From A River So Stark To A Walk In The Park
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The walkway will run along the Hillsborough River from Tampa Heights to the Channel District. It will feature parks and eateries, along with perfect spots for marriage proposals, the mayor says.

JAY CONNER / Tribune


By ELLEN GEDALIUS egedalius@tampatrib.com

Published: Mar 15, 2006

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TAMPA - People strolling the proposed $40 million Riverwalk could walk on a floating plaza that runs under the Kennedy Boulevard bridge or stop for a snack at the Laurel Street picnic terraces.

In renderings unveiled Tuesday, space is set aside for restaurants along a path largely defined by parks.

Mayor Pam Iorio and others working on the Riverwalk project unveiled those images at a ceremony Tuesday at Curtis Hixon Park. They kicked off a $20 million fundraising campaign for the project, hoping residents and businesses contribute. The remaining money, Iorio hopes, will come from a combination of city funding, state and federal grants, and developer contributions.

Iorio, who walked along the Hillsborough River as a child on her way to elementary school, envisions the Riverwalk as a place for marriage proposals. She sees it as a spot to eat after taking in a concert at the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center and a destination for condo dwellers to jog before work.

"The Riverwalk is for you," she told Rampello Downtown Partnership School students who attended the event. "It will be here for generations to come."

The 2.4-mile walkway will stretch from the Channel District to Tampa Heights. The path will run under the Laurel Street, Kennedy Boulevard, Brorein Street, Platt Street and Beneficial Drive bridges. Planners haven't figured out exactly how to navigate the Cass Street bridge, but they might build over it.

"No admission fee," Iorio said of the Riverwalk. "Open to everyone."

Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679

http://news.tbo.com/news/metro/MGBGL992TKE.html

Hey there's no direct link for the renderings/pictures so to view them go to the article link and click on "photo gallery" under "related links" to the right of the article. Looks nice. :)

You don't want to see it. IT sucks. I can't wait for the lwsuits from little kids drowning as they fall off the walkways in the middle of the water that have no railings - and then the beautiful railings the city will scramble to put up.

At least they finally have a concrete plan laid out. Now its time to work out the kinks.

http://multimedia.tbo.com/flash/2006/riverwalk/ gallery link
its looks ok could be worse

Wait for the wear and tear, the lawsuits, the lack of anything to do, the lack of lighting (for dark) and shelter (for rain and sun) [obviously planned by people who do not live in Florida] and more lawsuits.

While I support a river walk, I will not be giving money. I have lost faith in Iorio's ability to produce beyond the most general concept ("we need a riverwalk", "residential would be nice", "we need a museum somewhere")

I've seen these renderings before. wasn't there another site?

I think you are right to be skeptical on this Smiley (though the lawsuits I'm a skeptic of).

I was thinking about the lack of cover on the riverwalk specifically. How many people would use this (besides the homeless) on a hot summer day?

^It will be used much like Bayshore is, without some serious improvements over the shit plan presented so far.

WTF is with the walkway near the Musuem, down past Kennedy? Do they seriously intend to leave that massive cliff there between Kiley Gardens, and the river's edge? Oh that's right, because the moron city planners in the past let the beer can building's developer build right to the edge (under the garden), without giving a thought to what it would do to the riverfront in the future.

Trust me, the first person who falls in and gets hurt will file suit. It is reasonably foreseeable that someone will fall in - I just foresaw it and the thing is not built - it is reasonably foreseeable that a kid will fall in. It is reasonably foreseeable that there will be a lawsuit because ofthe utter lack of safety features.

They will put some incredibly ugly afterthought railing and it will suck. Instead o trying to be hip and now, why didn't they try to do something that will work. And will those thing float in the water or be fixed - and so what happens with the tides and how high out of the water will they be, etc. etc. . just build a nice, wide, well lit, mildly decorate sidewalk and allow stores and restaruants to be built facing it. Is that so damn hard?

^Yes, it is... Why? Because that requires enough intelligence to have researched what else works around the world, and adapt it to the local context... This is Tampa, and that is simply too much to ask, top to bottom.

These will most likely be heavy pontoons which will float but will be barely noticeable. I believe the problems in this project will be fixed and it will be a great addition to a growing DT Tampa. Maybe even the attraction Tampa needs to revitalize its pedestrian activity and become a regional destination.

1) tampa hired the experts from out of state. They should do more in state and it may work better. Florida is very different from ost other places in climate, flora, fauna, etc.

2) pontoons will not work. They will rot and suck. They will float too high and risk becoming detached.

3) putting people 50 feet in the middle of the river with no connection to the street or any useful store will hardly improve pedestrian traffic.

