um...the park next to 400 N Ashley was designed by a famous park planner and is a major city asset. just because the city has never maintained the park doesnt mean it needs to be torn down. and homelessness is a problem in tampa, and there are not enough shelters for them actually, especially as their numbers continue to climb. in the meantime they will occupy any park they are allowed to.

um...the park next to 400 N Ashley was designed by a famous park planner and is a major city asset. just because the city has never maintained the park doesnt mean it needs to be torn down. and homelessness is a problem in tampa, and there are not enough shelters for them actually, especially as their numbers continue to climb. in the meantime they will occupy any park they are allowed to.

I don't see this as an asset. I see it as an eyesore. Either they need to completely re-do the whole thing and maintain it, or tear it down. I think it should be torn down.

I think they should redo the whole park, and actually maintain it.

I also used ot think that the park there at 400 N Ashley was nice, but that was back before it turned into a complete shithole. At this point, it would cost as much to bring it back up to par as it would to develop that same amount of acreage in a new park.

Engineering firm selected for Riverwalk
By Times Staff Writer
Published June 11, 2005

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

TAMPA - Riverwalk moved closer to fruition this week when the Tampa City Council approved Mayor Pam Iorio's top-choice engineering firm to draw the plans.

San Francisco-based EDAW Inc. will get about $848,000 to design the downtown Riverwalk, which would meander along 2.5 miles of the Hillsborough River between Channelside and the North Boulevard Bridge.

Iorio had bypassed her staff's top-ranked firm, URS Corp., which was accused of design flaws on the elevated Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway.

Iorio had chosen EDAW Inc., which has designed riverwalks and waterfront parks in Portland, Ore., Richmond, Va., Louisville, Ky., and Barcelona, Spain.

Iorio has said she hoped the project would finish by 2010, but Thursday, City Council members said they hoped for completion by 2009, when Tampa hosts the Super Bowl.

[Last modified June 11, 2005, 00:25:17http://www.sptimes.com/2005/06/11/Hillsborough/Engineering_firm_sele.shtml

LATEST NEWS
Tampa Bay Business Journal - 2:23 PM EDT Tuesday
Status of Temple Terrace redevelopment partners unclear
Alexis Muellner
Three master developers were slated to find out in mid-July which one would be chosen to partner in what is now a $300-million redevelopment planned in Temple Terrace's downtown.

Now, word on the street is that two of those firms, Downtown Renaissance Alliance in Miami and Trammell Crow Co. in Dallas are pulling out of the deal.

"That statement is not quite true," said City Redevelopment Director Ralph Bosek. "We are in the process of talking to all of our development partners."

A selection committee meeting was scheduled for Tuesday night, Bosek said. The city Tuesday was "trying to understand" where all the developers stood, he said.

"One of them has said `we may be interested if we have extra time,' and we're trying to get that clarified," Bosek said.

Bosek declined to name the developer that had made the request.

"We hope in the next day or two to have clear answers with the developers," he said.

To add balance, Bosek said there has been a very positive response to the opportunity from other firms.

"There are some dynamics. It's really gray," he said. "We're working on it."

The Business Journal is seeking comment from Downtown Renaissance Alliance in Miami and Trammell Crow Co. two of the three finalists in the project.

"We've herd rumblings [about other developers pulling out]," said Chuck Whittall, president of Unicorp National Developments. "We're still in it and certainly have a high interest in developing the project, " Whittall said.

The project is "well planned out, and all the appropriate steps are being taken," he said.

Downtown Renaissance Alliance is a partnership of Miami-based LNR Properties and Lennar Homes (NYSE: LEN), Bosek said.

The finalists were chosen out of more than 40 prospective developers, contractors and consultants.

The city is seeking a master development partner to help finance, build and retain substantial ownership of a town center on 38 acres of commercial real estate the city owns. Parks, common areas and a new city hall are examples of the property that the city would retain.

The plan that has been proposed, with 1,000 new residents, will dramatically change the character of Temple Terrace.

The site fronts the Hillsborough River on the south, North 56th Street to the west and the Bullard Parkway to the north.

Once the selection of a developer is made, it is the city's hope that demolition occurs on the north end of the property within a year, which is phase one of the project. Phase two comprises the middle quadrant, with phase three the property near the river.

A city-owned civic arts and education center, a museum, private and public parking garages, and a U.S. Post Office complex also would be included in the project.

The town center is only a fraction of the entire redevelopment plan for the city that would reshape the community's commercial core along 56th Street.

The total community redevelopment agency area is 224 acres. The 79-year-old city asked and received approval from Hillsborough County Jan. 10 to amend its master plan and rezone all 224 acres into mixed use. But it's the 38 acres on which the city is now focused.

In 2004, the city had purchased 35 of those acres, a point of "critical mass" that Bosek told the Business Journal last week, signified the project would get done.

The city has financed the purchase of the acres through a series of short-term borrowings totaling $25.5 million, public documents show.

http://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/06/13/daily25.html?f=et83

^I can't believe how long that project is taking to egt off the ground. They haven't even selected someone, and as the article says, that developer will have a year after contracting, just to do demo work... At that rate, nothing is going to open for a good 4-5 years.

Just perused the new Maddux Report, and they're still advertising for Hillsborough River Tower. I really believe this is going to happen. I feel it. :cheers:

^lol

I had kind of written off any possibility of the Hillsborough River Tower actually getting built. However, I just read that Hillsborough River Realty/The Jeffries Company is sponsoring some large downtown forum (can't remember which one), which leads me to believe they may have something up their sleeve.

Maybe that site would work as office/condo combo, or hotel/office/condo?

