhood.

In August, a team that included Bank of America and Tampa developers Bill Bishop and Don Wallace laid out plans to create a mixed-income neighborhood on prime property between downtown and Ybor City.

But Monday, at a Tampa Housing Authority workshop, the proposal had changed. The mixed-income idea is still there, as is the plan for retail development alongside residential.

The latest plan is vastly smaller, however, taking in only 28 acres, compared with the original 60 and envisioning 2,000 homes instead of 4,000.

The dynamics of the development team have changed, too.

Bishop and Wallace, the founder of Lazydays RV Supercenter, have distanced themselves from the project since they lost an option to buy Tampa Park Apartments, a 20-acre property adjacent to Central Park Village.

Bank of America officials insist Bishop and Wallace are still part of the team, but the Housing Authority says it hasn't spoken to either since late last year, around the time the Tampa Park Apartments deal fell apart. And support documents mention only Bank of America, not the Central Park Group that the Housing Authority selected for the redevelopment last year.

A spokeswoman for Bishop and Wallace says the project no longer offers the opportunity for a master-planned community on a scale appropriate for Bishop.

"This project now, at the 28 acres, is the kind of project that Bank of America does. It's not the kind of project that Bill Bishop does," Deanne Roberts said. "He stands ready if they need him."

Wallace, she said, is available to assist with negotiations. Wallace made a brief presentation Monday, and then turned things over to Bank of America.

The plan suggests replacing Central Park Village's 484 public housing units with 794 rental units and 1,236 for-sale units in 13 buildings of seven to 26 stories.

Historic St. James Episcopal Church would be turned into an African-American history museum at the entrance to the new development.

Bank of America officials offered no details on how many public housing units the project would include, but said all the rental units would be available to people with housing vouchers.

The project's high density raised the eyebrows of Housing Authority board member Hazel Harvey.

"Sociology tells me we don't put masses of poor people together and warehouse them in," she said.

Bank of America representatives said the company has done projects like this before, and safety features and a good management company should provide adequate security.

James Grauley, senior vice president of Bank of America, said "economic realities" make the tall buildings necessary.

"There is clearly a need for more density than there is today to make the numbers work," he said.

Bank of America vice president Roxanne Amoroso repeatedly emphasized the importance of creating a special taxing district to fund new roads, stormwater systems and other infrastructure.

"Without it, redevelopment cannot occur," she said. "It's financially unfeasible."

Mayor Pam Iorio spoke strongly about the importance of the taxing district and accompanying community redevelopment area, which requires an agreement between the city and Hillsborough County. The County Commission is scheduled to consider the agreement June 7.

Iorio pointed out that the community redevelopment area includes 143 acres in a key part of Tampa that needs to be redeveloped. Central Park Village is only part of that.

Iorio also supports the high density, saying it helps provide a critical mass of people to support mass transit in Tampa.

If all goes as planned, Amoroso said, demolition of Central Park Village would begin in May 2007.

Housing Authority president Jerome Ryans said he will start moving the 1,300 residents out of Central Park Village this summer. If the Bank of America plan doesn't work out, he said, the Housing Authority will come up with its own strategy.

"I made a decision we need to get on with our business," he said recently. "We've been talking about this for years, and quite frankly, I'm tired of talking about it. I'm going to take care of the 28 acres we own."

The Central Park Group was chosen after the Housing Authority sought bids from private developers for remaking the area.

In May 2005, a selection committee ranked the Central Park Group third of three finalists.

Two months later, the two top-ranked teams announced they would join forces. But Housing Authority officials killed the idea, saying the joint proposal violated the agency's procurement policies because it created a new team that wasn't part of the initial selection process.

That left the Central Park Group as the only developer in the competition. The team suggested combining the authority's 28 acres with the Tampa Park Apartments property and other land Bishop and Wallace had options to buy to create a 60-acre master-planned community with grand boulevards, outdoor cafes, million-dollar condos and public housing.

But the owners of Tampa Park Apartments chose not to sell their land to Bishop and Wallace. Without the surrounding land, the plan revealed Monday is less ambitious, though Iorio touted it as a chance to jump-start redevelopment in the area.

Holy crap... There are way more buildings that will be at least 7 stories than I thought.

13 buildings... That will make for a nice little addition to the clutter popping up around DT's periphery.

I can not wait. It is really going to happen from the way the article is sounding, but it is a shame about the Tampa Park Apts. not being incorporated into the mix.

It will be in a few years... And when it does, it will probably be a bit taller and denser than this project.

The further away from the civitas project the less appealing this sounds. Who the hell wants to pay good money to live in housing projects. This reminds me of what they did in Parramore in Orlando, except some of this is actually public housing and not just section 8.

The point of this is to erase some of the plight. It needs to be on a much "grander" scale or else no one but public housing recipiants will live there.

The key is that the CRA covers a much greater area. With a little coaxing by the city and county, the whole thing could be redeveloped in a few years...

You know not all of the state assisted people are bad, but it is most of them. I remember when I lived in Boston, we had this duplex that my parents were renting for some ungodly sum, there were these less than desirable people who moved next door and god they were freaking horrible and there was nothing we could do about it because they were state-assisted. I guess the point that I am trying to make is that I would NEVER, and I emphasize on the never want to share another area with a detriment to society. All they are doing is milking the taxpayers like us dry. (Sorry if that offended anyone, but it is just how I feel.)

ORLANDO - After seven years spent looking at drab white walls, deteriorating facades and cramped alleyways snaking through Central Park Village, it didn't take long Thursday for Mary Williams to want to move.

Maybe it was the lobby, which resembles an art deco museum, or the spacious indoor theater where residents can play personal DVDs or watch free cable television.

Perhaps it was the secure entrances and well-lit walkways from an adjacent, attached parking garage.

Maybe it was the model apartment with a garden bathtub, walk-in closets, computer alcove and breakfast bar.

"Seeing is believing," said Williams, 63, Central Park's longtime resident council president, wide-eyed and gleeful as a child, standing near a rooftop pool overlooking downtown Orlando.

It was the reaction Tampa Housing Authority officials wanted when they toured City View, offering a first-hand look at the type of urban redevelopment project that might replace one of its oldest and largest public housing properties.

Orlando's $36 million, eight-story facility sits just off Interstate 4, in a historic black neighborhood called Parramore. Local markets and landmark buildings, some from the 1800s, ring the structure.

The tour came three days after Bank of America unveiled an ambitious proposal for replacing Central Park with a mixed-use community of affordable apartments and high-rise luxury homes for sale just outside Ybor City.

At the unveiling, reaction was mixed, as Williams and board chairwoman Hazel Harvey expressed concern about the height of the proposed buildings, which would be between seven and nine floors.

"I've got to process this," Harvey said Thursday, visibly impressed. "It's gorgeous. It is very nice."

Board members Rubin Padgett and Gerald White said they worried about Tampa's housing population acclimating to such an environment.

"It's been said black folks can't afford anything like this. Is it truly affordable?" White asked. "Can we really place poor folks in a facility like this?"

"We're doing it here," responded John Sabatier, Bank of America's vice president of community development banking.

City View is similar in several ways to the Central Park proposal, only it encompasses one building instead of five. Also, the land already was designated as a special tax district, which provides needed dollars for infrastructure improvements.

Tampa's own Community Redevelopment Area proposal must be approved by the city council and county commission. It goes before the county June 7 for a vote. The county rejected a previous CRA request for Central Park Village in 2004.

City View in Orlando was developed by Bank of America's Community Development Corp., which worked with the Orlando Neighborhood Improvement Corp., to renovate the 3.95-acre site and create 266 rental apartments starting at $487 monthly up to $1,535, plus 25,000 square feet of retail space.

Of those, 108 apartments are set aside for individuals making less than 60 percent of the average median income.

In Tampa, Bank of America is partnering with other private investors on its proposed 28-acre development, which would include up to 800 mixed-income apartments plus 60,000 square feet of office space and 35,000 square feet of retail.

Of those, up to 667 would be considered affordable, said Leroy Moore, housing senior vice president and chief development officer.

A portion of the land would be sold to private developers to build condominiums and retirement housing.

The housing authority also would have the option to build a new administration building, and Bank of America is offering to refurbish a historic church, turning it into a black history museum.

http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBJOLPZNNE.html

^lol... that article does a poor job of quantifying how many units are involved in the Central Park redevelopment proposal...

^lol... that article does a poor job of quantifying how many units are involved in the Central Park redevelopment proposal...

It's kind of funny. The thing in Orlando is another one of those "questionable" things I've spoke of in other posts that is going on in O-town where people make it seem a bigger deal than it is. In the end all it really is, is an apartment attached to the headquartes of the former Hughes Supply. It's not very big, and does not incorporate the scale of even the reduced version of what they are trying to do in Tampa.

The other issue in Tampa is the "poor people" themselves. There are way more institutionally poor people that will not conform to decency standards in Tampa compared to Orlando. Well over 100 years of poor people begatting more poor people. I can't picture in my mind how that is going to work in an area with retail and other higher income earners. They must be planning to attract the "working class" singles instead of higher end folks, with the current cost of housing out of reach of most, that would make sense.

I say level and relocate the housing project elsewhere, and use the current interpretation of "eminant domain" to take over whatever is left. I know this is very touchy, but there is just too much at stake connecting channelside, downtown, and ybor to have to deal with slum lords. Make the city council take control.

Damn while you are at it why don't they just claim eminent domain.

Yea, you know, think for a minute - 1) they have new rules so felons will not be allowed in, 2) there is a vast resevoir of "working class" people who could use the housing - in fact, I worked with a single mother who lived in one of the BoA projects in tampa Heights, 3) there are a lot of people like young cops with families and young soldiers who need more affordable housing, 4) and it has been shown that mixing a neighborhood helps the lowest income folks. No more projects - let the people live. I think it will be fine, provided they give enough open space nearby for people to relax.

I agree, Smiley. Redevelopments like this have worked in other places like Chicago and Atlanta. I don't see why it can't work in Tampa.

I am actually hoping that this still happens. I think it might be a long time before the area is redeveloped, but it is just my opinion. If it does I will look into buying something in the project, because it is a good location to everything.

This would make a nice urban cluster between Downtown, Ybor, Channelside, and the Heights. Very Midtownish. :)

I can not wait until all of the people move and all of the buildings are demolished, then I will feel like downtown is really heading in the right direction.

I agree, Smiley. Redevelopments like this have worked in other places like Chicago

Cabrini Green? :cheers: :jk:

Cabrini Green was not mixed income, ownership based. . .it was a traditional project.

Look at what BoA did in the west, I think it was either LA or San Francisco.

Cabrini Green was not mixed income, ownership based. . .it was a traditional project.

I think he's referring to its successor.

It might be a turn off to some people but when you look at the whole picture you will realize that they are going to target working class professionals. In other words, teachers, plumbers, electricians, police officers, military people, retirees, etc... people who currently live on the outskirts of town alongside those who might have some form of government help.
These people will help to integrate these people on "welfare" to a more balanced place in society. It's part of the REAL master plan of helping them help themselves by providing them with a place to live they can be proud of, help care for, and raise a family in with the hope they will turn out ok and be a productive member of society.
I don't think anybody dreams of living in the getto, collecting that check, and sending their kids off to the school of hard knocks on the street.
They ALL deserve a chance to live in a decent area and have access to the same public amentities the rest of us do.
I mean, what kind of a vibrant downtown would we have if all the housing is high end?

One where I wish I could afford.

Central Park plan in danger
Hillsborough commissioners have concerns about the proposal to rebuild the Tampa housing project.
By JANET ZINK and BILL VARIAN
Published May 30, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAMPA - Construction cranes ring one of the city's most infamous public housing projects, heralding the rebirth taking place all around it, from Ybor City to Channelside to the central business district downtown.

But in Central Park Village, where dreams of a better tomorrow are crushed daily by crime and squalid living conditions, residents can only wonder when their day will come.

Politicians have promised to redevelop Central Park for years. Still it festers on the edge of downtown like a scar that won't heal.

Now, about a week from a Hillsborough County Commission vote that could make or break the latest plan to rebuild Central Park, approval looks uncertain.

City of Tampa officials are pushing hard to win approval, but some commissioners say they have serious questions about a Bank of America proposal to redevelop the complex and a request by the city to create a special taxing district to help pay for amenities there and in the immediate area.

Those concerns range from the tall buildings proposed to replace the two-story Central Park Village apartments to the relocation of existing residents.

In short, they say they want more details.

Observers fear the real obstacle could be sour relations between city and county leaders.

"Put aside the partisan bickering,'' said Bob Buckhorn, a former Tampa City Council member who has been watching the machinations. "This should be about improving the lives of the people in Central Park Village, pure and simple.''

The city and county have been here before.

In 2004, a proposal by the private group Civitas to rebuild the 28-acre complex as part of a 156-acre master-planned community collapsed amid complaints from county commissioners that the plan was dumped in their laps just days before a deadline to apply for a federal grant, leaving little time to consider details. Commissioners and Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio also couldn't agree on the terms of the taxing district.

Some commissioners remain bitter that they were blamed for the demise of Civitas when they felt Iorio's take-it-or-leave-it pitch put them in an impossible position. Now they're confronted with a proposal that is less ambitious but which they believe is still flawed.

"It's a smaller plan,'' said Commissioner Tom Scott, who represents the area and has been the board's proxy in discussions with the city about the latest proposal. "Apparently it does not have the impact that the prior plan had. Clearly, I'm concerned.''

Once again, a deadline looms. The city wants to have the taxing district in place by July to capture an extra year's worth of revenue from increased property taxes.

But commissioners say they have too few details about the actual redevelopment plan for Central Park. They take up the issue June 7, a week before they go on a monthlong summer break.

Bank of America proposes building a mixed-income community, with 794 "affordable'' residential rental apartments, 1,236 for-sale condos and shops.

Most controversial, residents would be concentrated in buildings of seven to 26 stories, which some say is a bad model for housing the poor.

Earlier drafts that spread out the housing fell apart when Bank of America's partners couldn't secure the purchase of surrounding land.

Commissioner Ronda Storms is already conjuring images of Cabrini Green, the Chicago high-rise public housing project whose wretchedness was chronicled in studies and documentaries.

"We shouldn't be recreating the mistakes of the past,'' she said.

Most other commissioners are also raising concerns about the concentrating the poor in large buildings.

City and Housing Authority officials say they have done all they can to assuage commissioners.

"We have absolutely brought the county in as partners this time around," Iorio said. "In sharp contrast to the Civitas proposal, which came at them without much warning and without a lot of preparation, there has been two years of preparation for this."

Iorio said she has talked multiple times with Scott and with County Administrator Pat Bean, and sent a letter to commissioners updating them about the effort.

A county staff member served on the panel that helped select the developer for Central Park Village.

City finance director Bonnie Wise and Tampa Housing Authority president Jerome Ryans have scheduled meetings with all the county commissioners. Ryans arranged for a van to pick them up at County Center to take them on a tour of potential future homes for Central Park Village residents.

Commissioners technically don't have a say in the redevelopment plan for Central Park proper. That's the responsibility of the Tampa Housing Authority, which owns the land, and city officials, who oversee zoning rules in Tampa.

But commissioners must approve a plan known as a community redevelopment area, for the 143 acres that includes Central Park and is needed to create a special taxing district. Bank of America says it must have the taxing district to make its Central Park Village plan work.

Iorio wants the county to look at the larger redevelopment proposal on its own merits. The Central Park Village project, which is only one-fifth of the targeted area, shouldn't be part of the equation, she said.

"It's not in its final form. It may undergo a lot of changes," she said.

Some commissioners say that approval of one is tacit support of the other.

"Can you separate the skin from a human and still have the human walk around?'' Storms asked. "How can you?

Under terms of the community redevelopment plan, a portion of all future increases in property taxes collected in and around Central Park would be spent on improvements in the area. That includes some taxes that would normally head to county government coffers. As a compromise, Iorio indicated that after 10 years, she is willing to dedicate only 70 percent of the county's share of the tax money back to the area instead of the 80 percent she originally requested.

The county has approved eight similar taxing districts, which siphon millions of dollars away from county budgets and into neighborhoods to pay for upgrades such as new roads and drainage.