I would have preferred they do a contest at USF and see what they get rather than spend a ton of money paying some numnuts designing this goofiness

BTW, I do not think they will fix the problems. The problems are so obvious that they should have been fixed before the project was even presented. The failure to fix them prior to the unveiling just means they are not looking properly - like putting a museum in the cubes.

Would that Greco would run again and we could get some things done properly

So......this is our Riverwalk? :rant: :rant: :rant:

Some students at USF have done smaller individual projects based on the Riverwalk idea... And they absolutely kicked ass compared what this looks like it is becoming.

boooorrrrrrriiiiiinnnnnnnnnnggggggggg.. goddammit iorio

We will all be dead by the time this Tampa Riverwalk is finished!!

First there will be study after study after study after study on the feasibility of the Riverwalk and each individual segment in additon to the studies that have already taken place. Our local governments love studies you know.

Between the initial studies the environmentalists will come up with an array of lawsuits blocking construction of anything over the Hillsborough River because the new structure will disturb the swimming pattern of the fish or block the passage of a pregnant manatee that is in her third trimester!! The city council at that point will ask for another study to see what can be done about this.

Next the archeologists will pitch a fit and take the city to court demanding an excavation of all land the Riverwalk will cover. There will be a few court battles and once again the city council will ask for a study on how best to excavate. In the end there will be 15 years of excavation and the land will yield ONE fake Indian arrowhead carved by one of Teddy Roosevelt’s troops 100 years ago while waiting to ship off to Cuba. TWO strands of beads from Gasparilla (circa 1973). Additionally they will also find a can of unopened tuna from a construction worker who helped build the Beer Can Building in the 1980’s. The City Council will ask for a study on how to best display these items in a new Riverwalk museum.

In the meantime donors to the Riverwalk project will be fighting amongst themselves and with the City over what their individual segments will look like and who will have the naming rights to the park. After a very long debate the Tampa Riverwalk will be known as the National Bank of China Riverwalk. The red flag of China will fly over the Riverwalk in addition to the corporate flags of Microsoft, Enron, Kia Motors, Citibank, Abercrombie & Fitch, Denny’s and Pottery Barn, just to name a few.

By the times the studies are finished, the lawsuits are over, and donors are found, a new mayor will be elected and will require that the National Bank of China Riverwalk have a $650 million endowment so that the now scaled down version, which resembles a suburban Brandon sidewalk, will be taken care of in perpetuity. The project cost more than seven times what it was originally estimated to cost. The city will then fail to raise the $650 million endowment and the project will die as so many other have in the past.

At that point the City Council will as for a study on why the National Bank of China Riverwalk wasn’t built.

All that being said I can’t wait to buy a brick for $100 with my name on it and try to find it on one of the few portions of the National Bank of China Riverwalk ever to be completed in time for the city’s 200th Birthday celebration in the year 2049. Thankfully at that point the new Outback Steakhouse Musum of Art will only be months away from completion.

^Brandon has sidewalks?

:lol:

I don't remember there being any beads back in 73 - though they had the coins. Maybe they had beads and I jsut forgot.

anyway, they already had a wooden riverwalk by the submarine (which they ran out of town only to become a reasnably popular attraction in Pittsburg of all places) Yu can see the names on the palques on the wall which Jasonhouse made note of at the Kiley Park section of the river walk - which is much better than anything planned here. at least tehre are portions near a building.

They should just do a nice walkway along the river and spend the money on a pedestrian brdige over the river to Bayshore.

Like the art museum (and the history museum), I really want a riverwalk - I just don't want the one we are going to be stuck with - especially after they retrofit it with chani link fences to make sure noone gets hurt

If Tampa was smart they would get this thing going in time for the next Super Bowl here, but sadly it won't happen.

this riverwalk is so freaking stupid.. if they're gonna invest in something like this, they might as well build some commercial space along the river walk (much like jacksonville's landing) so that people would actually go there.. i have a funny feeling that its gonna turn into another random-ass park that tampa has dispersed throughout the city (ie lykes park).. this stuff is expensive, it better be well worth it in the long runa nd it better provide good reason to use it.. hell, even a little stage with free concerts on weekends would be nice

I don't understand why the renderings didn't incorporate any restaurants, entertainment venues, etc. If these are future renderings of the riverwalk, how can anyone envision people using it without seeing the attractions? The article talks about space for it, but I don't see where the space is not to mention parking or public transportation to downtown. It's just a long walkway with nothing to do... Like everyone else has stated, it's like bayshore - a long sidewalk.