Yes, if they get with the times, and redesign for mixed-use, this thing could go up in fairly short order, given the location (with infrastructure ready to go).

Yup - they are in on the Kress Block - if the names listed at the hearing are to be believed.

I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the Tampa Bay 1 preoject? This is just south of I275 in what they are calling Midtown, between Dale Mabry and Himes and just north of Cypress. I think it is a mixed use proposal with hotel, condos, retail and business offices.

Welcome!

Seems like that project has been on the boards as long as the Hillsborough River Tower. At one point, I thought they announced that they'd be breaking ground by end of 2003. I also remember a rumor that Westin had signed up for the hotel, but now with a new Westin going in at Rocky Point, I'm not sure.

Here's their website if you want to learn more about it - http://www.tampabay1.com/

Maybe some of the other guys on the forum have some more updated info...

Thank you very much for the welcome, and the info. I drove by the site the other night and there are fences up with skanska signs up all over the property so I was wondering if this project got started without any groundbreaking ceramony.

Just some useful data
Kennedy Place
The 11-story University of Tampa dorm called Kennedy Place has its own style, not the style of Plant Hall. "The architecture we create today needs to stand on its own," its architect says.
By MICHAEL CANNING
Published June 17, 2005

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


LOCATION: 404 W Kennedy Blvd., across from the University of Tampa

DEVELOPER: Anthony Development Group Inc.

DESCRIPTION: Eleven-story University of Tampa dorm with 152 units. Of those, 122 units will have one bed and 220 square feet, and 30 will have two beds and 400 square feet. Each unit will have a bathroom and kitchen area. A one-story Garden Center in front of the building will provide 500 square feet of indoor meeting space. The exterior architectural style is a "UT style that we developed," said project architect Eric Kreher. "It's modern architecture, but with classical materials," such as brick, stucco and glass.

PRICE: Estimated $18.1-million, according to Andrew Arena of Anthony Development

ARCHITECT: Kreher Architects of Tampa

AMENITIES: Washers and dryers in the first-floor laundry room notify residents when their loads are done by calling their cell phones. Residents can also monitor the progress of their laundry on a Web page. All units will be wired for cable television, high speed Internet access and telephone.

WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Kennedy Place won't look like Plant Hall, UT's historic centerpiece building across the street, Kreher said. "By trying to imitate Plant Hall, you're making it less important. The architecture we create today needs to stand on its own."

TIMELINE: The 1908-vintage Whitledge Hotel on the site was demolished in April and construction on the dorm started April 25. It is scheduled to be done in time for UT's 2006 fall term.

MOVE-IN DATE: Fall term 2006.

FOR INFORMATION: Call UT's residence life office at 253-6239.

The Latest Development features a new residential or commercial project. To suggest a project, e-mail mikecanning@hotmail.com or call 226-3394.

[Last modified June 15, 2005, 17:31:02]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/06/17/Citytimes/Kennedy_Place.shtml

btw, I forgot to tell folks this the other day...


The tower crane base is in place for the UT dorm on Kennedy. I expect we'll see that crane go up within the next week or two.

Ooooweee, I love them cranes. Makes a place look alive. Like Channelside, where there is stuff going on all over - except the Towers lot - now I am really wondering.

I have updated the front page of this thread some, as I recently verified the status of a few projects...

I also added soem kind of info on several projects which were nto previously listed. (none of it should be new to regulars)


For those who don't already know...Project status as of today

Grand Central at Kennedy is U/C
Embassy Suites @ TCC is U/C and up to the 7th floor
Embassy Suites and Oasis Rocky Point is site prep with construction to begin after
Ventana is U/C
Skypoint is U/C
Plaza at Harbour Island is doing site prep with construction to begin after
Towers@Channelside is unchanged
Pinnacle/O2 is unchanged
Four Seasons Residences is unchanged
The Meridian is topped out
Trump Tower Tampa is site prepping, with construction to begin after
Residences@Franklin is U/C
1000 Channelside is U/C (3rd floor)
Alagon is topped out
The Bellamy is nearly topped out (like 20th-21st floor)

I spent part of the day at work googling Tampa Bay 1 and the Bromley Companies that are the developer. I found references to the project going back at least to December 2000 (which article said the project had been "talked about" for over a year), which would make this almost as old as HRT. I have an article from June of 2001 saying that Westin has signed on for the hotel and groundbreaking is imminent. I note that there is not a Westin there as yet and, as FLHawk points out, Westin may feel they've adequately saturated the market. Of course if I agreed to build a hotel and nothing had happened four years later I'd probably start looking around for other deals, too. Barnes & Noble was supposed to take one of the retail spaces, but like Westin they've moved ahead and have a store in the neighborhood.

Google couldn't find anything newer than 2003 on the project--and that was a reference to imminent groundbreaking for the hotel, news which was by that time two years old. The website itself creatively avoids mentioning dates.

The Bromley Company itself it at least a going concern and has been for 30-some years, though searches for the name of their CEO, William Haines, lead nowhere. The Costas Kondylis architecure firm lists Tampa Bay 1 as one of their 2003 projects--but says nothing whatsoever about it.

I was inclined to write the whole thing off, but then I noticed on the web site that Pam Iorio has a little blurb as the mayor of Tampa, so that's not more than, what, three years old, right? Hmm. Dick Greco's quote mentions that we "just finished having our third Super Bowl."

Count me a doubter.

A New Platt-itude?