Five have been approved in the last three years with little fanfare.

So why is this one so problematic? City officials aren't sure.

"You have that Civitas history to contend with. Otherwise this is a request for another (redevelopment area)," Iorio said, noting that this is the last one her administration will request. "It's pretty straightforward. It's an area of blight. It needs to be redeveloped and this is a tool for redevelopment."

Whatever happens June 7, the Tampa Housing Authority plans to start moving people out of Central Park Village in July.

If the Bank of America plan doesn't come to fruition, the Housing Authority will resurrect a plan of its own to redevelop the property.

That plan, floated in October 2004, calls for selling about 13 acres of Housing Authority land to a private developer and putting 590 units in four- and five-story buildings on the remaining land. There would not be structured parking or drainage upgrades.

Leroy Moore, chief development officer for the Housing Authority, said that plan doesn't require a taxing district, and therefore no vote of the County Commission.

Supporters of the redevelopment plan now on the table say that would squander an opportunity to do something special at Central Park.

Tampa City Council member Kevin White, who represents Central Park Village and its surroundings, said the neighborhood redevelopment plan is a good one.

The high density of the project doesn't bother him. That's necessary to bring such things as retail and public transportation to the area.

"We all need to get bruised egos out of the way so we can move forward with making the community a much better place," he said.

Central Park plan in danger
Hillsborough commissioners have concerns about the proposal to rebuild the Tampa housing project.
By JANET ZINK and BILL VARIAN
Published May 30, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TAMPA - Construction cranes ring one of the city's most infamous public housing projects, heralding the rebirth taking place all around it, from Ybor City to Channelside to the central business district downtown.

But in Central Park Village, where dreams of a better tomorrow are crushed daily by crime and squalid living conditions, residents can only wonder when their day will come.

Politicians have promised to redevelop Central Park for years. Still it festers on the edge of downtown like a scar that won't heal.

Now, about a week from a Hillsborough County Commission vote that could make or break the latest plan to rebuild Central Park, approval looks uncertain.

City of Tampa officials are pushing hard to win approval, but some commissioners say they have serious questions about a Bank of America proposal to redevelop the complex and a request by the city to create a special taxing district to help pay for amenities there and in the immediate area.

Those concerns range from the tall buildings proposed to replace the two-story Central Park Village apartments to the relocation of existing residents.

In short, they say they want more details.

Observers fear the real obstacle could be sour relations between city and county leaders.

"Put aside the partisan bickering,'' said Bob Buckhorn, a former Tampa City Council member who has been watching the machinations. "This should be about improving the lives of the people in Central Park Village, pure and simple.''

The city and county have been here before.

In 2004, a proposal by the private group Civitas to rebuild the 28-acre complex as part of a 156-acre master-planned community collapsed amid complaints from county commissioners that the plan was dumped in their laps just days before a deadline to apply for a federal grant, leaving little time to consider details. Commissioners and Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio also couldn't agree on the terms of the taxing district.

Some commissioners remain bitter that they were blamed for the demise of Civitas when they felt Iorio's take-it-or-leave-it pitch put them in an impossible position. Now they're confronted with a proposal that is less ambitious but which they believe is still flawed.

"It's a smaller plan,'' said Commissioner Tom Scott, who represents the area and has been the board's proxy in discussions with the city about the latest proposal. "Apparently it does not have the impact that the prior plan had. Clearly, I'm concerned.''

Once again, a deadline looms. The city wants to have the taxing district in place by July to capture an extra year's worth of revenue from increased property taxes.

But commissioners say they have too few details about the actual redevelopment plan for Central Park. They take up the issue June 7, a week before they go on a monthlong summer break.

Bank of America proposes building a mixed-income community, with 794 "affordable'' residential rental apartments, 1,236 for-sale condos and shops.

Most controversial, residents would be concentrated in buildings of seven to 26 stories, which some say is a bad model for housing the poor.

Earlier drafts that spread out the housing fell apart when Bank of America's partners couldn't secure the purchase of surrounding land.

Commissioner Ronda Storms is already conjuring images of Cabrini Green, the Chicago high-rise public housing project whose wretchedness was chronicled in studies and documentaries.

"We shouldn't be recreating the mistakes of the past,'' she said.

Most other commissioners are also raising concerns about the concentrating the poor in large buildings.

City and Housing Authority officials say they have done all they can to assuage commissioners.

"We have absolutely brought the county in as partners this time around," Iorio said. "In sharp contrast to the Civitas proposal, which came at them without much warning and without a lot of preparation, there has been two years of preparation for this."

Iorio said she has talked multiple times with Scott and with County Administrator Pat Bean, and sent a letter to commissioners updating them about the effort.

A county staff member served on the panel that helped select the developer for Central Park Village.

City finance director Bonnie Wise and Tampa Housing Authority president Jerome Ryans have scheduled meetings with all the county commissioners. Ryans arranged for a van to pick them up at County Center to take them on a tour of potential future homes for Central Park Village residents.

Commissioners technically don't have a say in the redevelopment plan for Central Park proper. That's the responsibility of the Tampa Housing Authority, which owns the land, and city officials, who oversee zoning rules in Tampa.

But commissioners must approve a plan known as a community redevelopment area, for the 143 acres that includes Central Park and is needed to create a special taxing district. Bank of America says it must have the taxing district to make its Central Park Village plan work.

Iorio wants the county to look at the larger redevelopment proposal on its own merits. The Central Park Village project, which is only one-fifth of the targeted area, shouldn't be part of the equation, she said.

"It's not in its final form. It may undergo a lot of changes," she said.

Some commissioners say that approval of one is tacit support of the other.

"Can you separate the skin from a human and still have the human walk around?'' Storms asked. "How can you?

Under terms of the community redevelopment plan, a portion of all future increases in property taxes collected in and around Central Park would be spent on improvements in the area. That includes some taxes that would normally head to county government coffers. As a compromise, Iorio indicated that after 10 years, she is willing to dedicate only 70 percent of the county's share of the tax money back to the area instead of the 80 percent she originally requested.

The county has approved eight similar taxing districts, which siphon millions of dollars away from county budgets and into neighborhoods to pay for upgrades such as new roads and drainage.

Five have been approved in the last three years with little fanfare.

So why is this one so problematic? City officials aren't sure.

"You have that Civitas history to contend with. Otherwise this is a request for another (redevelopment area)," Iorio said, noting that this is the last one her administration will request. "It's pretty straightforward. It's an area of blight. It needs to be redeveloped and this is a tool for redevelopment."

Whatever happens June 7, the Tampa Housing Authority plans to start moving people out of Central Park Village in July.

If the Bank of America plan doesn't come to fruition, the Housing Authority will resurrect a plan of its own to redevelop the property.

That plan, floated in October 2004, calls for selling about 13 acres of Housing Authority land to a private developer and putting 590 units in four- and five-story buildings on the remaining land. There would not be structured parking or drainage upgrades.

Leroy Moore, chief development officer for the Housing Authority, said that plan doesn't require a taxing district, and therefore no vote of the County Commission.

Supporters of the redevelopment plan now on the table say that would squander an opportunity to do something special at Central Park.

Tampa City Council member Kevin White, who represents Central Park Village and its surroundings, said the neighborhood redevelopment plan is a good one.

The high density of the project doesn't bother him. That's necessary to bring such things as retail and public transportation to the area.

"We all need to get bruised egos out of the way so we can move forward with making the community a much better place," he said.
MORONS

Okay, this one is going down to the wire which scares me a little.....but we may be winning.

Central Park Backers Woo County Leaders
Skip directly to the full story.
By JOHN W. ALLMAN jallman@tampatrib.com

Published: May 31, 2006


TAMPA - Tampa Housing Authority officials are aggressively lobbying Hillsborough County commissioners as the deadline for a crucial June 7 vote on redevelopment of Central Park Village approaches.

The extra effort may be working.

The commission will decide the fate of Central Park Village when it either designates the 143-acre neighborhood around Central Park as a Community Redevelopment Area or blocks the request as it did two years ago when the Civitas Group pitched a similar proposal.

Housing authority officials and city staff are using property tours, e-mail and phone calls to show the county that this plan includes all the missing ingredients from the flawed Civitas effort in 2004.

Those ingredients include relocation of Central Park's residents, which will begin in July regardless of the CRA vote; redevelopment of the surrounding neighborhood, not just the 28-acre housing authority property; and a possible compromise on how tax revenue from the CRA would be split.

At least four commissioners appeared to support the effort Tuesday.

Commissioners Kathy Castor and Ken Hagan both voted in favor of the Civitas proposal, and each said Tuesday that they appreciate the sustained communication this time from city officials and the housing authority. Commissioner Tom Scott supported the Civitas proposal in 2004 and has been the county's liaison for the new plan.

The Civitas plan was widely criticized for not being discussed thoroughly in advance of the county being asked to approve that CRA.

"This is an area in desperate need of redevelopment," said Castor, who supports the proposed CRA. "It's the front door to downtown and our tourist district. There's no reason for it to remain in deplorable condition."

The new plan is being pitched by Bank of America and A Better Place Group, which includes investors Bill Bishop and Don Wallace.

Bank of America unveiled its concept last week and talked about successful urban projects it helped develop in Orlando and Charlotte, N.C., where it is based. Tampa's housing board toured City View in Orlando on Thursday.

Hagan also said he likely will support the CRA. He said he has yet to review Bank of America's proposal.

It calls for five new buildings with up to 800 mixed-income apartments.

The remaining acreage is proposed for private development for up to six additional buildings offering nonsubsidized housing for sale to retirees, families and young urban professionals. Three of those buildings would be high-rise structures of 23 to 26 floors. The plan also designates space for a THA administration building, which the housing authority would pay to build, plus renovation of St. James Episcopal Church into a black history museum.

Hagan and Commissioner Brian Blair said they have heard the city is willing to compromise on how tax revenue from the CRA will be split, another change from the 2004 proposal. The CRA creates a special taxing district that generates financing to assist with needed infrastructure work such as street and water-sewer system upgrades.

The revenue split is viewed by many as a main reason why the Civitas proposal failed. Blair said Tuesday he understands the city will offer a 70-30 split, which he said he supports.

"That hurdle has been jumped through," he said.

Blair said he wants to know where people living at Central Park will be relocated.

The housing authority had extended an invitation for Blair and other commissioners to tour each of its Tampa properties to see first-hand where Central Park residents may move. One tour was Friday; the other was Tuesday.

Central Park residents will be first in line and have their choice of moving to another housing property or applying for a federal housing voucher.

The relocation is expected to last at least nine months.

No commissioners took the tours, but two city council members, Kevin White and Mary Alvarez, did participate.

Castor and Commissioner Mark Sharpe had agreed to take the tour. Castor said she was out of town Tuesday. Sharpe was in a meeting but sent his aide, Eric Larson.

"I think if ever there was an area designed for a CRA, that's it," Sharpe said Tuesday. "The challenge is with regard to the Bank of America plan."

Sharpe said he is concerned about height and density of low-income residences. The proposed buildings would be seven to nine stories and have more than 100 units each.

Blair said he wants to ensure the development doesn't change after approval, but the county has no say in how the site is redeveloped. Commissioners may approve or reject the proposed CRA.

"I obviously support the concept. I wish they had more of a plan before we go and approve the CRA," Sharpe said. "My goal is to move this project forward."

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBGYCF5VNE.html (http://http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBGYCF5VNE.html)

They ALL deserve a chance to live in a decent area and have access to the same public amentities the rest of us do.

I agreed with everything that you said except this...

Imo, people only deserve what they earn.

It is not a person's birthright to live in a house, and have a family and basic material possessions. If they don't earn the money to afford such a life, then they don't deserve such a life.




Also, notice in today's article about Central Park that the building count is 11, not 13... And that instead of two 26 story highrises, the article states that there will be 3 towers 23-26 floors high.

I am antzy about this project. I want it started tomorrow. I know it won't though. So wait are those salmon apartments the ones being knocked out? The ones on Nuccio?

^No.

Where are they then?

I agreed with everything that you said except this...

Imo, people only deserve what they earn.

It is not a person's birthright to live in a house, and have a family and basic material possessions. If they don't earn the money to afford such a life, then they don't deserve such a life.




Also, notice in today's article about Central Park that the building count is 11, not 13... And that instead of two 26 story highrises, the article states that there will be 3 towers 23-26 floors high.

I agree with you Jason, if you don't earn it you shouldn't have it.

Also, notice in today's article about Central Park that the building count is 11, not 13... And that instead of two 26 story highrises, the article states that there will be 3 towers 23-26 floors high.

Its going to be a very large cluster between Downtown and Ybor. Hopefully it looks nice or all this means is that it'll be a huge eyesore.

Jasonhouse,
With all due respect, I am not saying we need to support anyone. If they are part of the problem (i.e. drug dealers, prostitutes, gang bangers, etc...) move them out and keep them out!
There are people out there that have a genuine need for "help" in getting them by a tough period in their life. It could happen to any of us via a major layoff, bankruptcy, horrible divorce, or serious medical condition...all I am saying is we, as a society and a country for that matter, have a responsibility to each other.
This is a fact and the errors of the past show you can't just cram these people together to live in shit or that's exactly what they will produce, more shit.
Given the opportunity, most will become producing members of society versus the same old, same old drain on the rest of us... but you have to give them a chance to feel worthwhile.
Again, I am not talking about the loosers who have mastered the art of manipulating the system... kick them out and KEEP them out... no one, two, three you're out... mess up once and you loose the opportunity to help yourself.

Its going to be a very large cluster between Downtown and Ybor. Hopefully it looks nice or all this means is that it'll be a huge eyesore.

I thought this project would be eliminating the ones near the Hillsborough River?

Tax payers are tired of being taken advantage of. A helping hand is different than the lifestyle that has been created by these housing projects.

As I am sure most here know, the city of Tampa just spent over $500k to evict a woman who has been living off of the public since the 1980's. Her child was dealing drugs in the housing project. She lived in a 4 bdrm apartment for $25 a month. She paid this $25 out of the electic allowance money she received every month from the government. These people are not using this as a stepping stone to get them through a tough period..... This is their lifestyle and they believe the gov't owes it to them.
Given the opportunity to live for free and these people will choose to live for free. Force them out and remove the handouts and they WILL take care of themselves. For heaven's sake....Florida's unemployment rate is 3% and the Tampa Bay area is even lower.

Of course there are people with real needs but there are plenty of charities and other services that are way more helpful and resourceful/frugal than our gov't. The gov't should not be redistributing wealth. Americans are the most generous people in the world and give more to charities than all the other nations combined. I think we can do better than having the gov't handle this. Just my opinion.

I thought this project would be eliminating the ones near the Hillsborough River?

No i'm 99.9% sure its the ghetto barracks NE of Downtown, between Downtown and Ybor. The Heights is the one destroying the rundown apartments near the river. :)

Jasonhouse,
If they are part of the problem (i.e. drug dealers, prostitutes, gang bangers, etc...) move them out and keep them out!
Again, I am not talking about the loosers who have mastered the art of manipulating the system... kick them out and KEEP them out... no one, two, three you're out... mess up once and you loose the opportunity to help yourself.
The problem comes with identifying the losers and keeping them out. Few in public life are willing to take a stand on this issue, so effectively the losers are able to permanently mix with the people that have legitimate needs and that erodes the quality of the whole project.

Let me point out a few things:
1) the heights is not touching the projects near the river - that is North Boulevard Homes, and there are no firm plans for that
2) it is unacceptable for people to live in shacks or completely crappy housing
3) people are willing to pay subsidies for housing
4) there are now rules that require people to meet decent criteria to get the subsidies - like you can't be a felon
5) what replaced Cabrini Green (just low income housing) was mixed housing -and is generally viewed as successful (we will see what happens later)
6) mixed housing already exists nearby this project and is successful
7) i hope it gets built

5) what replaced Cabrini Green (just low income housing) was mixed housing

Yknow, I was joking about Cabrini Green :cheers:

Anyway, thanks for clearing up the differences between the redevelopment projects. What can I say, there are just too many ghettos to keep straight. :bash: ;)

Yknow, I was joking about Cabrini Green :cheers:

Anyway, thanks for clearing up the differences between the redevelopment projects. What can I say, there are just too many ghettos to keep straight. :bash: ;)
But Rhonda the idiot was not.