They should do something like San Francisco's Fisherman’s Wharf or even John's Pass in Madeira Beach (but bigger). Didn't they spend close to $1 million for these designs? They seriously need to get their money back IMO. Another waste of tax payer’s dollars.

It costs a lot to draw arcs in the water - seriously, where are the venues - tehy are no where. There is no place to put them - until you tear down the museum - but wait - that is just going to be a park - especially with a sidewalk out in the water. Like I said - she has the big picture ok, but the details never work.

Man - there are some negative attitudes about the riverwalk out there. I think it will be built before we are dead. There appears to be REAL saftey issues - I am sure these will be addressed.

If you have the time, take a look at this link:

http://www.tampagov.net/dept_Public_Works/riverwalk/EDAW2/index.asp

Go to the "Development of Master Plan" Section - on page 25 or so the renderings start. These are much more detailed then the ones printed by the Tribune. As you will see - some of them do show railings and covered areas. Others do not.

It is of significance to note that the Blu Channelside is part of the master plan. Despite rumor to the contrary - There is NO way this project wont get built. People on Harbor Island are just flexing their muscles a bit.

Like I said, I am very much in favor of a riverwalk, but the more I see, the less I like. For instance, if you look at that display from the city (a draft, but still) you notice that instead of increasing interaction between the river and downtown - in a lot of places, that idiotic floating sidewalk pulls people away from downtown into the middle of the river - which is fine if you are rollerblading, but not if you are walking and certainly not if you are trying to get somewhere. I think Curtis Hixon park shows definitively that sidewalks should be relatively direct paths. There is no window shopping, no strolling by establishments. It will be dead space save the people exercising. It is boneheaded.

And where are the docks so you can pull your boat up and enjoy life on the river walk.

I like the riverwalk project. I am sure it will be a success. I agree that it would be nice to have the riverwalk on land, but at some places, the bridges do not offer enough head room, so they have to build some floating parts out over the river. I just hope they won't overdo it and build more than actually needed.

It will be nice to walk along parks, urban sections with restaurants, boat slips and some floated parts.

I hope that the lot where the Sheraton hotel is located will be totally redeveloped and they build a sidewalk with storefronts just like Trump Tower.

As with any big project, it will have its supporters and its detractors. For those of you that hate it (or at least parts of it), send your opinions to Pam and anyone else tied to this project. At least then someone other than a bunch of forummers will hear your beefs.

I think one of the risks that our prestigious Mayor runs with this Riverwalk is to build it up to be more than it will be. At the most basic level, it will be a (hopefully) nicely-landscaped path along the downtown waterfront. Shops and restaurants may or may not be added eventually.

Even if they don't, it will get used and enjoyed. Maybe not so much at first, but as more people move downtown the Riverwalk will grow in popularity. People will use it in much the same way they use Bayshore - run, blade, bike, stroll, walk dogs, etc.

I see it as a nice amenity, but certainly not a major attraction like the Riverwalk in San Antonio.

And I'm certainly looking forward to using it for running, as Bayshore can get pretty congested after work, and this will be closer to the Channelside area where I live.

I just want to throw this out so supporters have an idea that Smiley is on the right track with Tampa taking this design from an out-of-state designer erronously.

Tampa also approved of the construction of Ice Palace with a rejected design of Gund Arena in Cleveland. Think about that for a second -- Gund Arena in Cleveland's rejected design is in Tampa as the home arena of Tampa's hockey team. Hockey.

Ice Palace / The SPTF is designed for northern weather and the ice surface has suffered in part for that reason. Extra millions have been invested in the building simply because the building was not designed for the Florida climate and the city and former Lightning owners signed off on the design.

The arena isn't an attrocity or anything (and I hate it when there are blowhards that talk about the location sucking because it's in downtown tampa and not the boonies of Pinellas or by RJS like originally proposed)... But it's an example of why you have got to have things designed for Florida specifically. Outsiders don't grasp the heat and humidity quotent here...

My favorite example is trying to explain to out of state architects how in old brick buildings you get trees coming out the side. While not unhaerd of, apparently, according to architect friends of mine, this is not that common elsewhere, because many are quite surprised.

Shade and shelter from rain is another idea that people seem to not understand very well.

Those airfoils are kind of nice for storm season.

I thought the whole Riverwalk would be a major impotance to the Mayor and make her realize this needed to be 100% GREAT to make Tampa the place to come. She must of haven't put much dedication into it.Where is the restaurants and entertainment? Where is the beauty and awe-inspiring landscaping? Is this hat Tampa deserves? No, Tampa deserves better and this can become better. More work needs to be done on this and they should get the publics view on this before starting this project.