Tampa Tribune
By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: Jun 24, 2005
http://www.tampatrib.com/Business/MGBFNIORBAE.html

TAMPA - The developer of a sold-out luxury condominium tower on Bayshore Boulevard, which already plans to add hundreds of other condos along the high-profile road, now wants to acquire property across from its latest complex.
Crescent Resources LLC just completed its 18-story Parkside of One Bayshore and controls property in the Bayshore area that would allow it to eventually build four other projects.

The Charlotte, N.C., company now confirms that it also has made preliminary inquiries to buy property across from its Parkside tower on Platt Street, a main road into downtown from south Tampa, said Jim Smith, vice president for multifamily development at Crescent.

``We've talked to the school and some other owners,'' Smith said. ``We're interested ... but if anything happens there, it will probably take a while.''

Smith said he's talked informally to the owners of the popular Four Green Fields pub and St. John's Episcopal Parish Day School. Other properties along the two blocks between Plant Street and Bayshore include a Publix grocery store, a house, a dry cleaners and a well-known lunch spot.

Knowing that change may come, some Platt Street owners are trying to buy each other out; some are holding out for larger offers; and others say they're waiting for someone else to build something first.

The only thing clear is that getting control of Platt Street property won't be easy. The owner of Four Green Fields plans to build a hotel beside the bar and officials at Lakeland-based Publix Super Markets say they aren't interested in selling downtown's only grocery store.

``It is a successful store location for us, and we currently don't have any plans to close that store,'' said Maria Brous, Publix media relations director.

Brous did acknowledge that the location at Platt and Bayshore may be too small to accommodate the growing downtown area, where more than two dozen condo complexes are proposed.

``We always evaluate our stores, and so in our future it may be a larger store, but we have no plans now,'' she said.


It'll Cost 'Em

Colin Breen, owner of Four Green Fields, plans to build a boutique hotel and parking structure on land just west of his tavern. He plans to start construction in six months and says he's not planning to sell but, for the right offer, he would consider it.

``I know [Crescent] has a lot of money, but the price would be ridiculously high,'' Breen said. ``They'd have to pay for what our business is worth and what the land is worth and what the hotel plans are worth.''

David Townsend, who lives on Davis Islands and sometimes meets friends for drinks at Four Green Fields, is happy the area may be redeveloped but doesn't want to lose his grocery store or the bar.

``It's only natural that you're beginning to see more development along this street,'' he said. ``Now whether the area can support all of these things, we don't know.''

David Frothingham, interim head master for St. John's Episcopal Parish Day School, said the school wants to sell eventually because the changing area won't be a good fit for a school.

``Our problem is we'll have to have another piece of property,'' Frothingham said.


A Brilliant Buy

Realtor Jim Walters, of Smith & Associates, is representing Crescent's Bayshore area condos and said he is ``not at liberty'' to outline the company's plans for Platt Street. Developing the busy street, he said, would be smart.

``People want to buy anything they can on Platt Street,'' Smith said. ``We want to build a harmonious residential community, to bring excitement and life into downtown.''

Some nearby residents and city council members are concerned about increased traffic on Platt, which is one-way.

``Right now, the roads can handle what has been approved'' by the council, said Councilman John Dingfelder. ``We have to be really careful on what we approve on the other side of the street.''

Crescent, the real estate development subsidiary of Charlotte-based Duke Energy, has built several projects in the Bay area:

* Grand Hampton, a subdivision in New Tampa.

* Southern Hills Plantation Club, a gated community in Brooksville.

* Three office buildings next to the International Plaza mall, where Outback Steakhouse and Walter Industries have their headquarters.

* Three office buildings at Hidden River Corporate Park on Fletcher Avenue near Interstate 75.

* Crosstown Center, an office Park near Brandon, at U.S. 301, near the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. It includes apartments, office space and retail.

^Man, these guys REALLY aren't screwing around...

This is a bit dated now, but I forgot to post it the other day, and it's somewhat related to the story above...



Bayshore Condo Project Uncertain

Tampa Tribune
By JOSH POLTILOVE jpoltilove@tampatrib.com
Published: Jun 18, 2005

SOUTH TAMPA - Plans for two Bayshore Boulevard condominium towers remain in limbo, months after the developer began revising them to ease concerns.

The city council this week voted 3-2 to approve the project, but four votes are needed. Council members Gwen Miller, Shawn Harrison and Kevin White favored the development at 319 Bayshore Blvd., with Linda Saul-Sena and Rose Ferlita voting against. John Dingfelder and Mary Alvarez were absent.

The council will vote again Thursday, Miller said.

Two previous site plans were shot down by the council, which told Crescent Resources LLC to reduce the project's scale and make it more compatible with the area. The new plan shows one tower on the parcel's north side reduced to 21 stories and the southern tower at eight stories.

Despite the changes, Saul-Sena said, "the scale of the proposed development is going to cause injury to the neighborhood. It's going to create a wall around Bayshore and a dangerous traffic situation."

Residents of the neighboring 345 Bayshore condominium tower also expressed concern about the project's potential traffic impact.

Harrison disagreed, citing a city transportation study that found the development would not dramatically affect traffic flow.

The council first considered the project in March, when Crescent proposed a 20-story, 168-unit tower. The council suggested the project include a smaller building on the parcel's south side, near 345 Bayshore, and a larger building on the north.

When Crescent returned in May with plans to build towers of eight and 24 stories, the council again asked for a reduction. That plan called for 149 units.

WOW, a lot of new projects for Tampa!! :eek2:

Now, if I remember for the Crescent project on the front page isn't there a new rendering?

Welcome Florida Future!

There will probably be some new renderings coming out soon, once the newest phase of the project along Bayshore has been approved by City Council.

I saw their presentation on CTTV last weekend, and the project looks pretty interesting. It will definitely give the entrance to DT from Bayshore a completely different look and feel.