Storms,Storms,Storms :runaway:

Central Park Village Plan Survives Last-Minute Frenzy
Skip directly to the full story.
http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2006/jun/0607cen1.jpg
Ronda Storms, on monitor, grilled housing authority President Jerome Ryans about putting low-income residents in high-rises.

By JOHN W. ALLMAN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 8, 2006

TAMPA - They accused. They alleged. They admonished.

And that was during the dull moments Wednesday as some Hillsborough County commissioners attacked a plan to revitalize Central Park Village and its surrounding neighborhood.

A day that was expected to bring relief to one of Tampa's most-blighted neighborhoods instead became a heated fight that ended with a 4-2 commission vote designating 143 acres between downtown and Ybor City as a Community Redevelopment Area.

The vote came with last-minute stipulations that could kill the deal.

The one person many thought would champion the project - Commissioner Tom Scott - played the role of spoiler, attacking his commission colleagues and city peers alike and making demands that caught city officials cold.

The meeting ended with a flurry and confusion as staff and even commissioners wondered aloud what exactly had been decided.

Now it comes back to the city council, whose members also serve as the CRA board. They meet this morning to sift through the politics and decide what they are willing to accept.

Scott's proposed changes include giving the county more voice than it has ever had in city-controlled CRAs. A CRA creates a special taxing district that generates financing for infrastructure in a designated area.

If the city vetoes the county's agreement, a proposed redevelopment of the 28-acre Central Park Village housing property site will risk missing a June 30 deadline.

If the city agrees, it will in essence give up partial control of not only this CRA but also the other eight redevelopment areas, allowing two county commissioners to join the CRA board with voting authority over how each is developed.

A new state law takes effect in July allowing commissioners to serve on CRA boards. They previously were blocked from doing so.

The county also wants to hand-pick two citizens to sit on an advisory panel to be appointed to oversee the Central Park CRA.

"This proposal hasn't been thought out," City Attorney David Smith said after the meeting. "I'm not even sure how to explain this. Many of the provisions make no sense. Many are contradictory."

Smith said he doubts the city can accept the deal. Essentially, the city would have to redo its existing CRAs and possibly abolish and reappoint the existing CRA advisory councils. He argued Wednesday that the county was trying to change the rules after approving previous CRA designations.

The city did try to compromise. It countered by offering to place one county commissioner on the Central Park advisory panel and to hold an annual workshop between the city and county to discuss the Central Park CRA and also to allow county input into that CRA's strategic plan.

Mayor Pam Iorio also agreed to a more generous allocation of tax revenue, offering a 70-30 split, which the county accepted.

Two years ago, the tax revenue was viewed as a major reason another effort to revitalize Central Park Village failed. That deal was presented by the Civitas Group, and it was killed by the county because of confusion about the plan and Iorio's refusal to budge over an 80-20 split in the city's favor.

Scott was expected to play a key role Wednesday, but from the outset his tone and words caught many off guard. He blasted the proposed CRA as being a way for the main developer, Bank of America, and the Tampa Housing Authority to profit off poor black people. He accused the city of not involving the county in the process and excluding minorities.

He presented a two-page list of criticisms and a two-page list of demands that he said must be met for him to vote in favor of the CRA.

He verbally attacked another commissioner, Mark Sharpe, whom Scott could face this fall for a countywide seat. Scott is being forced out of his District 3 seat by term limits. He initially indicated he might campaign for city council before deciding last week to challenge Sharpe.

At times during the meeting Sharpe looked dumbfounded.

"This should have been done several months ago," he said of Scott's last-minute changes, which drew applause from proponents. "The last time it was a last-minute deal, but it came from the other side, and the whole thing fell apart."

Scott came right back at Sharpe, accusing him of using "terminology" after Sharpe suggested the commission risked "blowing up" the deal.

"It's about what's best for the people of Central Park Village," Scott said, then shouted at the audience, "Clap for that!"

The hours-long meeting was enough to bring Jerome Ryans, housing authority president, to tears as he pleaded for them to approve the deal. He talked about his past, growing up in public housing. He had to stop twice to compose himself.

"Central Park is dilapidated, obsolete housing," he said. "It makes no sense for people to live like that."

Commissioner Ronda Storms challenged Ryans about the proposed redevelopment, asking whether low-income residents were going to be placed in high-rise towers.

Bank of America is proposing to build five buildings of seven to nine stories, each building with up to 800 mixed-income apartments, of which up to 667 would be considered affordable. The plan also calls for several additional condominium projects, which would be built by private developers.

"My initial reaction was kind of shock and surprise," Councilman John Dingfelder said late Wednesday night, "but the more I thought about it, I'm open-minded to it."

If what the county is asking is legally possible, Dingfelder said, "then we should give it serious consideration.

"I think there's too much at stake not to."

http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGBHJDPK6OE.html (http://http://www.tbo.com/news/nationworld/MGBHJDPK6OE.html)

County wants say in project
Hillsborough commissioners say they'll create a taxing district for Central Park, but they want to know how the money is spent.
By BILL VARIAN, Times Staff Writer
Published June 8, 2006

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
TAMPA - Hillsborough County commissioners agreed to create a special taxing district to help remake the blighted Central Park Village public housing area near downtown Wednesday - but only if they're given some say-so in how the money is spent.
Commissioners want two seats on the board that would govern that specially designated redevelopment area and eight others that already have been created by the city of Tampa. And they want to be able to appoint two more to a citizen advisory board that will weigh in on decisions related to redevelopment in and around Central Park.

They also are pushing for a half-dozen other measures to ensure that the working poor and minorities can land jobs and buy homes in the area.

"I have a major problem with what has been handed to us here today,'' said Commissioner Tom Scott, who pitched those measures and others in response to the city's request for county support. "We asked the city for a real partnership and accountability. It seems like they don't want that.''

The board voted 4-2, with Commissioners Mark Sharpe and Kathy Castor, two of the strongest backers on the board for creating the district, opposing the approach.

City Attorney David Smith told commissioners he thinks those demands will be deal breakers when presented to the Tampa City Council today. While saying he's not even clear what the commissioners are seeking, he characterized it as a last-minute maneuver that leverages Central Park residents in an effort to score political points.

However, City Council members reached Wednesday night said they are at least willing to explore the proposal if the law allows it. Currently, they are the only representatives on the body that governs the city's special taxing districts - known as the Community Redevelopment Agency - even though much of its money comes from tax dollars that residents in those districts pay to the county.

But a recent change to state law would let county commissioners serve on CRAs after July 1.

"There's county money in the deal. Why shouldn't they have a seat at the table?" council member Shawn Harrison said. "Any opportunity we as a city have to sit down and work cooperatively with the county, we should take."

The city is seeking to create a so-called community redevelopment area and special taxing district for the 143 acres adjacent to downtown that includes the 28-acre Central Park complex. A portion of all future increases in property taxes collected in the neighborhood, including county taxes, would be dedicated to things like new roads and drainpipes in that immediate area for the next 30 years.

Times staff writer Janet Zink contributed to this report.

Stroms needs to use some logic. This will not be Cabrini Green! How is placing 800 upper class residents in a residential tower any different than 600 low-income residents in a residential tower? The Cabrini Green project was shotty quality and lacked amenities. Additionally it wasn't mixed use or mixed income. What does Storms care about poor people anyway? Isn't she the one who wants to cut bus service to the working poor as well as cut funding for the county sponsored health care program?

If managed well the towers will be great places to live and a great environment for low-income residents.

What does Storms care about poor people anyway? Isn't she the one who wants to cut bus service to the working poor as well as cut funding for the county sponsored health care program?

Damn those details, Tampa610. :laugh:

We're not supposed to look at her pathetic record. We're supposed to concentrate on her pro-family rhetoric. :crazy2:

I swear to God, the "leadership" we Hillsborough residents are stuck with is absolutely shameful... It's no wonder the county commisioners people ran for public office... Because they were probably too full of shit to make it in the private sector... Especially Rhonda Storms, who is a toxic waste of human life.

Council Delays Vote On Central Park Village Plan
Posted June 08, 2006 at 11:08 AM

BY JOHN W. ALLMAN
The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA - Any vote on an effort to revitalize Central Park Village and its surrounding neighborhood won’t happen until next week, allowing Tampa city officials time to thoroughly examine a new deal being proposed by Hillsborough County commissioners.

The Tampa City Council, acting in its capacity as the city’s Community Redevelopment Agency, voted unanimously this morning to postpone discussion of a proposed redevelopment plan for 143 acres between downtown and Ybor City, including the blighted Central Park public housing property, until June 15.

David Smith, city attorney, said the extra time was needed to review a 4-2 vote Wednesday by the county commission that approved the CRA designation with two controversial addendums. Commissioner Tom Scott demanded that the county be allowed to claim two seats on the Community Redevelopment Agency, per a new state law that takes effect in July. He also wants the city to allow the county to pick two citizens to sit on a Central Park advisory panel. The city, which has eight existing CRAs, historically appoints a community panel to oversee each one’s progress.

Scott’s demands, which took many city and county staff by surprise, led to the split vote. Commissioners Mark Sharpe and Kathy Castor, who both said they support revitalizing Central Park Village and its surrounding area, voted against Scott’s motion because of its late arrival and a number of questions surrounding the legality of what Scott wanted.

The CRA designation is critical to prolonged efforts by the Tampa Housing Authority to replace the aging 28-acre Central Park Village with a new mixed-income housing community. Bank of America and other private investors have pitched a plan to redevelop the site, but the deal hinges on revenue generated by a special taxing district that only is created if the CRA is approved. The tax revenue would allow for necessary infrastructure repairs such as road and water/sewer system repairs.

http://tboblogs.com/index.php/newswire/comments/council_delays_vote_on_central_park_village_plan/

Ugh. So, the question is... who is worse? The county commission or the city council? It's a toss up... ;P

County. I think the mayor is more of a problem in Tampa. She is out of the "network" so to say and does not come accross as diplomatic. A sort of G W Bush in a skirt.

^I wouldn't dare compare Iorio to Bush... Are you kidding me?

The City Council isn't exactly with it, but they're a damn sight better than the County Commision... I think of it like this, If everything in the county/city was controlled by the City Council, life might possibly improve... If the county commision totally ran the show, I would move ASAP.

^I wouldn't dare compare Iorio to Bush... Are you kidding me?

The City Council isn't exactly with it, but they're a damn sight better than the County Commision... I think of it like this, If everything in the county/city was controlled by the City Council, life might possibly improve... If the county commision totally ran the show, I would move ASAP.

:rofl:

Save some room on the truck for my stuff, Jason!!!

I think the real question now is, what does the city do?
If Tom Scott's proposal turns out to be illegal until 1 July, do they sit and wait until 1 July? If they do, what happens to the project in the interim? What will the developer decide to do?

Scott has done something very... actually, I thought it was politically astute for a while, but now i'm not so sure. He's running for a seat on the city council. Is this his way of guaranteeing himself a seat at the table before the election so he can campaign on it? I believe--and someone please correct me if I'm wrong--that his current commission seat, and the council seat he's running for, both include the Central Park area, so it's not like he's putting his fingers someplace they don't belong.

On the other hand, he's also being rather foolish, because by asking to have county representation on the CRA he's creating further problems for other CRAs down the road, CRAs that he likely won't have any special interest in. So he's poisoning the well for no real reason, in other words--no real reason apart from seeming to be interested in the poor people in Central Park.

The city's in a tight spot now, too. If the lawyers say they can approve Scott's proposal, they basically have to. Not doing so would result in the county not releasing the money and killing the project, and it would allow the county--Scott in particular--to claim the city killed the project. And if the project is killed, no matter what weapon is used, I think we can all assume no developer will look at Central Park again for at least a decade. Tom Scott knows that and that's what he's banking on.

In my opinion this makes Tom Scott El Supremo Jackass Numero Uno, besting even Ronda Storms in this latest round of competition for the title. If the proposal ends up going down because of his little attempted power grab, I hope to God the voters in his district (myself included) fire his ass. I'm sure it won't happen, but if he kills Central Park there really should be repercussions.

Actually Scott is running for County Commission again, but this time against Mark Sharpe. Scott decided he wanted to remain on the Commission so is looking to run for the Countywide seat. He announced these plans and filled the paper work a couple weeks ago.

Really? Well now that makes a little more sense in an unpleasant sort of way. This means he's running for an at-large seat, then, yes? So we can ALL vote against him?

That is correct. His is running for an at large seat. Countywide. We can all vote for hime or against him.

Where does he stand as far as development and the regular people?

Council OKs Central Park Plan :applause:
By JOHN W. ALLMAN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 16, 2006

TAMPA - City and county officials struck a conciliatory tone Thursday, acknowledging a difference in opinion but pledging to try to bring relief to one of Tampa's most blighted neighborhoods.

Even as Tampa City Council members unanimously denied a request by Hillsborough County to secure two seats on the city's Community Redevelopment Agency, they approved a redevelopment designation for 143 acres between downtown and Ybor City that includes the deteriorating Central Park Village public housing complex.

The vote, while striking down two of county Commissioner Tom Scott's stipulations, offered hope for residents who have waited two years for a new plan to be approved.

And it appeared to placate county officials, who were told their request to join the CRA board, which oversees each of the city's eight existing redevelopment areas, could be reconsidered later.

"Today, it should be totally about the best interest of the people of Central Park," City Councilman Kevin White said. "I don't think one disagreement should stop progress of a people or particular area."

Now the issue returns to the county June 21 for a final decision.

If approved next week, a flurry of activity is expected. Bank of America would begin working with the Tampa Housing Authority on a plan to redevelop the 28-acre Central Park site, combining low-income housing with upscale market-rate condominiums, retail shopping and commercial business space.

Housing officials have spent months prepping the 1,300-plus housing residents at Central Park to move out starting July 10. The relocation is expected to last up to a year.

Scott, who had asked for the two county CRA seats, kept quiet throughout Thursday's meeting.

Afterward, he expressed no regret at forcing the discussion. He said the city had accepted most of his recommendations.

"I hope for the best at our next meeting," he said.

This the second attempt in two years to redevelop the area between downtown Tampa and Ybor City. An effort by the Civitas Group failed in 2004 after being denied by the county.

City Attorney David Smith, who delivered an 11-page opinion late Wednesday as to why the city should not consider changing its CRA board, told the council it could revisit the request in July.

That's when a new state law, which has yet to be signed, is expected to take effect. The law would allow, for the first time, county officials to hold dual office, serving on both the commission and the CRA board.

Smith cautioned the council that taking any action before the law was enacted would be too great a risk. If the law was found to be unconstitutional, as Smith said he believes it could be, the county would assume control of the city's interest. "We want to work with the county," he said, "not for the county."

County Attorney Renee Lee disagreed, saying the county only wanted a voice, and not to undermine the city's redevelopment authority.

"This law is not illegal," she said. "It's the same law that allows you to sit as the city council and CRA board."

Smith also suggested that the county, by demanding a seat at the CRA table, was violating a 2003 agreement between the two governments that gives sole discretion over redevelopment areas to the city.

County Administrator Pat Bean said the city needs to hold up its end of the deal as well. She said the city had failed to meet a condition of the agreement by not providing annual reports on both the progress of each redevelopment area, and an explanation of how tax-increment financing has been spent. She alleged that the city might be withholding tax-increment financing funds from the county.

With a CRA designation, a special taxing district is created. The revenue generated by the district is split by the two governments and can be used to make community repairs.

White said he will ask staff to make sure the agreement is being followed and that the county is receiving the right information.

Contact John W. Allman at jallman@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7915.

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBGN5D0IOE.html

It is about time. Are they still going to have the apartments vacated by July?

Now all we need is to somehow get rid of the even uglier pink apartments next door. Those are not part of Central Park so I don't see how that is going to clean up the area.

It will make it a little bit better.

Now all we need is to somehow get rid of the even uglier pink apartments next door. Those are not part of Central Park so I don't see how that is going to clean up the area.