^Actually, I think TTT will be the difference maker on the entrance to DT from Bayshore (it will "wham" you in the face after that last turn up form Davis Islands)... But Crescent's projects won't hurt either. :)

Both of them will definitely change the landscape and future of Bayshore.

o werd...floridas gonnna be the new skyscarper state :) i hope so.... its beautiful tho

I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about the Tampa Bay 1 preoject? This is just south of I275 in what they are calling Midtown, between Dale Mabry and Himes and just north of Cypress. I think it is a mixed use proposal with hotel, condos, retail and business offices.
I drive by there all the time and there is no action going on. The lack of office demand may be holding it up. The condo's and hotel may be the only part of it that gets built, or the whole thing may be dead.

^I imagine that the Barnes and Noble contract fell through then, as did the other unnamed retail tenants.

I wonder how much of it was due to the dipshits who own the Shell gas station, and how much of it was poor project planning (including so much office space, when residential would have been wiser)?

The one part of that project which I always felt was DOA was the movie theater.

Yes, if they get with the times, and redesign for mixed-use, this thing could go up in fairly short order, given the location (with infrastructure ready to go).
I think a 30 or 40 story hot high rise condo with fancy terraces looking right at all the tall buildings along Ashley would be a great idea. Forget about an office building. They can't even fill up the space in the existing office buildings.

^I imagine that the Barnes and Noble contract fell through then, as did the other unnamed retail tenants.

I wonder how much of it was due to the dipshits who own the Shell gas station, and how much of it was poor project planning (including so much office space, when residential would have been wiser)?

The one part of that project which I always felt was DOA was the movie theater.
So what else is new? Tampa and Hillsbourough County is known for poor planning. We need to elect some younger, more broad minded educated people. Sorry Rhonda!

^I meant Bromley's internal planning.

But you're right, the conty govt is an absolute embarrassment.

Just want to let you guys know that 400 Ashley Tower has been renamed to Rivergate Tower.

http://tampatrib.com/businessnews/MGBMFMK9DAE.html

There is the link. I think its good for the tower, gives it another name beside beer can. :cheers:

^hey, I found that out yesterday firsthand... I went down and took more pics from the roof (as I promised). I will post them in the next few days.

I also took a tour of the building... Man, like 60% of the place is empty, maybe more.

Hey, mayby all 400 ashley.... :sleepy: I mean Rivergate needs is a name and some more people DT and it will fill. That name kind of reminds me watergate which may not be good......

Hey, mayby all 400 ashley.... :sleepy: I mean Rivergate needs is a name and some more people DT and it will fill. That name kind of reminds me watergate which may not be good......

Yeah I work in this building...whatever its called now and its pretty empty.

^hey, I found that out yesterday firsthand... I went down and took more pics from the roof (as I promised). I will post them in the next few days.

I also took a tour of the building... Man, like 60% of the place is empty, maybe more.
Somebody mentioned that the cylinder building should be changed into a hotel! Do you think that would fly?

^No. It doesn't have the infrastructure for it.

Partially converting it into condos would be a better use IMO, though that too would require some serious renovation.

Much of the building is empty and I know that BoA just moved most of its offices out. I just know of my department and one other BoA department that are still here. The rest are over in the main tower. We would've moved but apparently they didn't have enough space for us there. We just signed a 3 year lease. I think condos would be great for this building. We have excellent 360 degree views. I can see downtown St. Pete and the bay, not to mention the river.

Much of the building is empty and I know that BoA just moved most of its offices out. I just know of my department and one other BoA department that are still here. The rest are over in the main tower. We would've moved but apparently they didn't have enough space for us there. We just signed a 3 year lease. I think condos would be great for this building. We have excellent 360 degree views. I can see downtown St. Pete and the bay, not to mention the river.
OK, condo's sound good. Maybe the boxy building at the base would be for parking.

OK, condo's sound good. Maybe the boxy building at the base would be for parking.
Forgot to mention there are no terraces on this building and that might be a turn off to buyers.

^That would also be difficult to overcome (without high cost), because of the core-in-tube structure of the tower. Much like the WTC towers, Rivergate's outer skin carries much of the vertical and shear loads, meaning punching holes in it (to create spaces for terraces) would be a bad idea... Cantilevering terraces off of the outer skin would be possible, but I don't know how affordable.

^That would also be difficult to overcome (without high cost), because of the core-in-tube structure of the tower. Much like the WTC towers, Rivergate's outer skin carries much of the vertical and shear loads, meaning punching holes in it (to create spaces for terraces) would be a bad idea... Cantilevering terraces off of the outer skin would be possible, but I don't know how affordable.
My friend in Chicago had one built onto her highrise there (simply because of her friends that smoked). She lived in a rectangular/straight building and had a very small terrace added. It cost over $10,000. You seem to know a lot about that building. I have been in it only once and was very impressed with all the marble on the first floor. I think it's more impressive on the inside than the outside. Right now the top of it looks like it needs a paint job or a pressure wash.

^I actually tend to know just a little bit about alot of different subjects. I don't really know much of anything that is actually useful.

Oh and btw, they are in the process of pressure washing the building and cleaning windows right now.

^I actually tend to know just a little bit about alot of different subjects. I don't really know much of anything that is actually useful.

Oh and btw, they are in the process of pressure washing the building and cleaning windows right now.
Good! It was borderline eyesore.