Those apartments aren't selling supposidly so they can cash in later, which pretty much sucks for everyone especially the central park developers. :runaway:

Central Park Exhales
Skip directly to the full story.
By JOHN W. ALLMAN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 22, 2006

TAMPA - After years of false starts, dashed hopes and well-earned skepticism, residents of Central Park Village and its surrounding neighborhood can breathe easier.

Change is coming, spurred by a unanimous vote Wednesday by the Hillsborough County Commission to approve a 143-acre redevelopment area between downtown Tampa and Ybor City that includes the deteriorating public housing complex.

"It was a big hurdle we got over," said Jerome Ryans, Tampa Housing Authority president, minutes after the vote. "Now people can quit speculating and get something done."

The housing authority next will meet with Bank of America to vote on a partnership agreement. Bank of America has proposed building a mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood on the 28-acre Central Park Village site, incorporating low-income apartments with market-rate housing, retail and commercial office space.

The bank also wants to refurbish Perry Harvey Park and convert a neighborhood church to a black history museum.

Housing authority officials had been moving forward with plans to relocate more than 1,300 Central Park residents, even before the county's decision. The move will begin July 10 and is expected to take up to a year.

The partnership agreement could be discussed Tuesday at the housing authority's board meeting.

"It's been very challenging," said Roxanne Amoroso, Bank of America's vice president of Community Development Banking. "This is such a significant opportunity for the residents."

Wednesday's vote wasn't without drama - or controversy.

The commission also approved a motion to seek a court opinion on what has become a sticking point for not only Central Park, but also the other eight redevelopment areas in Tampa.

At issue is whether a new state law allows county officials to sit on the city's Community Redevelopment Agency board.

That question likely won't be resolved for six months to a year, said David Smith, city attorney. The county and city jointly will ask a Hillsborough County circuit court judge to clarify House Bill 1583. If signed by Gov. Jeb Bush, the law will take effect July 1.

The ruling, however, would not force the city to comply.

The outcome of Wednesday's vote never was certain. The city's request for the Central Park redevelopment area, which also had to be approved by the county, was expected to pass June 7.

Commissioner Tom Scott, however, surprised his colleagues and others by demanding that 11 stipulations, including two county seats on the city CRA board, be met in order to secure his vote.

Scott's demands brought about a flurry of legal activity between the two governments. Each side reached a different conclusion. The city council last week voted not to change the makeup of the CRA board, casting the issue back into the county's lap.

The back and forth kept both sides on edge. The county commission had killed an earlier attempt to redevelop Central Park, voting down a 2004 proposal by the Civitas Group.

Scott, whose district includes the redevelopment area, once again took center stage Wednesday. He asked a number of questions that caused housing, city and bank officials to shift uncomfortably in their seats. It was unclear how he would vote until he made a motion to approve the deal.

"My passion for my constituents and my district was viewed as hostile and intimidating," he said. "I make no apologies today for how I represent my constituents."

Commissioner Brian Blair brought up a volatile issue. He suggested that the city has knowingly withheld tax revenue from the county from other redevelopment areas.

Each redevelopment area creates a special taxing district whose revenue is split between the two governments.

Much of it goes back into the community to fund infrastructure repairs, but leftover money can be returned to the respective governments each year.

Eric Johnson, county budget director, said as much as $1 million may have been withheld. He threatened to seek an auditor general's opinion if the city refused to provide information clarifying how the money had been used.

Smith said the city would answer any questions.

Contact John W. Allman at jallman@tampatrib.com or at (813) 259-7915.


http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBV0K5LQOE.html

I hope this one looks nice. It'll be more out in the open then any other tower in Tampa so its going to have to look attractive. Hopefully it will begin more development in that rundown Northeastern Downtown. Does anyone know the # of towers and # of floors?

^It's supposed to be something like two 23 story towers and a 26 story tower... And all of the tall stuff is market rate condos, which means that hopefully they won't look like shit and should be well maintained.

I think there is a total of 7(?) buildings, do not quote me. Three skyscrapers and four midrise building.

IF you go to this site

http://media.tbo.com/photos/tbo/2006/centralpark/index.htm

there is a macromedia flash presentation. THe last two frames are (rather simple) renderings of the proposal. I cannot rip them from the flash, though I know some of you can and then post them. Godspeed.

Ok, so I just thought of a way to do it. Ta da . . .
http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h291/smileyphoto/8fbd5019.jpg

Looks pretty cool. Good find Smiley. The other rendering is the church-to-be-museum.

Looks pretty cool. Good find Smiley. The other rendering is the church-to-be-museum.
I aree - looks quite a bit better tha I expected. Now if only they could've gotten that other housing project to sell, this area would have been amazing! I hope they do in the near future - that thing is an eyesore...

Anyway, Tampa is really coming together. I think this development is key in connecting the different areas of "downtown" (CBD, Channelside, Ybor) and combining them into something really special.

Ok, so they said (can't rememberwhere) that the towers will be by private developers and BoA will do the 7-10 story mixed housing. So assume the towers do not get built for a while. I can still stomach some nice midrise urban housing with nice streets. Should be ok - better than what is there now, for sure.

That is a definite. I am not sure about the timetable, but aren't they still looking to move people out in July?

That is a definite. I am not sure about the timetable, but aren't they still looking to move people out in July?

Ya they're moving people in July and they said it would take about a year. I don't think they'vr released any real dates on actual construction yet.

Heights Plan Adds Affordable Housing
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By ELLEN GEDALIUS The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 26, 2006

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TAMPA - When city council members approved the Heights project last week, they blessed a plan that would increase the affordable housing stock in Tampa substantially.

In fact, The Heights is perhaps the biggest project with an affordable housing component in city history.

"It's a beginning," said Cyndy Miller, the city's director of the Business and Housing Development department. "This is an opportunity where you will really see positive impact. It's not one or two scattered units. It's 190 to 270 units."

The Heights is a 48-acre project in Tampa Heights that will include 1,900 condo units and town houses. The project also includes 100,000 square feet of retail space; 100 boat slips; and 160,000 square feet of office space.

Part of the deal: 190 - or 10 percent - of the housing units must be labeled affordable if they are built on-site. If the developer, Better Place Group, chooses to build the affordable units off-site, then 270 - or 15 percent - must be built.

Half of the units must be affordable to families of four with incomes between $65,280 and $76,160. The other half must be affordable to families of four with incomes less than $65,280.

Housing is considered affordable if people spend no more than 30 percent of their income on shelter.

The cost of the homes hasn't been set, but market-rate units will be priced between $300,000 and $1 million.

Hillsborough County and the city of Tampa are facing an affordable housing crisis, with some of the poorest people spending more than half of their incomes on housing. Median home prices have risen more than 70 percent in the past few years, but salaries have crept up only about 10 percent.

City and county officials are working on developing more incentives for developers to provide affordable housing in their projects. In this case, A Better Place Group offered to do it.

A Better Place Group is required by its development agreement with the city to build the affordable units along with market-rate units. That way, the developers can't back out at the end and say they are out of money, Miller said.

Developer Bill Bishop is thrilled to do it. He said he initially proposed including lower-cost units when his company and the city began talks in 2002.

"We've got an affordable housing crisis in general," Bishop said. "Mature communities have always worked better when there's a variety of people and a variety of income levels in that community."

Bishop hasn't decided whether to build the units on- or off-site. He said he might do a combination of both.

Building off-site, he said, has its advantages. People living within the development itself likely will be hit with condo association fees and other assessments. Some of those charges could be avoided if the affordable units are developed off-site.

Building affordable units off-site generally is somewhat controversial because it appears developers don't want to put poorer people in their higher-scale projects.

That's not the case here, Bishop and Miller said, because the developer will be required to build the units close to The Heights. If Bishop chooses the off-site option, the homes must be built east of North Boulevard, west of Nebraska Avenue, south of Columbus Drive and north of Interstate 275.

When council members approved the project Thursday night, several spoke enthusiastically about the affordable housing element.

"The affordable housing component is to be commended," Councilman Kevin White said. The project is in his district.

In an interview the day after the meeting, White said The Heights project could become a model for future developments.

"Other developers should look at this project," White said.

A final vote on the project is scheduled for July 13.

Contact Ellen Gedalius at egedalius@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7679.
http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBBWP1BWOE.html

Thanks for the article smiley. I can not wait to see if it is built. I think that I would like to find out what exactly the pricing is for the units. Are there such figures?

Thought I'd put this info in this sinking thread. The two-story building at Nebraska and Zack is sold (supposedly). Don't know who bought it though. I'm thinking with Central Park being razed, maybe somebody took interest in the building. I hope the building is salvaged. If I'm not mistaken, I think it may have been the slum apartment in the "Punisher". It sure looks like it.

Malave’s new house is a beige, one-story home on a quiet street in north Tampa.

There are three bedrooms, carpeted floors and central air conditioning, a welcome change from the one wall unit she relied on to cool her Central Park Village apartment.

In Central Park, Malave used to brace the front door with a kitchen chair for an extra layer of protection. The new neighborhood is quiet, she says, so she’s not expecting to have to do that anymore.

As the movers fill the house with her belongings, Malave says she is happy to be home.

“When I looked inside, I thought this is what I have needed,” she says.


It took about 90 minutes for the movers to clean out Malave’s apartment.

With the truck packed, Malave looks around the apartment one last time, gathers a few odds and ends, and locks the door.

She might come back to visit, she says, but she’s looking forward to starting over somewhere else.

“I’m not sad,” she said. “I’m glad. I’ve got my kids, and I’m going to a house.”


A handful of employees from the Tampa Housing Authority have also shown up to check on Malave’s progress.

Communications director Lillian Stringer knows what many of the Central Park Village residents go through living in public housing. She grew up in College Hill, and went on get a college degree from the University of Maryland.


In her 17 years with the housing authority, Stringer has seen Central Park go from an area where residents held competitions for the nicest yard, to a neighborhood where many yards don’t even have grass.


Stringer knows the transition will be hard for some residents, especially those who have spent years in Central Park, but she said the move is going to be positive for everyone.

“There has got to be a better place than Central Park Village,” she said.


As Malave’s move continues, the neighbors are gathering to find out what’s going on.

Zuleika Soto lives next door, and is sad to see her neighbor go.

“She’s been my only friend since I got her,” said Soto, who has lived in Central Park for eight months.

Soto, who lives with her 10- and 5-year-old daughters, has filled on her Section 8 paperwork and is waiting for the Tampa Housing Authority to come inspect her apartment.

She has gone on a few housing tours run by the housing authority, and knows what she wants – a small house, with a bedroom for each of her girls.

“I don’t want to go to the projects again,” she said.

She has lived in her two-story Central Park Village apartment for two years, and is now ready to move out.


Malave has lived right across the street from the complex’s main office, a location that has kept her safe from much of the neighborhood’s violence and drug activity.

Still, it’s hard to avoid the crime altogether, so Malave keeps to herself.

“I just stay inside with my kids,” she said.

Her three children, including a 5-year-old disabled daughter, are the reason Malave wanted to leave so soon. It’s always hard to start over, but Malave said she wants to move into a safer neighborhood so her children can have a better life.

After a quick walk-through of her apartment, Malave sends the movers in.


The movers from Williams Moving Service have been outside Maribel Malave’s apartment since about 8 a.m.

Malave, the first Central Park Village resident to relocate, is dropping off some personal belongings at her new, single-family home on Sewaha Street.

This is a big day, not only for Malave, but also her case manager, Rosa Hill.

“To see her go, I know that she is happy,” Hill said. “That makes us feel like we’re doing our job.”

Hill has been working with Malave to find a new house with a yard where her children can play, and good schools they can attend. Watching the first resident move, Hill said, might be the impetus other residents need to started with their relocation.

“They’ve been waiting so long for this,” she said.


After 52 years, Tampa’s Central Park Village housing project is being torn down. In its place will be a 143-acre redevelopment district designed to bring mixed-income residents to the area. Before that plan can get underway, more than 1,300 Central Park residents must move.


The first resident, Maribel Malave, moves out today. Tampa Tribune reporter Julie Pace and photographer Crystal Lauderdale follow Malave as she moves out of her India Street apartment and into a single-family home.

http://tboblogs.com/index.php/newswire/comments/last_day_at_central_park_village/

It was...

Ok, so does this mean that all of the residents are going to be moving out?

^nah... they're going to stay throughout the demolition and redevelopment process. :nuts:

(isn't it beyond obvious that people would have to move out before the buildings they live in can be torn down and rebuilt?)

Sorry I did not do a full post I meant to say that the residents will be moving out soon.

Tommy at Sticks of Fire has provided an update on the Central Park Revitialization project. If you're interested, go check it out at www.sticksoffire.com :)

Here's are two of several artistic renderings created by Kollman and Karsky:

http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkC.jpg

http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkEsm.jpg

They've even included two videos for your viewing pleasure.

b.t.w. I had no idea that Ray Charles made his first recording locally. How cool is that? :bow:

absolutely beautiful! I just wish that they would have centralized the plan and make more tall buildings. I can't however complain either way because I am looking forward to having something there rather than what is there now.

There are going to be some 20 stories at the CPD..

yeah three of them...stcksoffire.com said that most of them are going to be like 5-7 stories, but a couple could be like up to 28 stories.

It's a beautiful project taking up a lot of land in a blighted area. My only wish would be the 5-7 story stuff would look more New York/classic like, but that's big time wishful thinking. BTW this is the kind of project that would go good in place of ConArga.

meh... Not all that impressive imo... I would like to see two things, which are dependent upon one another... more hieght and more centralized green space.

See several more renders at the bottom of this page...

http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkG.jpg



As I said, I just don't like the amount of green space, relative to the mass of buildings, nor do I like its location or orientation... The park is shoved off to the side, on the egde of the redevelopment area, serving to basically segregate the Central Park area from the north end of DT (which we know in time will really fill in)... The park should be CENTRAL to the theme of the entire district, not serve as an afterthought, shoved off to the side, where it can languish under the spell of crack dealers and the homeless for years to come (where is the "central" part of this park arrangement?)... Additionally, the long, slender nature of the park is a poor solution when it comes to utilizing the park as a public gathering space, which should always be a primary concern for any DT public space... DT Tampa has no large public space (like St Pete for instance), and this is possibly our LAST chance to create one...

Lastly, with the park located like this, it does NO GOOD to those portions of the development district to the north and east of this parcel... It's almost as if the developers have done this as a calculated means of ensuring that only thier parcels receive much valuation and desireability benefit from proximity to the park... It is a SHIT PLAN, and I pray to God the city comes to its senses before it is too late to do something about it.

I like it looks really nice, only thing i dont like is the park location i think they should move the park to the bottom two center buildings location then it would be truly "central"
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkG.jpg

Is there any news on this project like when construction will begin, any estimates?

IMO, the park portion should be on the NE portion of this phase of redevelopment, so that when additional portions of the district are redeveloped, more land can be added to the park from those phases... That way, the park will remain central to the district, and will thus have the best chance of impacting everyone living in the district, not just the select few who happen to live adjacent to it.

I fail to see the point in spoon feeding this stuff. So here are all the renderings
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkD.jpg
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkA.jpg
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkB.jpg
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkE.jpg
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkC.jpg
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkF.jpg
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkG.jpg
http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkI.jpg

BY the way, that park appears to be the Perry Harvey Park, which would be fine if there were things on both sides of it, that is what makes a good park

Things won't be on both sides, because much of the land is along the approach to I-4/I-275... That's why the location sucks so much for a park.

If that's the existing park you mention (duh! sure looks like it now that you mention it), then get rid of that park as part of the project too, and put the park in the right place from the start. It's city land, and this is obstensibly a city project... GET IT RIGHT FROM THE START FOR ONCE!

Very True!

One thing I must say, I like the urban life it has to it. I hope what I see in the rendering will look like when it is all done. I would mind walking throught the whole thing and just sight-seeing. This project will look great standing in it.

I don't reallt care about the park. Okay, it might fit better with it being somewhere else, but where it stands right now, it doesn't really bother me. And remember, this is only a render. Its not like it has already been built. Things can always change.

I just want to know what the building on the lower left of the seciond to last picture is. Any clue?

^That's the problem, this is very near the end of the schematic phase, with future changes being to the details, not to the plan itself...