Review board to hear plans for next phase of Parkside at One Bayshore
Ken Salgat
The City of Tampa's Architectural Review board will meet at 5:30 Tuesday to review plans for a 26-story mixed-use project at 295 Bayshore Blvd.
The project, called Towers of One Bayshore, is the next phase of Crescent Resources LLC's Parkside at One Bayshore at 275 Bayshore Blvd. Parkside included 104 units in a 17-story building. Units in that phase are priced from $259,000 to $656,000.

Towers of One Bayshore would add another 312 luxury units downtown.

The developer has broken the parcel into four different phases, said Amenta Vance, Tampa's inspector for historic preservation.

"This is simply a public hearing to give the developer a chance to show that this phase fits well into the area's architectural style," said Vance. "The entire project already has been approved for the different height variances."

The phases include Parkside of One Bayshore, Towers of One Bayshore, City of Tampa Pedestrian Park and Residences of One Bayshore. This last phase would add 14 townhomes to the community.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/06/27/daily27.html

^Thank God they haven't downsized the project, and apparently won't have to either.

This makes me wonder how the city can soberly ask the same developer to make the nieghboring project, which will sit between 345 Bayshore and this tower, only 18 stories tall. exactly where is the precedent for making that project SHORTER and smaller than the projects it is flanked by?

But hey, these are the same fruit loops who told that Franklin St developer to downsize his great project last week...

My friend in Chicago had one built onto her highrise there (simply because of her friends that smoked). She lived in a rectangular/straight building and had a very small terrace added. It cost over $10,000. You seem to know a lot about that building. I have been in it only once and was very impressed with all the marble on the first floor. I think it's more impressive on the inside than the outside. Right now the top of it looks like it needs a paint job or a pressure wash.
Correction! I told you the wrong information. She didn't have a balcony built, she bought another unit in the same building that had existing balconies & the unit cost 10K more because of that.

Thought it would be interesting to post a 3D satellite rendering of Tampa thanks to Google Earth.

https://rdcrn.epi.usf.edu/rdnwebappdemo/images/3dtampa.jpg

^^ That's an interesting image, showing all the buildings. Now if only we could find an image with all the future projects added in. ::sigh::

If I wasn't so lazy, I would make one.

If I wasn't so lazy, I would make one.
There was an article in the Tribune back in the early 90's that showed a model of a furture Tampa. Unfortunately, they predicted a lot of office buildings (which are not happening today). If you can find it you will laugh. I think it was in 1992.

I have a copy of that article still. It was made by USF students.

USF's ARC students also recently made another model of DT in CAD...though I didn't see the finished model, nor do I have a copy of it.

I have a copy of that article still. It was made by USF students.

USF's ARC students also recently made another model of DT in CAD...though I didn't see the finished model, nor do I have a copy of it.
I hate to sound like a dumbass but what is CAD?

^^^
Computer animated (or is it assisted?) design :)

It's a very general term. CAD could be the autocad models that architects create or PIXAR animation.

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

I'd say google did an impressive job rendering Tampa. It appears to be a cluster of skyscrapers admist a vast sea of ghettos. :D

^^^
Computer animated (or is it assisted?) design :)

It's a very general term. CAD could be the autocad models that architects create or PIXAR animation.

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

I'd say google did an impressive job rendering Tampa. It appears to be a cluster of skyscrapers admist a vast sea of ghettos. :D
Thanks!

Has anyone heard what chain the grocery store will be at Grand Central at Kennedy? They were supposed to announce by now.

The rep at Ventana said that it was a Publix, but they're the only chain with a store already downtown. I was hoping for a Harris Teeter, Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, or Fresh Market.

Glad to be a part of this forum ... have been reading the (very helpful) information for a few months now.

Welcome Kentski!

Yah, I've heard Publix as well. Are you buying in the Channel District?

There's a Wild Oats going in at Walters Crossing on Dale Mabry, where the new Target is opening next month. I think it's scheduled to open in late summer / early fall.

If I wasn't so lazy, I would make one.

I've made many paper ones. (They suck) I still have them somewhere.

You know maybe we could ask a forumer that doesn't live in tampa or post in the florida forum??

Concerning the grocery store that is going in at Grand Central, 6 weeks ago, it had not bee determined. I was at the sales center in mid-May, and I asked that question. The lady I was speaking to said it had not been finalized, and if it were up to her (which it's not) she would push for a Trader Joe's.

That said, whenever I bought a condo, there, in December of last year, I WAS told that it was most likely going to be a Publix.

Hi FLHawk and TampaGuy -

Yep, bought at Grand Central back in March ... REALLY happy with how things are progressing so far, and hope to be in there Fall of 2006. It's shaping up to be a great place ...

Hello I'am new to the forum. I have been keeping up with the insightful comments of all the users. I will be moving into channelside shortly. Very intersted in learning as much about all the development as possible. Very excited and looking forward to be part of this wonderful channelside community.

Hi egreener, kentski,and tampaguy75 welcome aboard! :grouphug:

It appears to be a cluster of skyscrapers admist a vast sea of ghettos. :D

Well they pretty much got it right then.

Nothing like a little city pride.

Nice to see so many new members lately.

Maybe we'll actually have a few people show up if I ever get around to arranging a forum GTG. Whenever some additional projects get underway, and are going vertical, it may be time. (I figure Sept-Oct)



Oh and btw, it looks like Towers@Channelside may finally be getting revved up... I believe a contractor's trailer was delivered to the site today (after the moron driving it crashed it through a couple trees on Channelside Dr)

Also, a survey crew looked to be staking out the layout, though they were very near to Meridian. If it wasn't for Towers at Channelside, then there is some kind of outparcel getting built. If someone knowledgable drives by Friday or Tuesday, we should know for sure.

I would love to see a world class museum the likes of (The Field museum of natural history in Chicago) be considered for the downtown Tampa area. That would be a great asset to the Tampa Bay region. Is it a possibility? Is there a large track of land in the downtown area for that size project? Would the financial burden be too taxing on the people of this city/county/region? The museum could be tied in with a local University and provide research and learning on various subjects such as anthropolgy/biology/geology and zoology.
Food for thought!

Hey, egreener, you're an optimist! Love it.

I think that a museum of the stature that you describe is a great idea, albeit not realistic in the near future. I'm sure you've been following the Art Museum debacle? I think they need to get that one figured out first.

Next are plans for a Children's Museum in the Curtis Hixon Park area, and a Tampa Bay History Museum in Channelside next to Ft Brooke Park.

These will really enhance the improving downtown experience, but I think it's going to be a quite a while before any Tampa museums can be considered "world class."

(not including the Dali Museum in St Pete...)

Oh and btw, it looks like Towers@Channelside may finally be getting revved up... I believe a contractor's trailer was delivered to the site today (after the moron driving it crashed it through a couple trees on Channelside Dr)

Also, a survey crew looked to be staking out the layout, though they were very near to Meridian. If it wasn't for Towers at Channelside, then there is some kind of outparcel getting built. If someone knowledgable drives by Friday or Tuesday, we should know for sure.

Its about damn time! :cheers: We've waited like 6 months for this project to get going since its "groundbreaking". Then latter on they claim they didn't have their foundation approved or something? So poorly planned. I guess that is pretty much Tampa. Either behind schedule or poorly planned. :ohno:
Hopefully it was Tower @ Channelside though. If it is close to Meridian it could be Seaboard Square. Althoug I think Seaboard Square is all the land that divides the Towers and Meridian beside the roads right? So even Towers @ Channelside isn't that far from Meridian.

They have been doing soil testing all week - inside the fence - it is Towers 9with shnazzy cars parked nearby to watch). However, at 3 pm on Thurs, I saw no trailer. I will be going by today so I'll check.

Its about damn time! :cheers: We've waited like 6 months for this project to get going since its "groundbreaking". Then latter on they claim they didn't have their foundation approved or something? So poorly planned. I guess that is pretty much Tampa. Either behind schedule or poorly planned. :ohno:
Hopefully it was Tower @ Channelside though. If it is close to Meridian it could be Seaboard Square. Althoug I think Seaboard Square is all the land that divides the Towers and Meridian beside the roads right? So even Towers @ Channelside isn't that far from Meridian.
It's definitely not Seaboard Square. I was down there a couple of weeks ago, and they haven't even finalized plans. That development looks very cool as well, though I was stunned that the 1-bedroom floor plans don't include closets!

Any infomation or news about the intown/novare group project @ 12 st.N. & Washington St. in channelside?

Any infomation or news about the intown/novare group project @ 12 st.N. & Washington St. in channelside?

Its a 25 story tower (including a brick base) that is going up for approval like July 21st or some where around that time. more information will probaly be released then although their is someone here (don't remember who) who went to a meeting on it and said it looked good. I think it also includes a half acre park.

Thanks FloridaFuture!
Was hoping someone had a artist rendering of the project they could post.

Thanks FloridaFuture!
Was hoping someone had a artist rendering of the project they could post.

No, sorry. They should have a rendering out around approval date. :)

you can look at the "twin towerside" thread for some more info.

I guess that is pretty much Tampa. Either behind schedule or poorly planned.

Yep, but most likely both. :)

Any word on Towers@Channelside? I couldn't get down there today, and I'm heading out of town for the weekend (I'll be on here a bit though)... I'm eager to know where the contractor trailer was going, if not to thier site. When the truck clipped the trees, it was turning onto the part of 12th that wraps around the SE portion of the T@C site. I figured he was going there.

Oh, and I checked the plat map for DT. The site being staked is owned by Towers@Channelside LLC, so I assume it was indeed for the condo project.

Any word on Towers@Channelside? I couldn't get down there today, and I'm heading out of town for the weekend (I'll be on here a bit though)... I'm eager to know where the contractor trailer was going, if not to thier site. When the truck clipped the trees, it was turning onto the part of 12th that wraps around the SE portion of the T@C site. I figured he was going there.

Oh, and I checked the plat map for DT. The site being staked is owned by Towers@Channelside LLC, so I assume it was indeed for the condo project.

Where can you look at the plot map? Is it online?

Check the Channelside thread, man.

Enjoy the 4th

Where can you look at the plot map? Is it online?
I have super sneaky skills.

Oh, plus I just check the info publicly avaiable on the property appraiser's site. :)
http://www.hcpafl.org/

GO USAThanks Jasonhouse.

Everybody enjoy your 4th of July weekend.

This is aboutt the city getting back stuff from developers, talks a about new Novare Project as a step stair building.

City Is Building In Perks
By JANIS D. FROELICH jfroelich@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 2, 2005

Developer Fida Sirdar figures he gave the city $7 million in concessions in exchange for zoning changes he needed for The Place on Channelside Drive.
The cost of doing business includes extra parking he plans to provide, a stoplight, studio space for artists, two public murals and a path through his complex so pedestrians can reach Channelside Drive from 12th Street.

Then when he tried to get approval for a 32-story tower, The Place Phase 2, the city wanted more, so Sirdar walked away from the plan, asking the city council instead for 15 more units in the original eight-story project.

Sirdar said he isn't so sure the city should be involved in this kind of negotiation. He said the property taxes should cover the cost of the improvements.

But what future developers may discover in downtown and the Channel District is that if they want taller buildings or other zoning changes, they may have to ante up with parks, wider sidewalks or traffic signals.