Any chance that other development can come later on the other side of the park? I'm not familiar with the area up there so that is why I am asking? I'm going to research some on how Central Park formed

Big plans and reality at housing complex
By SUSAN THURSTON, City Times Editor
Published October 20, 2006


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
The plans alone are pretty spectacular. Pedestrian plazas with lots of trees, cafes and tributes to a music legend. Low-rise buildings with rooftop pools and concealed parking. Shining skyscrapers with stunning views of downtown.
Then consider that all this revolves around Central Park Village, a blighted public housing complex on the northeast edge of downtown.

Work on the transformation began a few years ago but hit high gear this summer when the Tampa Housing Authority started relocating residents. Demolition is expected to start late next year.

Key players, including Roxanne Amoroso of Bank of America, which is putting together the project, spoke about the plans Tuesday during a Tampa Downtown Partnership event.

The 28-acre project centers on combining 1,200 for-sale condominiums with about 800 mixed-income rental units. The condos would be in four buildings seven to 28 stories tall. The rentals would be in five buildings seven to nine stories tall.

Retail and office space for the Tampa Housing Authority would round out the project.

The condos would sell for market rate. The rentals would range in price, depending on a tenant's income. Some people on government assistance would live there for free.

The concept is admirable. Create a community that embraces diversity and the area's rich history. The neighborhood historically was a hub for black businesses. Performer Ray Charles supposedly made his first recording there.

Time will tell whether the project comes to fruition as envisioned. I wish developers well. I expect it won't be easy.

Unlike the Channel District or even downtown, Central Park has an awful reputation that will be tough to shake. Sure, you can tear down a bunch of ratty buildings and redo everything from scratch.

But what about the stuff around it? And will young professional couples want to buy next to gussied-up public housing?

Developers say the market-rate condos will be affordable, citing examples such as SkyPoint and other residential projects going up downtown. Expect units possibly in the $200,000s, although no one is committing to prices quite yet and I suspect that's a low estimate.

That might not be enough incentive. For $300,000 people can get a house behind a big gate in the burbs. They also can get a very nice place in more established urban enclaves such as Tampa Heights and Seminole Heights.

And you can get a Domino's pizza delivered to your front door. Not so in Central Park.

A trip through Central Park underscores the enormity of the undertaking. In-your-face trash bins, dirt where grass once grew, junky cars.

Bank of America officials estimate the project will cost $750-million, which will come from a variety of sources, including future gains in property taxes generated on the site.

That's a wild amount of money, even if the investment ends up resurrecting the neighborhood and closing the development gap between downtown and Ybor City. Consider this: Buying a $300,000 home for every family in the nearly 500-unit housing project would cost about $150-million.

Of course, that wouldn't solve the bigger issue of transforming the area. But it certainly would be a lot cheaper.

The Last Drop: Plans for Central Park Village are far from final. Developers welcome public input. The next chance is Thursday, when the City Council is scheduled to vote on whether to zone the site as a planned development. The meeting starts at 5 p.m. at City Hall.

So, if you all want to go to the City Council and then voice your opinions about this project and the lack of actual emphasis on the PARK in the Central Park Village then this would be your opportunity. I did not know that this park would be focusing on Ray Charles. That is kind of cool. Maybe with this park focusing on him it will bring more artists and musicians downtown. I know I would go and play music there just to add some life to the area.

Late next year? WYF! Why so long?

So lets see, we have this on Thursday aswell as 3-4 projects going up for approval. Sweet! :dj:

Thursday is just for zoning for the district as a planned district. What else is going before the council on thursday?

Thursday is just for zoning for the district as a planned district. What else is going before the council on thursday?

Look at the Channelside thread. I think it's Navio, Novare, and Finergy.

I was watching one of our news channels last night,(can't remember which) and they had a story on the Central Park Plan. More specifically, though, the proposed tearing up of the historic skating park/bowl. They said it was one of the oldest in the country and one of the last originals. Some skaters, and historians were putting up a fuss about it. I'm no skater, but if it's in Tampa and its historic we should keep it. Plus I could see it as an asset to the entire plan. :dunno:

That skate park is in one of Tony Hawk's video games.

I say we try to keep it, because they are tearing all of Tampa's past down to make way for a prefab future that give cities of today a new world charm, without the old city glamour.

This is probably why more of our imput needs to go out to the city council. We need more than NIMBY's always arriving to the council meetings and putting in their BS imput. I'm totally out of this. I don't believe they would listen to a 16 y/o and I barely have time to travel from NPR to Tampa for a month.

A Few Highlights of the Tampa City Council Meeting concerning Central Park Village (It went on forever!):

The condos are the taller building (up to 28 floors) and will be 10% (I think) “affordable”. The mixed income rental housing is made up of the “midrise” buildings. (A larger percentage of these mixed income rentals will be affordable than the condos.) The “two small white” buildings in the north most western area of the site is a Middle School.

City Council didn’t like the larger buildings. They used statements such as “they [the big buildings] segregate themselves from the rest of the development” and “they would intimidate the rest of the community”.

No mention concerning non-centralized location of the park. But they presenters emphasized the town center area – a very wide “park like” central street and pedestrian area.

A Few Highlights of the Tampa City Council Meeting concerning Central Park Village (It went on forever!):

The condos are the taller building (up to 28 floors) and will be 10% (I think) “affordable”. The mixed income rental housing is made up of the “midrise” buildings. (A larger percentage of these mixed income rentals will be affordable than the condos.) The “two small white” buildings in the north most western area of the site is a Middle School.

City Council didn’t like the larger buildings. They used statements such as “they [the big buildings] segregate themselves from the rest of the development” and “they would intimidate the rest of the community”.

No mention concerning non-centralized location of the park. But they presenters emphasized the town center area – a very wide “park like” central street and pedestrian area.

I don't know why the council wouldn't like the taller buildings. Originally this plan was to look like it "was there for a long time and wasn't built at the same time." If anything, I would like to see one brick towers, to make it look more aged without looking deteriated. Mixing the tower designs up a little more. The middle school is a plus as long as it doesn't use a parking lot and uses a small garage instead.

Harvey Park Planners In Search Of Pizazz

By JANIS D. FROELICH The Tampa Tribune

Published: Feb 10, 2007


Bernadine White-King, whose father, the late Moses White, was a well-known restaurant owner in Central Avenue's heyday, has a vision for Perry Harvey Sr. Park.

"I'm looking for something that will make the hair on your neck stand up," said White-King, one of 16 members of the downtown park's advisory committee.

Other members agreed at the committee's monthly meeting Wednesday at the city's parks and recreation department, 1420 N. Tampa St.

The challenge is to come up with concrete plans, and there's an urgency to that, said Brad Suder, the city official overseeing the $3.5 million makeover of the 11-acre park, 1200 N. Orange Ave.

Demolition of the adjacent Central Park Village, a public housing complex dating to the 1970s, is slated to begin in July, he said.

Plans for a walkway and amphitheater at Harvey Park are firming up, but an interactive water fountain may not be feasible because of drought conditions, Suder told the committee, which expressed interest in such a feature. The city has temporarily closed its fountains except at Kate Jackson Park.

Advisory committee members will take a bus tour today of a handful of local parks to gauge their likes and dislikes.

On Friday, city officials will meet with skateboarders who use Harvey Park's skate park, known as the Bro Bowl. The meeting will be at 6 p.m. at the DeSoto Park pavilion, 2601 Stuart St., in Palmetto Beach.

For information, call Suder at (813) 231-1336.

IF YOU GO
WHAT: Harvey Park's skate park meeting

WHERE: DeSoto Park pavilion, 2601 Stuart St., in Palmetto Beach

WHEN: 6 p.m. Friday

CALL: (813) 231-1336 for information

Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 835-2104 or jfroelich@tampatrib.com.

http://centraltampa.tbo.com/centraltampa/MGBMGE34ZXE.html

Demolition of the adjacent Central Park Village, a public housing complex dating to the 1970s, is slated to begin in July, he said.



Anyone know where the current residents of Central Park Village will go?

Probably to Brandon.

Probably to Brandon.

heh? What's that supposed to mean?

^I'm pretty sure that means that he thinks they are moving to Brandon. Sounds reasonable enough to me.


However, I think that the folks are being found places in several neighborhoods around the city and county.

I am saying that it would be a probable area that most people would choose, but I am not the voice for the mass populous.

I thought the Central Park residents were moving to the new government housing neighborhood west of 275 around Hillsborough (I do not know the name, but it is visible from the interstate).

I thought the Central Park residents were moving to the new government housing neighborhood west of 275 around Hillsborough (I do not know the name, but it is visible from the interstate).

You are correct, sir. :)

Ohh ok good for them.

I'm not sure of the development's name, but it does look nice. That doesn't meant the units are, but it's a bunch nicer than Central Park Village. It sits between Florida and 275, I think south of Hillsborough. There are some retail spots mixed in but no serious business has taken root. I think the last time I drove by the Florida facing section a few real estate type business were moved in.

I have heard there are more strict rules about who is allowed to move in, but have not confirmed that. Stuff concerning criminal records and such. It's a good idea in theory (you want tenants that are upstanding and more likely to care about the neighborhood) but tough in practice considering it's low-income housing.

Probably to Brandon.

God I hope not!

Group Makes Rounds To Develop Grounds
http://media.tbo.com/photos/trib/2007/feb/0215central2.jpg
The "Bro Bowl" has drawn skaters to Perry Harvey Sr. Park for decades. Members of the advisory committee decide how to incorporate it into the redevelopment of the park. Photo: Jay Nolan/Tampa Tribune

By JANIS D. FROELICH The Tampa Tribune

Published: Feb 15, 2007

TAMPA - Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park, downtown's waterfront park next to the Tampa Waterside Marriott, has three major challenges: five parking meters and a $12 a day parking lot across the street; limited shade; and continuing water damage to an elaborate series of plaques about the Seminole Wars displayed under a memorial bridge.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza on the University of South Florida campus has plenty of shade in an inviting trellis walkway. But the marble slabs bearing King's "I Have a Dream" speech are difficult to read in bright sunlight.

Kate Jackson Park in Hyde Park is filled with activity behind its costly, wrought iron fence. The park, 821 S. Rome Ave., includes a circular seating area for adults to watch children splash in an interactive water fountain decorated with stone lions.

On Saturday morning, seven members of the 16-person Perry Harvey Sr. Park advisory committee took a more than three-hour bus tour to scout those and other area parks for ideas.

The result was a predictable mixed bag of hits and misses.

In planning the $3.5 million renovation of the 11-acre Harvey Park, 1200 N. Orange Ave., the committee is looking for a plan that will treat the area's past with dignity, said Isell Denson, chairman of the Mayor's African-American Committee. An interactive fountain such as Kate Jackson's would be a first step.

"Not only can kids play, so there's something for them in a park, but a fountain brings a sense of serenity," said Denson, a retired Air Force officer.

The first park visited - with the driver just circling the block - was Joe Chillura Courthouse Square at Pierce Street and Kennedy Boulevard. The group liked how photographs of important figures in the county's history are displayed along the park's brick wall. George Edgecomb, the county's first black judge, is among those honored.

Committee members said they would like a similar layout at Harvey Park honoring those who played roles in the history of Central Avenue, an area of about 100 black-owned businesses bulldozed in the 1970s to make way for interstate construction.

Courthouse Square, which opened in 2001, features a silver minaret atop a gazebo to symbolize the old county courthouse.

Harvey Park would possibly use a musical note as a theme to represent the area's entertainment-rich past, committee Chairman Fred Hearns said. Ray Charles and B.B. King were among those who performed in Central Avenue's nightclubs early in their careers.

At Centennial Park, facing Eighth Avenue between 18th and 19th streets, the group visited a Saturday farmers market. Betty Loerke, new to selling jewelry at the Ybor City park, said she's pleased with how her Hearts of Glass booth is received.

"A park is a great setting," she said. "You get a real diversity of people stopping by."

That's an aim for Harvey Park, said committee member Mary Williams, resident council president of the Central Park Village housing complex next to the park. Central Park's 1,300 residents are being relocated so a mixed-use neighborhood can be built on the site.

"We'd like vendors from the nearby community to sell refreshments or items on a regular basis," she said.

At Cancer Survivor Plaza at Al Lopez Park, at Dale Mabry Highway and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, the tour group found space for only a dozen vehicles.

"The parking just wasn't taken into consideration. We want to make sure we don't make that mistake," said committee member Bernadine White King, whose father, Moses White, ran a popular barbecue place on Central Avenue.

The committee has expressed interest in having an amphitheater at the park, so the tour included the Lowry Park Band Shell, 7530 N. Boulevard.

Artis Gambrell, a city parks superintendent, said bleachers were erected at the band shell because the permanent benches weren't enough for the concert crowds.

"But I don't believe Harvey Park would want permanent seats," he said. "They do take up a lot of space."

"The most important challenges for an amphitheater," White King said, "are parking, noise and safety."

Hearns told committee members, appointed by Mayor Pam Iorio to one-year terms, that the city would like a park plan by the summer.

Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 835-2104 or jfroelich@tampatrib.com.

http://southtampa.tbo.com/southtampa/MGBWKGQA6YE.html

Major hurdle cleared in Central Park project

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2007/03/05/story1.html (http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2007/03/05/story1.html?b=1173070800^1425020
)

TAMPA -- The papers have been signed, officially transferring ownership of more than 28 acres of city-owned land east of the downtown core that will become a key part of an $800 million redevelopment project.

Change, however, isn't always good, as one vocal activist group fears many of the neighborhood's low-income residents could end up homeless.

Central Park Development Group LLC, a partnership between the Tampa Housing Authority and Banc of America Community Development Corp., has officially purchased the 12 blocks of the historic Central Park neighborhood for $26.3 million. It's an area known for helping singer Ray Charles get his start and the birthplace of the dance known as "The Twist."

The new organization, following years of planning, now intends to start razing buildings -- including a 1950s-era multifamily rental complex operated by the Housing Authority -- as early as next January.

"Our vision is that this will be the new downtown," said Roxanne Amoroso, the Southeast team leader for the Banc of America CDC. "It has already been rezoned for up to 2,000 housing units as well as office and retail. It's going to be hundreds of millions of dollars of new development for the city of Tampa."

Keeping a roof overhead
The Central Park Village will find five-story office buildings as well as "mixed-income" residential units in buildings as high as nine stories, Amoroso said. Nearly 160 families who reside in the current Central Park apartments as tenants of the Tampa Housing Authority will be provided alternative housing through other public housing programs and through Section 8 vouchers. As long as the residents don't violate their strict lease terms during the transition, they will have first rights of refusal on new rental units when they are completed in the next two years.

That's a policy that could leave many low-income residents out in the cold, said attorney Wallace Anderson Jr., representing the Tampa Bay Human Rights Coalition.

"Where are the people who are currently residents of Central Park Village going to live when they have to leave while their homes are being demolished and rebuilt?" Anderson said. "They are giving people Section 8 housing vouchers, but the landlords can refuse these people. Many of them can't afford the first and last month's rent they would have to put down. Some can't even afford the utility deposit."

Anderson and other members of the coalition sifted through the mountain of paperwork on Central Park Village that has accumulated over the last seven years the project was being planned and have found a number of issues they believe need addressing. The coalition is hosting a town hall meeting March 3 at 9 a.m. at True Holiness Church and Deliverance Center on North Nebraska Avenue to reveal what they've learned and to organize opposition to the project.

Communication is the answer
Many of their issues, however, could have been satisfied simply by sitting down and talking with Housing Authority officials, said Jerome Ryans, the Tampa Housing Authority's president and CEO.

"The problem with that group is that they've never taken the time to come in and sit down with us to go over the agreement," Ryans said. "This has been an eight-year process, so you have to be careful when you're going through all the information. If you don't ask questions and you don't know what you're looking at, you can get very confused."

The Housing Authority has had relocation teams in place in Central Park for some time, helping the remaining families find temporary homes. When they return by the end of the decade, they will find a brand new community with a mix of affordable rental units and mid-scale condominiums starting in the $300,000 range.

Other parts of the land will be on the sales block, zoned to take on buildings that could reach as high as 28 stories to join the 120,000 square feet of office and retail space that already will be included in the project, B of A's Amoroso said.

Apartments in progress
Financing applications already have been filed on the first two nine-story apartment developments, with construction expected to begin in a year as well.

Integrating residents of different income levels into a common urban core is not part of the norm, but Central Park won't be the first project B of A has been involved with that has done it.

"It's embraced because you're providing services to your residents," Amoroso said. "People want to live downtown, and they want to have services available to them."

Early drafts of the plan concerned Human Rights Coalition's Anderson. In those, more expensive residential units were located in high-rise units while lower-income were limited to just a couple of stories.

But none of that made it into final drafts of the project, Amoroso said.

"Our affordable housing units are built exactly like our market-rate units," she said. The Housing Authority will still have control over rental units, which will be intermixed with market-rate units, which will allow rents to be capped, even as property values in the neighborhood rise.

"It has taken us a while, and we've been through a number of drafts and agreements, but we have worked through all of those issues," the Housing Authority's Ryans said. "The community as a whole will benefit from what we do downtown, and it's going to anchor that part of the downtown area."

Memories May Be All That's Left

By JANIS D. FROELICH The Tampa Tribune

Published: Mar 17, 2007


DOWNTOWN - For the revitalization of Central Park Village to succeed, officials say, a historical school in the center of the public housing complex must be bulldozed.

If not, said Leroy Moore, the agency's chief operating officer, "It kills our whole plan."

Meacham Alternative School isn't any old school. It opened in 1926 as India Street School. The next year, the elementary school was renamed for Christina Meacham, Tampa's first black female principal, a week after her death.

Meacham has been an anchor for the community. In 2004, it changed from an early childhood center to an alternative school.

Moore told the Perry Harvey Sr. Park advisory committee last week that he is keenly aware of Meacham's rich past and is working with the school board. The committee is studying the park's redevelopment as part of the Central Park project.

"I don't think we have any opposition," he said of plans to raze the brick school. "The Meacham family is on our side."

The housing authority and Bank of America are partners in a plan to replace the housing complex with a multiple-use village that includes 2,030 residential units. Moore said Meacham stands where the town square of stores and offices is planned.

Under the deal outlined by Moore, the partners would buy the school for a to-be-determined amount and give the school district 2 acres north of Scott Street in exchange for the 1-acre Meacham site, 1225 India St. The school board is set to consider the land swap April 10.

The city's Historic Preservation Commission is set to consider a demolition permit for Meacham at 3 p.m. Tuesday. The meeting will be televised live on City of Tampa Television, Channel 15 on Bright House Networks.

Although the school does not have a local historic designation, a demolition permit is required because the building is more than 50 years old.

Dennis Fernandez, the city's preservation manager, said the housing authority is acting as the school board's agent in requesting a permit. His office is preparing a report because Meacham's 2005 national historic designation notes the site's "social history and ethnic heritage."

But Fernandez said a 1954 remodeling basically destroyed Meacham's historical architecture.

"It's not like a Plant Hall," he said. "The architecture was severely impacted during that remodeling."

He estimates about 75 percent of the original structure was compromised, including eliminating entrances. East and west wings were also added.

The school district is interested in converting Meacham to a middle school at its new site, chief facilities officer Cathy Valdes said. The alternative school, one of two in the county for troubled youngsters, has about 160 students and it hasn't been determined where they would be transferred.

"Closing the school there now would have no financial impact on the area," Valdes said.

The old building isn't in the best shape.

"We would not be able to accommodate a middle school there and that is possibly the biggest need for the area," Valdes said.

No plans have been drawn for the new school, which might not be built before 2010. On Tuesday, the school board announced the school would be named Christina A. Meacham Middle School.

Meacham's ancestors say they first were shocked and saddened by the possible demolition but now are facing the reality of progress. William Jason Harris, the pioneering educator's great-great-grandson, said fond memories of Central Avenue are about all that's left of this part of downtown, once a bustling black community.

"There are only a few buildings around," he said. "If the city wants to move forward, we can understand redevelopment. But we are partners in a very delicate dance between history and progress."

Harris said he's confident the school board will preserve Meacham's memory, listing her relatives who became local educators.

His mother, Arndreeta Harris, who works at the Tampa Bay History Center, said the housing authority has promised a significant historical marker for the school site. She said the proposed location of the new school, at Scott and Kay streets, would be wonderful because it was home to the Meacham family, which numbers about 100 today.

Principal Theophilus Hill said he hasn't received notice of his school's fate but is certain the doors will close soon.

"If this becomes a construction zone this summer," he said, "we would have to relocate Meacham for the safety of the students."

http://southtampa.tbo.com/southtampa/MGBR9IW1DZE.html

Why would leaving the school in it's place destroy the entire plan? Sounds like a cop out to me and a bad reason for demolition. The strongest urban infill projects, typically incorporate historic structures that have been important for the community and make them a part of the new environment instead of taking everything out and starting over with a clean slate.

It may not be a big deal in Tampa, since most of its historic urban fabric has been blasted away already, but in several other places a developer would have to come up with a better excuse for taking out on the few structures left in a redevelopment area.

^I would assume it's ultimately a density/height issue... To keep the land occupied by the school, other parts of the development would have to be denser and taller, and the city seems to be poo-pooing that...

Am I right to assume this thing then takes up a huge chunk of land or is it something that comsumes less than a block?

It's a fairly large chunk of land. I'm not sure of the exact boundries, but N/S it's at least from Scott to Cass. E/W from Nebraska to Orange. An article posted earlier said 28 acres.

Am I right to assume this thing then takes up a huge chunk of land or is it something that comsumes less than a block?


It is a very large project way more then a block. I think when it is all said and done the project will make about 12-13 new blocks after some road shifting. As you can see here....

http://www.tampagold.com/1016/parkG.jpg

Notice the horrible planning with the park way off to the side, where only a few rsidences will front it, and the towers next to each other to block each other's views as oppose to being scattered. But that is Tampa for you.

Hey, anything beats what is there now. That's the one area of Tampa I will not drive through. The pink ones are a close second, but they really are just an extension of Central Park if you ask me.

^Yep... the bulk of residences face each other, or a rackety streetfront, or a rackety pool... No views of the park or skyline or rest of the city... It's supposed to be "Central Park", but doesn't actually have a central park... With master planning like this, it's no wonder the prices are low.

Yea and I guess the reason why this school may have to be torn down is because the project is built around a Black History Museum. Which isn't there yet, but the structure that they are using is. I think the structure is a former Black Church. You can see it in the median of the main road in the rendering I posted above. They could still do better planning though.

Hey, anything beats what is there now. That's the one area of Tampa I will not drive through. The pink ones are a close second, but they really are just an extension of Central Park if you ask me.

Oh yea there is no doubt this is an improvement from what is there now. I just wish Tampa could have its cake and eat it too for once so to speak. Have a nice ambitious project that is actually planned out correctly.

But who knows, maybe the Tampa Heights project can be great, we'll see.

Thanks for the rendering. Its strange to see the park planned as more of an afterthought than a central focal point. On the surface it appears they missed a great opportunity (as far as urban design is concerned) there. What's planned across the street from the park (the bottom part of photo)? Is that church in the middle of the development already there or is it being relocated from somewhere else?

Thanks for the rendering. Its strange to see the park planned as more of an afterthought than a central focal point. On the surface it appears they missed a great opportunity (as far as urban design is concerned) there. What's planned across the street from the park (the bottom part of photo)? Is that church in the middle of the development already there or is it being relocated from somewhere else?


The buildings at the bottom left of the rendering, if that is what you are referring too, is a planned middle school. And the building in the middle of the plan, is a former church building being converted into a Black History Museum. :)

What's planned on the bottom right on the other side of the park?

If it's nothing, then is the city looking at zoning in that area to stimulate complementing mixed-use private development that would be well integrated with the park area?

^it's a tangle of roads connecting DT to the interstate on the other side of that park...

What streets are that rendering going to be on?
The far right appears to be Orange Ave?

I'm looking at the rendering and seeing what people are saying about the fact that only people closest or right in front can actually see the park. In New York's Central Park, the apartments and condos are various heights which allows vistas from all over the places.

Maybe they could design so that there is like an ascending height order of buildings starting closest at the park and getting taller at the next building. Kinda like the Cinguar commercial with the bars. That way more people can get a view and take some of blase-ness (if thats a word) out of the concept. The idea is right on target, I guess people are saying its not being executed to is best potential.

Oh yeah, and I'm a prude for green roofs, so some of those boxy roofs could get some terracing too. Would be like a Common balcony or terrace for residents.

I'm still just having a hard time placing where exactly this is supposed to be.

Here is some context:

http://www.tampagov.net/dept_economic_and_urban_development/images/maps_PG/Aerials_3/Central_Park_Aerial.jpg

Thanks, so the "central park" fronts Orange Avenue, instead Nebraska. With that said, the rendering appears to only account for the housing projects west of Nebraska. Is the area east of Nebraska and south of 7th considered a phase 2 or will it remain as is?

Heh, I went to that school.... hope it isn't consumed by phase two. It's a neat structure.

In any event, it would be ideal if something better were done with the park. Having it face Nebraska would even be better. I suppose they hope to create a buffer between 275 and the development, but it's an awful waste of land. I can see it sitting vacant and littered already.

The projects between Nebraska/Nuccio and 7th (the "pink ones" as they say) aren't part of the plan and I think are owned by a private party. A private party who is holding out for more money. I can't imagine anyone paying $250k for a condo that's literally across the street from the most run down projects in the city.

The pink ones off Nuccio? They aren't so bad. Aside from a few prostitutes and gang members, the neighborhood isn't that bad. I mean that in a half sarcastic/half serious way.

They should make a huge lake like the one in Central Park in New York and call it Lake Tampa :)

The park is situated where the current "Harvey" park is now. It is situated on the site of historic Central Ave. which they tore down to build on ramps to 275. The housing authority and city can only spend so much time on this development, which has already gone through various changes in design. I like the current design the best. I'm sick of monotonous mid-rise developments and I like the variety in the building heights that the current plan calls for.
Also, the THA has strict requirements for current Public Housing residents (not sec. 8) to return or move to central park - including taking a long list of life-management classes, being educated and being employed, if one is able.

The housing authority and city can only spend so much time on this development, which has already gone through various changes in design.
That's because they wasted years on a hopeless plan (assumed county govt would be supportive. big mistake)... The public should NOT have to settle for a compromised design, simply because the people running the project are too inept to get it right... The city should either compel the developer to get it right the first time, or deny the project. Let the land sit until someone capable of getting it right takes over.

Replacing a shitty development with a newer, slightly improved shitty development only ensures that in 30 years, we are right back where we are today... Dropping tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money, because the govt is too incompetent to make sure that developers get it right the first time.

Replacing a shitty development with a newer, slightly improved shitty development only ensures that in 30 years, we are right back where we are today... Dropping tens of millions of dollars in taxpayer money, because the govt is too incompetent to make sure that developers get it right the first time.

Bingo. Spending money to build structures of merit only to be defiled by its tenants is a concern as well.

lol, I love how in-agreement we all are as we chat about these issues. It's sort of funny...

Man, a shitty project??? I would have to disagree. From everything I have read and seen, this looks to be a great project. And Bank of America has a pretty good record for these kinds of projects around the country. If I am not mistaken, the park is already in place, they are just going to beautify it. Also, we do not know their full plans. Remember originally, they wanted the project to consume some 128 acres. Perhaps this is only phase one of a multi-phased project where in the end the park will be centrally located. I would think once the city see how nice this project has turned out, they will have no problem granting the rest of the land for redevelopment. Just my thoughts.

Shitty relative to what it should be.

ok, perhaps 'big disappointment' is a better term.

My only problem is that it is going to take so long. I think that they should take a note from Novare and get this project done in a year. have they even had any buyers for the condo portion? I think that they have only done the apartment portion.

My only problem is that it is going to take so long. I think that they should take a note from Novare and get this project done in a year. have they even had any buyers for the condo portion? I think that they have only done the apartment portion.

Even Novare just does just one tower at a time. It saves money on the number of construction crews they need. It will take a long time to build simply because it is a large project.

Yeah that is true. Isn't the project going to be incompassing like nine blocks?

Yeah that is true. Isn't the project going to be incompassing like nine blocks?

If you count from the rendering it looks to be 14 blocks.

Harvey Park Group Definitive On Statue

By JANIS D. FROELICH The Tampa Tribune

Published: Apr 7, 2007

DOWNTOWN - Its wish list isn't firm yet.

But the Perry Harvey Sr. Park advisory committee knows one item is non-negotiable as it charts a $3.5 million park overhaul: a statue of Harvey.

"Should his hands be outstretched welcoming people to the park?" asked Dorothy Harvey Keel, daughter of the longtime longshoremen's union boss.

Keel also wondered how to represent other elements of her late father's life, such as his bringing in the powerful AFL-CIO so dockworkers could get better wages and his coining of the name Head Start for the program that prepares children for school.

At the 16-member committee's meeting Wednesday, Tampa sculptor Harrison Covington offered artwork possibilities.

Covington, former dean of the University of South Florida's art department, presented a photographic array of his work, including the just-completed bust of George Edgecomb, the county's first black judge, to be placed in the lobby of his namesake courthouse.

Covington also showed life-size works he has done, including statues of Hungarian freedom fighters commissioned by the cities of Cleveland and Naples. He said a bust such as the Edgecomb piece would cost about $45,000 and a full-size sculpture about $150,000, excluding installation.

"That's awesome," Sonja Harvey McCoy said when Covington showed a statue of a firefighter and a young boy he completed a few years ago for the Sun City Center fire station.

McCoy said she would like similar motion displayed in the statue of Harvey, her grandfather.

"When he moved," she said, "he moved."

The committee also hopes to include an amphitheater and a fountain at the 11-acre park, 1200 N. Orange Ave., plus interactive devices so children can learn about the history of Central Avenue.

Before any decisions are made, the committee wants to ensure that former residents of the Central Park Village public housing complex are involved. A community meeting will be scheduled this summer.

Mary Williams, Central Park Village resident council president, said all 1,300 residents will be moved out by the end of June as the housing complex makes way for residential and retail redevelopment. She said the Tampa Housing Authority will need to provide a list of addresses.

"Everyone is scattering everywhere, all over the city," she said.

Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 835-2104 or jfroelich@tampatrib.com.

http://southtampa.tbo.com/southtampa/MGBW18I070F.html

Central Park Village's Fate Rests In Numbers

By JOHN W. ALLMAN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Apr 25, 2007

TAMPA - With a little luck, the Tampa Housing Authority's push to redevelop Central Park Village will begin in 2008.

However, luck - as described Tuesday by housing authority Vice President Leroy Moore - can be as fickle as a random lottery pick.

The housing authority, in partnership with Bank of America, plans to begin demolishing its aging, dilapidated Central Park complex by July.

Once demolition is complete in December, officials want to break ground on the first two buildings: The Tempo, a 203-unit, multifamily apartment building, and The Ella, a 160-unit senior housing complex.

The first step, however, is to secure tax-credit financing from the Florida Housing Finance Corp. That's where luck comes into play.

The project needs about $4.2 million initially, but the authority's application is competing with 53 others statewide for a pot of about $11 million, Moore said. Of those, five other applications are from Hillsborough County.

The state puts all applicants into a lottery, which it uses to determine the order of allocations. Each county's best lottery pick gets first consideration. If enough money remains, the state will cycle through the list more than once.

The allocation is for a fixed, 10-year period, which means that the Central Park projects would receive about $21 million each from the state. Funding allocations will be announced in the fall.

The Central Park projects drew lottery Nos. 44 and 52 for The Tempo and The Ella, respectively.

Royal American, a local development company, drew No. 23, Moore said, and gets first consideration in Hillsborough.

"This is really disappointing news," housing board member Gerald White said Tuesday during a housing authority board meeting.

Moore explained that the agency's lottery number is picked randomly. However, bank officials want to review Royal American's application to see whether it can be challenged.

Other Hillsborough County applicants with lottery picks behind the housing authority's could do the same, Moore said.

"We're going to get this project done," housing authority President Jerome Ryans said.

Moore said after the meeting that he isn't concerned and that other funding options exist, such as using bond financing.