The city council often waives height restrictions in the Channel District and near downtown, especially if a project gets approval from Wilson Stair, the city's urban planner.

Stair said he is in a position to require concessions from the onslaught of developers coming into his office, at a rate of two proposed projects each week.

``We're not in Kansas anymore,'' said Stair, who figures about 5,000 residential units will be constructed in the downtown area in the next few years.

``We've set these height ceilings, and now to break them, we'll be requiring certain bonuses in return,'' he said.

The value of these bonuses is based on what Stair figures is the number of stories above the limit a developer wants to go and what price the developer will reap from it.

Ken Stoltenberg, a partner in the 392-unit Grand Central at Kennedy development, offered a 6,500-square-foot space for art display and a theater to get approval for his project.

``I was giving away stuff before the city insisted,'' he said, adding that his motive was for smooth sailing through zoning.

A project in the Channel District recently proposed by the developers of the 32-story downtown SkyPoint promises a half-acre park on 11th Street if its height exemption is approved July 21.

Lawyer Steve Gardner, a partner in that project and in the Meridian, another Channel District condominium development expected to open this summer, said it made sense to propose a 25-story building for the 2 acres next to the Meridian.

That leaves room for the park plus the 18-foot sidewalks the developer plans to build. Because the proposed building will be constructed like stairs, stepping back from the street, ``there won't be a canyon effect,'' Gardner said.

Still, Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena said she likes to see shadow studies done on towering projects.

``We asked for this on Franklin Street and Bayshore [Boulevard] projects, and it was very interesting,'' she said. ``In the Bayshore case, the neighbors were in the shadow of the proposed project until noon.''

Saul-Sena said high-rise developers in the city core are required to contribute to public art and set aside 30 percent of the property as open space.

Downtown, residential zoning is limited to 120 feet; in the Channel District, height restrictions are 60 feet. Saul- Sena said she thinks upcoming projects should step down in height from the central core.

``I know my views aren't universally shared, but the Channel District shouldn't have structures more than 12 stories,'' she said.

Stair is a believer in urban closeness.

``We want activities in the city for 24 hours, and to do that, we have to pack people in,'' he said.

In allowing more height and density to projects, Stair will look critically at how a developer plans to dress up a street. For example, are there shade trees, or is there room for outdoor cafes?

Stair said he is determined not to let towering buildings block sunlight completely from the downtown thoroughfares.

``We don't want a forest of high-rises,'' he said. ``We want the right of ways free.''

Michael English, of Wilson Miller Inc., a planning, design and engineering company, will help the city decide what it should receive for Channel District projects.

Once the city council approves hiring his company, English said, he will weigh what's built in the Channel District and what's proposed. Two workshops will be held in August for residents and others to contribute input.

The action plan will plug all development into a computer model to evaluate the scale, English said.

Also to be considered is what a handful of other cities required from developers who wanted to bring added height and density to neighborhoods.

``What is different about our city is this development is happening now,'' English said. ``We're planning as we go, so yes, we should have done this yesterday.''


Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 259-7143.

http://www.tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGB1EONANAE.html

``I know my views aren't universally shared, but the Channel District shouldn't have structures more than 12 stories,''

"We don't want a forest of high-rises,''

:bash:
Damnit...

I told you she thought like that but look at it this way:
1) Channelside is not all of downtown - and most of it is already planned for development.
2) Her views are not universally shared

^As evidenced by numerous council votes, her views are in fact consistently in the minority.

This article talks about Four Greens Hotel

Space Crunch
By RANDY DIAMOND rdiamond@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 3, 2005




CLEARWATER - Gerhard Haag thinks America is finally ready for the parking garage of the future.
The engineer-inventor and about a dozen investors have bet $25 million over the past 11 years in the hopes that Americans will embrace automated garages.

So far, all Haag's Clearwater-based company, Robotic Parking Systems Inc., has to show for itself is a three-year- old automated garage in Hoboken, N.J.

``People didn't accept the electric lightbulb at first either,'' said Haag, Robotic's president.

Haag got interested in robotic parking while working as an engineer for a company that built similar facilities in his native Germany. He came to Clearwater in 1993 to start his company.

Automated parking garages have been around for decades in Europe and Japan, where space is at an extreme premium.

Garages there don't have ramps or columns like traditional facilities. Instead, cars are stacked on rows of pallets like a giant erector set.

At the Hoboken facility, once a motorist drives the car onto a pallet and leaves the vehicle, computers and sensors take over. The pallet is moved up and into a parking space by a series of horizontal and vertical elevators or robots.

Because they are packed closely on top of each other, more vehicles can park in a small space.

However, in the United States, automated parking has been slow to catch on.

Haag said he's not discouraged and that confident investors have funded him for the long haul. ``I always see the glass as half full. That is my nature.''

In Hoboken, a mile-square, densely populated city across the Hudson River from New York, Haag found a place desperate for more parking but lacking space. Robotic's first garage opened in 2003. It houses 316 spaces on a 100- square-foot lot that sits on a residential street in the middle of town. A typical garage of the same size - four stories - could accommodate 80 to 100 cars, Haag said.


Facing Hurdles

The Hoboken garage is Robotic's only creation. That's not necessarily the company's fault, though, one parking industry expert said.

One pitfall is that building codes in many communities don't cover automated garages, leaving building officials without a playbook to determine how to approve such projects, said Dale Denda, a researcher with the Parking Market Research Co. in McLean, Va.

``They don't know if it's a garage, a warehouse or an amusement ride,'' Denda said.