Housing board members tried to put a positive spin on the news. The authority now is relocating all residents of Central Park Village before demolition.

"Those apartments should have been torn down anyway," board member Rubin Padgett said. "All of these people are in better situations now than they were."

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915 or jallman@tampatrib.com

http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBYZLL5X0F.html

Projects which will dramatically improve parts of the place we live are subjected to some mysterious "lottery"?

And this isn't considered a failure of government how? For crying out loud, if these people in power won't actually govern, then kick them out and replace them with people who will!

At least payoffs don't help in a lottery... heh. Does anyone have more information about this system? It seems really odd.

that is sad, I was really hoping this would be a go without any delays ):

Rome wasn't built in a day...
in this case, Tampa isn't built in a day... lol

City Seeks Input On Central Park

By ELLEN GEDALIUS The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jun 7, 2007

TAMPA - The Central Park area today is known for its blight.

It's known for the unsightly store facades on Nebraska Avenue, for the two dozen vacant lots owned by the city, for the dilapidated public housing complex, Central Park Village.

Designated a Community Redevelopment Area a year ago today, Central Park has long been a wart for the city.

Now leaders are trying to change that and are seeking community comment tonight at a neighborhood meeting. They want residents' advice on infrastructure, aesthetics, safety, transportation, parks and other amenities.

The city is paying consultant EDAW $244,000 to work with the community in developing a long-term action plan for the area.

"I want to see the whole area redeveloped," said Councilman Tom Scott, whose district includes the area. "I want to see commercial in there and housing, market rate and affordable." Schools, too, he said.

The Tampa Housing Authority and private investors have plans to replace the 28-acre Central Park complex with about 2,000 housing units and retail shops. People have started moving out. Some will move back when buildings are finished; others will remain at other public housing developments.

Redeveloping Central Park however, is about more than revamping the housing complex, which is slated for demolition this year. It's about improving the whole area, said Michael Hatchett, the city's Central Park urban development manager.

Higher Density Planned
The springboard for discussions will be a 30-year redevelopment plan created last year.

The plan calls for higher-density development in the area surrounding the housing complex, a 158-acre area bordered by Nebraska Avenue, Nuccio Parkway, Orange Avenue and Interstate 275. Now, there are about 20 units per acre in the area, but the city could allow up to about 100 units an acre.

Higher density brings more people to the area.

"It brings residences; it brings new jobs; it gives some energy and life back to downtown," Hatchett said. "It also helps cut down sprawl."

The city also wants to find private companies to develop the vacant lots and perhaps offer them incentives, such as fast-track permitting and financial assistance, to developing in the area.

As vacant parcels, Hatchett said, people tend to loiter and dump trash on them.

Vacant lots also do not generate tax revenue for the city.

Tax District Reinvests Revenue
Community Redevelopment Areas rely on tax dollars generated from within to pay for local improvements. They benefit from a taxing structure called tax increment financing. Yearly increases in property taxes generated within a neighborhood, over and above a set base level, are reserved for use only in that neighborhood.

Most property tax revenue goes to the city's general fund.

Money from tax increment financing can be spent for local improvements such as sidewalk repairs, park renovations, infrastructure, marketing programs and police stations.

Although other funding sources might be available to finance improvements in Central Park, tax revenue will be essential.

The long-range plan also calls for reconnecting streets in the Central Park area to downtown and for improving public safety.

Crime in Central Park is three times higher, per capita, than the rest of the city, Hatchett said.

Water and sewer line improvements also will be necessary; the infrastructure is old and isn't designed to support a higher-density neighborhood.

Another goal is to revamp Nebraska Avenue. Attracting offices and medical complexes to the area bounded by Nebraska, Interstate 275 and Seventh Avenue is one idea. Other improvements could be as simple as improved sidewalks and store facades and as costly as moving utility lines to underground.

"I just call this visual clutter," Hatchett said during a driving tour of the area. "Just very unattractive. The redevelopment of Nebraska is going to be key."

Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or egedalius@tampatrib.com.

IF YOU GO
WHAT: A community meeting to discuss the redevelopment of the Central Park Community Redevelopment Area

WHERE: Booker T. Washington Elementary School, 1407 Estelle St.

WHEN: 6 to 7 p.m. today

FOR INFORMATION: Michael Hatchett, (813) 274-7972

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBB53WLM2F.html

The city is paying consultant EDAW $244,000 to work with the community in developing a long-term action plan for the area.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, what could this report possibly contain that would justify that kind of money? Step 1: tear down projects. Step 2: build previously designed master plan. Step 3: sex up Nebraska.

I've said it before and I'll say it again, what could this report possibly contain that would justify that kind of money? Step 1: tear down projects. Step 2: build previously designed master plan. Step 3: sex up Nebraska.

The city has to look for ways to waste some money...and they wonder why people are angry over property taxes.

Step 3: sex up Nebraska.[/QUOTE]

Sex up Nebraska? I think Nebraska has plenty of sex on it the way it is now! :)

Look - how long have you been doing this.

THey need a master plan supported by some activists to create a village to debate and impose on everyone. Then he market will completely change and they will eventually abandon the master plan and hire a consultant to figure out what to do now. Then they will ignore that and build a strip store.

Well atleast the CPV redevelopment has a set master plan. Tonight's meeting should be interesting, as one paper accidentally noted that this meeting was for the Central Park Village plan - oops. Hope to see some of you there.

My only hope for the Central park area and Nebraska ave. is that someone will finally get the sense to change Nebraska to 2 lanes with a nice big center turn lane. I hate driving down that road next to big trucks, it is too narrow.

^Narrowing Nebraska sounds like a really, really bad idea if the population density in the study area is going to go up by as much as 500% in the years to come.



Look - how long have you been doing this.

THey need a master plan supported by some activists to create a village to debate and impose on everyone. Then he market will completely change and they will eventually abandon the master plan and hire a consultant to figure out what to do now. Then they will ignore that and build a strip store.
Now THAT is how Tampa gets it done!!!


Woo Hoo! Tampa pride!


:ohno:

Central Park Village changes plans
Council approval is needed for fewer homes, more retail space.
By JANET ZINK
Published June 8, 2007

TAMPA - Changes in the real estate market and the prospect of property tax cuts have forced the developers of Central Park Village to modify their plans for remaking an old public housing complex between downtown and Ybor City.

Most significant, Bank of America wants the option to replace up to 680 condominiums with hotels, retail stores and office space.

"We want the flexibility to respond to the market," said Roxanne Amoroso, senior vice president of community development banking for Bank of America.

That could mean a loss of about 68 affordable homes that were to be developed and sold on the 28-acre property.

It is zoned for up to 2,000 units. Original plans called for 1,100 condominiums.

"That's heavy with all that's happened in the market over the last 18 months," Amoroso said.

More than 3,000 condominiums are finished or being built in and around downtown. Another 6,600 are scheduled to come on line in the next 10 years. But many of the projects are struggling in the face of a softening residential real estate market.

Bank of America also plans to build 750 apartments on the property. Nearly 670 of those apartments will be for low-income renters. They'll replace the 483 public housing units now in Central Park Village.

Amoroso said the bank also expects to take a hit once the Florida Legislature approves property tax reforms.

The land is part of a special taxing district where increases in property tax revenue collected in the neighborhood are funneled back into the area to pay for such things as roads, parks and sewer lines. Property tax reform could mean less money to rebuild Central Park Village.

Leroy Moore, chief operating officer of the Tampa Housing Authority, a partner with Bank of America on the project, said in the worst-case scenario, only two of five parking garages slated for the development would be built.

"We would have to find another funding source to get those built," he said.

Amoroso said that won't be a problem. "We're going forward," she said.

Any changes in the plans will need the approval of the Tampa City Council.

Council member Tom Scott, who has been advocating for three years for the redevelopment of Central Park Village, said he's eager to hear about Bank of America's latest plans.

"I hope it gets done. I hope Bank of America doesn't let this community down," he said. "If any area needs to be redeveloped, this is the area."

Plans for redeveloping Central Park Village have changed several times. In 2003, local developers proposed remaking it as part of a 157-acre overhaul of several neighborhoods. But that concept failed.

A year later, some of those original developers, along with Bank of America, offered a 60-acre plan. But one of the major property owners pulled out, and the local backers followed.

That left Bank of America with 28 acres of Tampa Housing Authority land to work with.

Amoroso said the bank remains committed, and the latest challenges are "no more than there would be with any development of this magnitude."

Residents are already moving out of Central Park Village. Only about 100 people remain, said Mary Williams, president of the Central Park residents association.

Demolition should begin at the end of July and take until December, Moore said. Construction is scheduled to begin in March 2008.

Janet Zink can be reached at jzink@sptimes.com or 813 226-3401.

http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/08/Hillsborough/Central_Park_Village_.shtml

I like how it is being changes to more mixed-use. It makes it adaptable to different states of the market. Also with more retail, it should help put more people out on the street. Parking could be a concern, as they may have to cut back on garages but hopefully the idea is people need less cars if there is more retail and offices right there.

Also here is a rendering from the Times, poor tower orientation and all:
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/06/08/images/tb_hills_centralparkvillage.jpg

THe key is to get the apartments built first and make the area appear viable for development and living. Even if the condo projects aren't as big or it takes more time, the transformation is the key. This area now exists in a void. IT needs to be brought into downtown.

In any event, the condos in that rendering look like office buildings

One of them was already an office building iirc.

Harvey Park Committee Has $3.5 Million, Big Revamp Ideas
By JANIS D. FROELICH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 11, 2007

TAMPA - Out of the June 11, 1967, police shooting of black teenager Martin Chambers came a park. Now comes the change.

A 16-member advisory committee appointed by Mayor Pam Iorio has until the fall to decide how to drastically change Perry Harvey Sr. Park in the north pocket of downtown.

This much the committee agrees on: The update is long overdue for the 11-acre park, which opened in 1979 at 1200 N. Orange Ave. and is named for the longtime longshoremen's union president.

With $3.5 million earmarked for the park, and spurred on by Bank of America and Tampa Housing Authority officials to 'think big,' the committee wants a destination area with an amphitheater, playgrounds, a replacement skateboard park and statues - all tied to the history of Central Avenue, once a bustling district of black-owned businesses.

The project is linked to the upcoming demolition of the adjacent Central Park Village, a public housing complex dating to the 1970s and set to make way for residential and retail redevelopment.

Committee member Dorothy Harvey Keel, daughter of the union leader, remembers holding her youngest child at the park's dedication.

'My child is now 27,' she said recently at her family's College Hill Pharmacy, 3503 22nd St.

Keel, 65, who is known for her eloquence at committee meetings, wants education emphasized in the renovations. She envisions students and other visitors pushing buttons for recorded memories and vibrant visuals.

'We have a rich history in this town, and we fought hard for our rights,' she said, flanked by her sisters, Gustava Harvey, 70, who operates the pharmacy, and Ruth Harvey Brown, 75, a retired principal.

Keel said she's using her view of her late father, who was a penniless young man when he moved to Tampa from Thomasville, Ga., in the 1930s, to determine what's right for the park.

'My father stood on others' shoulders,' she said of appreciating sacrifices made.

As for the park redesign, Keel said, 'I'm very thankful that some time is being taken to consider the past of the black community.'

For information on the park project, call Fred Hearns, the city's community affairs director, at (813) 274-8615.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/jun/11/me-harvey-park-committee-has-35-million-big-revamp/?news-metro

THat's fine and if you build the apartment buildings right next to it, it could be nice, but they don't have the land for all that and the other side of the road is quite bleak.

Does anyone know what the lastest on what the plans are for the Tampa Park Apartments (pink building that run all the way from Ybor to Downtown). I know it was to be part of the Central Park plan, but they back out...right?

^From what I understand the owner decided not to sell them at the time because he thought he could get more money for the property in the the future. Instead of trying ot help out the community.

I haven't heard of any plans since.

Ditto FLFuture, nothing planned for Tampa Park Apts as far as I know. And is it just me or do the apartments look well maintained right now (at least compared to the way they use to look) - maybe they just got a new coat of paint.

Well maintained? They are cement block painted pink. Filled with crime. If you make a wrong turn and have to drive through it's a terrible experience.

^From what I understand the owner decided not to sell them at the time because he thought he could get more money for the property in the the future. Instead of trying ot help out the community.

I haven't heard of any plans since.

They were originally in the plans and under contract but you are right...they owner wanted to hold out for more money. There was HUD money involved and the current owner had to wait I believe 2 more years and then he could sell at market value. Greedy, greedy, greedy.

I also seem to remember that after the 2 years the owners would not have to pay certain money back.

I searched the story but could not find it. Someone else may have better luck.

It would be so nice if the city could get that chunk of land. It is very large and it ties downtown to ybor so nicely. It would be cool if that was an urban park or something other than what it is now.

That's about the most sensible location for a large park that I've heard... Ties in Ybor with Channelside and DT and the Central Park deal. The only thing it's missing is water.

^I've been squawking all along that Central Park needs to be completely remade, so that it truly is a "Central Park"... The city is busier trying to screw up Ybor and S Tampa instead.

It would be so nice if the city could get that chunk of land. It is very large and it ties downtown to ybor so nicely. It would be cool if that was an urban park or something other than what it is now.

That is why the city tried to get the chunk of land. But instead one greedy developer keeps it and as a result we get a half-done central park plan that will be half-efective.

I still maintain that would be a cool spot for a new Rays baseball stadium. Helped to connect Ybor and Channelside, plenty of things to do before and after the game, great view of the downtown, etc. Just my thought.

Yes it would be a great spot. Lots of land with one owner....

1/2 a billion dollars later... With the talks of property tax cuts etc.....ain't gonna happen. The next stadium built will have to come from the owners. Obviously Imo but I don't think it is realistic.

Yeah I think A stadium with some park space around it would be great. Its too bad the football stadium is so far away from downtown, or they build a cool stadium for the devil rays there. I thought thats maybe they were thinking about building a stadium when they were bidding on the 2012 olympics. Its too bad that developer wont sell that property. Could you image one continuous stretch of green park that large, plus I kinda like they shape of that property and it being near a rail line kinda adds a little character.

TAMPA - Of 483 families who lived at Central Park Village, the Tampa Housing Authority said Tuesday that very few are still seeking a new home.

With relocation efforts winding down and demolition scheduled to begin in July, housing officials updated the authority's board about the move and possible changes to the plan to redevelop the blighted housing complex property between downtown and Ybor City.

The 28-acre project, which the authority is developing in a partnership with Bank of America, is expected to include about 2,030 new housing units - both mixed-income affordable rental housing and market-rate condominiums for sale. Plans for the site also include a school, a refurbished black history museum and a new housing authority office building.

Authority Vice President Leroy Moore said officials will meet Thursday with the city's Community Redevelopment Agency board to update it on possible changes to the site plan.

Those changes, Moore said, could include realigning streets in the development and adding a grocery store facing Nebraska Avenue.

Another change might come to the number of market-rate condominiums being offered. Moore said the housing authority and Bank of America want to reconsider how certain lots are zoned to allow for a developer to include a hotel with possible condominiums for sale above the hotel portion of the building.

Moore said the redevelopment committee will probably schedule a meeting this year to vote on any changes.

In June 2006, the Central Park project received approval from the city and Hillsborough County. One linchpin was the designation of a 143-acre redevelopment area that creates a special taxing district to pay for infrastructure improvements.

But first the agency has to move everyone out.

Deadline Coming Fast
Public housing Director Wence Cunningham told the board that the remaining 150 families are in the process of moving. Of those, 122 families have received federal Section 8 housing vouchers and are looking for a home or finalizing paperwork to move into a new home. The other 28 families have been reassigned to different public housing properties.

"My goal is to have everybody out by the 29th of June," Cunningham said.

The housing authority is paying relocation costs, including rental deposits and moving expenses, Cunningham said. And it has assigned five people to keep in touch with the relocated families for five years to address issues that might occur.

Tuesday's update did not come without questions.

Wallace B. Anderson, a Tampa attorney, and former professional football player James M. Evans, chief executive officer of the Tampa Bay Academy of Hope, attended the meeting.

Both men belong to an organization they call the Tampa Bay Human Rights Coalition. The organization is not on file with the state Division of Corporations, and Anderson said it is seeking to incorporate as a nonprofit organization.

Questions Of Constitutionality
Anderson, in a May 7 memo to Ricardo Gilmore, the authority's lawyer, challenged the legality of the authority's partnership with Bank of America.

During Tuesday's meeting, he told the board that he thinks the partnership with Bank of America violates Florida's Constitution, which he said restricts government agencies from doing business with private for-profit companies.

Gilmore said the Legislature changed the law in 2005 to allow for such partnerships, and he is comfortable that the authority's agreement meets the law.

Evans said after the meeting that he has been trying to talk with housing officials for more than a year. Moore and authority President Jerome Ryans said Tuesday afternoon that they have met twice with Evans about Central Park plans.

Evans said he did not consider either meeting official. He and Anderson said they have not attended any of the authority's weekly Central Park meetings that have been held for more than two years.

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915 or jallman@tampatrib.com.

http://www.tbo.com/news/metro/MGB0QJ5853F.html

Meacham School Tries To Dodge The Wrecking Ball
By JANIS D. FROELICH, The Tampa Tribune

Published: June 28, 2007

TAMPA - City council Chairwoman Gwen Miller is sentimental about Meacham Alternative School, where she served her teaching internship in 1957.

In October 2006, Miller and other council members approved the revitalization of Central Park Village, which earmarked the historical school for destruction.

But now she says, 'We can't let Meacham go like that.'

Miller isn't alone in her sentiments.

'Meacham is very important to the African-American community,' said Councilman Tom Scott, who approved the Central Park Village plan while serving as a Hillsborough County commissioner.

Scott plans to appeal to Bank of America and the Tampa Housing Authority, which are developing Central Park Village, to seek an alternative to the wrecking ball.

Leroy Moore, the housing agency's chief operating officer, said removing the school is crucial to the plan for the mostly vacant public housing complex. The school, set for demolition in October, will be replaced by a town square of stores and offices serving the 2,030 residences.

Moore said the development partners have agreed to pay the Hillsborough County school district almost $1.3 million for the building, at 1225 India St. They also will give the district 2 acres north of Scott Street to build a school in exchange for the 1-acre Meacham site.

The school opened in 1926 as India Street School. The elementary school was renamed for Christina Meacham, Tampa's first black female principal, a week after her death in 1927.

In 2004, Meacham changed from an early childhood center to an alternative school. School district spokesman Steve Hegarty said Meacham's 160 students have been transferred to North Tampa Alternative School, 8602 N. Armenia Ave.

For most of its history, Meacham was considered a community beacon, a place where the children of freed slaves learned to read and write.

'This is where people congregated,' Miller said.

Moore said Meacham's relatives originally opposed razing the school.

'But we've been sensitive to preserving the history and they've come around,' he said.

A marker at the site is planned to reflect on the life of Meacham, who was principal at Harlem Academy, the city's first black school, which was demolished in the 1970s.

The school board has said the new school north of Scott Street would be named Christina A. Meacham Middle School.

The Meacham family supports the proposed middle school as a better environment for children. Meacham's great-granddaughter Arndreeta Harris, who works at the Tampa Bay History Center, said the housing authority will rescue bricks from the old façade to use in the new school.

Told of Scott's call to save the school, Harris said: 'He hasn't been around as this has been planned and just doesn't know of the effort and thought.'

The city's Architectural Review Commission recently approved Meacham's demolition, said Cynthia Miller, the city's growth and management director. She said a demolition permit has not been pulled.

The building was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2005 but does not have local landmark status. City preservation manager Dennis Fernandez has said a 1954 remodeling destroyed the character of the two-story brick school.

'As far as the city is concerned, this is out of our hands,' Cynthia Miller said.

Scott said that's the issue.

'The school has National Historic Landmark status but not local, which would have saved it from demolition,' he said.

Scott said he's working with a community group headed by Sharon Miller, dean of continuing education at Hillsborough Community College. He said it's worth pausing to consider Meacham's fate.

'We need to hear people out,' he said.

Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at jfroelich@tampatrib.com or (813) 835-2104.

http://www2.tbo.com/content/2007/jun/28/me-meacham-school-tries-to-dodge-the-wrecking-ball/?news-metro

^What inefficent people. If the school is really historic and worth saving then why couldn't they of just gotten it right the first time? This will just take even more away from a Central Park plan that has shrunk in the past. Not to mention they're is ticking off and slowing down the developers that are trying to REVITALIZE their city. Not just happening in Central Park either....

^ Tear it down.

Gwen should have taken this up a long time before now. As Michael said, tear it down.

IF it gets things moving along - renovate it into some community center or something and move on . . . not worth fighting over

I say move the building the two blocks north and add-on to the school. I think that Tampa needs to preserve all of its older buildings good or bad. I think that the project will have no cohesion to the rest of Tampa, not that there is much between the projects we already have.

Yeah, and how much money will we waste if we move a building like that two blocks north? Sometimes we risk the future because we are so darn busy trying to save the past.

Yeah, and how much money will we waste if we move a building like that two blocks north? Sometimes we risk the future because we are so darn busy trying to save the past.

Seriously, I am all about saving historic buildings, but sometimes you need to pick the hill you want to die on.

The current history in that area has been so bad for so long it wouldn't be a great loss if it was gone. Gwen Miller may have fond memories, but there are so many people that never escaped the poverty of that place and probably don't share the same feelings. Having a new building might be a good thing on a lot of levels, clear out the demons so to speak.

Are there any pictures of this building?
If its beautiful save it, if not, raze the stupid thing.

I wouldn't risk taking a camera out in that part of town. Actually I wouldn't risk going to that part of town, regardless of having a camera. Especially now that it's half deserted. It seems I'm not alone, I searched all around and can't find a photo (other than satellite).

Not to be overly harsh on Central Park, but I have never seen anything beautiful there. I say raze it and get going with the rehab ASAP.

I wouldn't risk taking a camera out in that part of town. Actually I wouldn't risk going to that part of town, regardless of having a camera. Especially now that it's half deserted. It seems I'm not alone, I searched all around and can't find a photo (other than satellite).

I refuse to drive up Orange Avenue because of stuff I've heard in that area.
My girlfriend got lost on Scott St because she is a typical female and doesn't know directions at all, and they tried to car jack her.
I say COMPLETLY LEVEL THE PLACE AND LETS FORGET ABOUT IT!!!
And while were at it we should do the same to the Nuccio Projects too!

EDIT: I just looked at it on live.com and it doesn't look worth saving.

The first/last time I drove through there was just down Scott street and in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. I have never felt more unsafe in the TB area. There were tons of very tough people standing around doing nothing, blocking a good amount of the street and could have easily blocked the whole thing. I had to drive through slowly to not hit anyone and it was nothing but uncomfortable staring between us (luckily I was with another guy, I can't imagine being a single female in the same position). I felt lucky to get out of there and was prepared to hit the gas and take out anyone in my way if they tried anything. Tense.

Everyone seems to have a story for that area and none of them are good. Another friend of mine got chased out with gun shots awhile back.

The first/last time I drove through there was just down Scott street and in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. I have never felt more unsafe in the TB area. There were tons of very tough people standing around doing nothing, blocking a good amount of the street and could have easily blocked the whole thing. I had to drive through slowly to not hit anyone and it was nothing but uncomfortable staring between us (luckily I was with another guy, I can't imagine being a single female in the same position). I felt lucky to get out of there and was prepared to hit the gas and take out anyone in my way if they tried anything. Tense.

Everyone seems to have a story for that area and none of them are good. Another friend of mine got chased out with gun shots awhile back.

I dunno man I felt pretty uneasy watching that episode of Trading Spouses where they had the Anti-White Black dude from St. Pete on there.
That looked like a really bad neighborhood on top of the fact the guy was a blatent racist.
Edit: I was just looking through the thread for renders hoping to see that they were going to redo the road networking, and I saw that the Central Park district includes Nuccio so does that mean they are going to Raze the Nuccio projects too?

^ I saw that episode and it really made Tampa look bad... Somehow that type of racism is acceptable. I don't get it.

I agree, level all of Central Park. I don't see anywhere in our Constitution that people have the right to housing provided by the government and its taxpayers anyway.

I dunno man I felt pretty uneasy watching that episode of Trading Spouses where they had the Anti-White Black dude from St. Pete on there.
That looked like a really bad neighborhood on top of the fact the guy was a blatent racist.
Edit: I was just looking through the thread for renders hoping to see that they were going to redo the road networking, and I saw that the Central Park district includes Nuccio so does that mean they are going to Raze the Nuccio projects too?

No Plans for Tampa Park Apts. yet. You guys might feel safer going through Central Park now, during the day. There are less than 100 people left now and all you have to worry about are the homeless guys crossing the road with their shopping carts. The St. James church is very quaint (though right now it has a few broken windows), that will be saved and turned into the center of a new town square. I think it is ridiculous for Gwen Miller to change her position this late in the day, as demolition is slated to start this summer as far as I know.

It is to start in a few weeks.

^ I saw that episode and it really made Tampa look bad... Somehow that type of racism is acceptable. I don't get it.

I agree, level all of Central Park. I don't see anywhere in our Constitution that people have the right to housing provided by the government and its taxpayers anyway.

Well when you "work for the whiteman" all your life and don't get your ways because you're uneducated its somehow white mans fault.
Even though any other black guy would get into a college or get a job over a white guy 87% of the time. I mean come on.
Seriously if they abuse it then get rid of it.
My girlfriend had this excellent idea that would IMO really give them motivation to stop living off tax money. Make them live in a Walled city where they are confined to themselves. This way, they won't cause crime out of their city, if they want to see the oustide they can get a job and buy a house so they can move out, or they can just stay in their city and destroy it.

Well when you "work for the whiteman" all your life and don't get your ways because you're uneducated its somehow white mans fault.
Even though any other black guy would get into a college or get a job over a white guy 87% of the time. I mean come on.
Seriously if they abuse it then get rid of it.
My girlfriend had this excellent idea that would IMO really give them motivation to stop living off tax money. Make them live in a Walled city where they are confined to themselves. This way, they won't cause crime out of their city, if they want to see the oustide they can get a job and buy a house so they can move out, or they can just stay in their city and destroy it.

LOL. I agree. Now we are all racist. I have always said that using the race card is often a red herring deflecting the truth. Why is it most of the bad areas in the U.S or anywhere in the world....tend to be black? The only way the black community can get fixed is to do it themselves.....(Holding my breath) With so called leaders, Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton...yea they have them going in the right direction....NOT. The guy holding out for more money (Tampa Park Apartments) could be a blessing in disguise.....cause the person that buys it...will be for profit only...and may build something great for the area.....I have always said that piece of land is the best in the city.

Tenants Vacate Village, But Spirit To Stay
Skip directly to the full story.
By JOHN W. ALLMAN The Tampa Tribune

Published: Jul 2, 2007

TAMPA - There is an eerie quiet hanging over Central Park Village.

The once-bustling housing property is nearly empty. Driving past the stark white buildings is like stumbling across an abandoned military test site in the middle of the desert.

Trash blows across the street. Windows in vacant units are boarded up to prevent vandalism, even though some are marred by graffiti both profane and gang-related. Two teddy bears lie on a sidewalk. One bear's stuffing pokes through a rip.

Laundry lines sit bare, their metal poles stretched down an alleyway like dead trees stripped of leaves.

It's a desolate scene that evokes feelings empty and cold.

"It's been real quiet," said Cheantha Archie, 29, who was waiting Friday for movers to arrive at her apartment as dark gray storm clouds gathered.

Archie's apartment was one of three not boarded up in her building. Her eight children, ages 2 to 12, played or helped gather belongings.

Even though they were moving to another public housing property, North Boulevard Homes on West Main Street, Archie said she was excited because that complex is near her children's school.

"They can walk to school," she said, smiling. "Two minutes."

She's also thankful to be upgrading from a three-bedroom apartment to a five-bedroom unit with two bathrooms.

"It wasn't enough space for me and my kids," she said of Central Park.

'Things Are Moving Quite Well'
As of last week, 109 families out of 483 remained on the Tampa Housing Authority property. Of those, 25 have yet to find a new place to call home.

"I think things are moving quite well," authority Vice President Leroy Moore said. "The families do seem to be more satisfied with their housing choice than in previous relocations."

The relocation is most evident at the trash bins. Furniture, appliances and clothes fill the deep containers. Housing employees, Moore said, are trying to keep up. Once a family turns in the key, employees go in to remove any abandoned belongings. Then they board the windows and door to deter looters and squatters.

Nearly three families a day are moving out now. And the authority has scheduled movers to arrive at specific apartments at set times - 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. - to load packed boxes.

For many families, leaving is bittersweet. Families such as Sadrick Renard and his mother, Agnes, who moved to the United States from Haiti.

Renard, 29, said residents called his mom the "candy lady" because she sold lollipops, two for a quarter, to anyone who stopped by her apartment on Harrison Street.

"She says all the kids know her," he said, translating for his 73-year-old mother, who does not speak English. "She looks forward to meeting new people."

The Renards lived at Central Park for seven years, but they moved Friday to an apartment at Belmont Heights Estates, a federally funded neighborhood on North 20th Street that replaced two previous housing properties.

The authority assisted his family and others by paying relocation costs such as security deposits and hiring movers.

"God will bless" the housing authority, Renard said. "They're cool people."

There are memories and friends and lifetimes spent on Central Park's 28-acre complex.

Retaining The Neighborhood's Spirit
This month, housing officials hope to bulldoze the barracks-style buildings. Redevelopment plans call for a mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood with rental homes, condominiums, retail businesses and more.

The housing authority, in partnership with Bank of America, has pledged to retain as much of the spirit of the neighborhood as possible by refurbishing Perry Harvey Park and creating a black history museum.

"I'm going to miss it. I stayed here all my life," said Clarence Jones, 18, walking across the property as light rain fell Friday.

His family settled in the area between what is now downtown Tampa and Ybor City when it was known as The Scrubs. That was just after the Civil War, when the community was made up mostly of freed slaves and island refugees from the Bahamas, and named for the pine trees that grew there.

"I just hope when they rebuild it," he said, "they got memories."

Jones, who just graduated from Blake High School, said he plans to attend Hillsborough Community College to study business administration. He and his family moved Saturday to an apartment complex nearby, but it won't be permanent.

"I'll move back in as soon as they rebuild," he said.

Asked why, the answer comes without pause: "The community. Everybody stuck together like a village," Jones said. "We had our good and bad, but we had more good than bad."

Reporter John W. Allman can be reached at (813) 259-7915 or jallman@tampatrib.com.

http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBDXXJDM3F.html

Driving past the stark white buildings is like stumbling across an abandoned military test site in the middle of the desert.

Umm, I think they are light blue.

Let's hope that this does not becomes another Project R-13 like what happened in Ybor in the 70's. I realize that this is public housing but at same time this article speaks about the importance of culture in a neighborhood, so I hope that these residences are able to move back in if they want to. I just have a feeling money is going to make that impossible.

I have been inside the village twice in all my years in Tampa, far less than most neighborhoods I have been in. I felt awful for the kids living in the conditions in some of those buildings. But I also feel bad that they may lose the choice to live and grow up in downtown.

^ Boo hoo. Tell their parents to get jobs. I am done feeling sorry for people who are too lazy to provide for themselves.

All former residents have the "first right of refusal" for the new development. Everyone who wishes to move back can do so, as long as they remain in compliance with their leases during redevelopment (whether still in public housing or under Section 8). Obviously most will chose not to return for whatever reason.

Demolition starts this (or next) week!!! Hurray!!! :banana:

I can't wait to see this dump get razed. I think most people will be surprised to see how huge the area of Central Park actually is once the area is leveled. I saw it from a high floor in one of the towers dowtown and was floored to see how many buildings are actually there. I would say 10-15 builldings at least.

It's about 40-50 buildings actually looking out now from my window. A HUGE area!!! Can't wait to see the dust rising from that site.

I counted 56 buildings on yahoo maps. May have missed or added a couple buildings :)

It looks to be about 40 acres (not sure where the city owned border is, but the aerial shot is about 40). A very large chunk of prime real estate.