Another problem could be perception. A potential market for robotic garages is high-rise apartments and condominiums with built-in parking. However, Denda said, the image of a mechanical parking apparatus may not fit in with the image developers want to convey: a personal touch of luxury that high-end buyers expect.

Haag said resistance to automated garages is changing quickly. Over the past few months, he said, he has finalized plans with developers for five robotic garages - one each in Tampa, Clearwater and Brooklyn, N.Y., and two in Fort Lauderdale.

In Tampa, Colin Breen, owner of the Four Green Fields tavern on the edge of downtown, bought the robotic parking concept in conjunction with the boutique hotel he plans to construct adjoining the tavern. The space-saving aspects of the garage convinced him because he has limited land to provide parking for hotel guests. Going robotic will allow him to construct a garage that's about 6,000 square feet instead of one that could be five times as big, he said.

That means instead of building a hotel atop a garage, as originally planned, the hotel can be built with a more attractive design at ground level because the robotic garage can be along side the building, Breen said.


Hoboken's Experience

Haag said the success of the Hoboken garage is what has finally convinced real estate developers that his concept works. Using his patented technology, Haag said, he has has built a better mousetrap than his predecessors in Europe and Japan. He said multiple elevators and backup motors, computers and electrical generators ensure the garage will always work.

However, John Corea, executive director of the Hoboken Parking Utility, said the garage malfunctioned more than a dozen times last winter as temperatures dropped and snow blanketed the ground. Motorists were left waiting for their cars up to 30 minutes in the best situations, Corea said, and up to eight hours in the worst. ``I hate to throw robotic parking under a bus,'' Corea said, ``but there are still some kinks to be worked out.''

Under normal conditions, the retrieval time for a car is two to three minutes after a motorist punches a four-digit code and swipes an identification card, he said.

The situation last winter was most frustrating, Corea said, because he was powerless to override the system while Haag's technicians tried to figure out why the garage wasn't working.

``In a conventional garage, you can always manually lift the gate if everything else fails,'' he said.

Haag disputes Corea's account, saying the garage broke only twice last winter when sensors that propel the elevators were affected by the snow. New procedures put into place to deal with severe weather will avoid future problems at the Hoboken garage, he said.

One garage patron, Hoboken insurance agent Roger Muller, said he has not had any problems in the approximately six months he has used the facility.

``At first I was a little bit nervous about my car getting damaged, but I have been very satisfied with the garage,'' he said. ``I used to drive around for 45 minutes looking for a space. It's worth the $200 a month to rent a space.''

Muller said the most he has waited for his car was five minutes.

Researcher Denda said robotic parking can cost more to build than conventional parking: $18,000 per space on average, compared with $14,000 for nonautomated parking.

Denda said the cost differences lessen, though, when other factors are taken into consideration, such as the eventual deterioration of a parking deck's concrete structure.

Haag said robotic parking will succeed because it is a good thing, eliminating such annoyances as walking around a garage searching for a lost car.

``Progress is determined by the increase in quality of life overall,'' he said.


Reporter Randy Diamond can be reached at (813) 259-8144.

http://www.tampatrib.com/Business/MGBV2N7FOAE.html

In Tampa, Colin Breen, owner of the Four Green Fields tavern on the edge of downtown, bought the robotic parking concept in conjunction with the boutique hotel he plans to construct adjoining the tavern. The space-saving aspects of the garage convinced him because he has limited land to provide parking for hotel guests. Going robotic will allow him to construct a garage that's about 6,000 square feet instead of one that could be five times as big, he said.

he has finalized plans with developers for five robotic garages - one each in Tampa, Clearwater......

I guess this thing is on it's way to becoming a reality. Great news!

Well a couple of updates as a drove downtown today.....

Skypoints small cranes have pieces of large, vertical, cranes hanging from them. So maybe we will see those post filled with crane pieces within the next few days.....

Also Residence at Franklin St. has large 2-3 story metal beams sticking up out of the ground and they are about to hoist a vertical crane......

And Grand Centrals vertical crane is now 100% up while before it was just tilted against the ground. :) :)

The UT dorms are also going vertical with their large crne being put together at the site and should be fully up in about 1-2 weeks. :)

Does anyone know the status of the Four Seasons Residences and the Tampa Global Communication Teleconvergence Center? They seem like great buildings but there hasn't been a lot of coverage on them lately. Are they really going to be built or are they "ad infinitum"?

Thanks for any information!

^When you find out, let us know. :)

This one is inching along nicely - I think the Super Bowl might give it a boots

Trammell Crow Added To Hotel Project At Port

By TED JACKOVICS tjackovics@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 1, 2005






TAMPA - Murray ``Murf'' Klauber said Thursday that prominent developer Trammell Crow has joined his venture to build a luxury hotel at the Port of Tampa, allowing the $450 million project to break ground within six months.
The Longboat Key entrepreneur's confirmation of completing his development team is the latest step for his vision of a 55-story tower with 400 hotel units, 180 condominiums and a high-tech conference center.

Naming Trammell Crow, as well as architects and an engineering firm, enhances the project's credibility. Klauber confirmed financing this past spring, meeting an extended deadline by the port.

But these steps have only fueled suspicions from longtime maritime interests at the port, who contend the port is becoming more interested in making money from real estate development. The port authority has said it expects to gain $2.2 million in annual revenue from the hotel development.

Maritime companies have said they fear that real estate initiatives will undercut traditional port businesses, eventually replacing the higher paying jobs of the shipping industry with lower paying service jobs.

Skeptics of plans by Klauber, who first brought the idea to port officials in 2000, have questioned whether there's enough demand for such a facility. They also have questioned the rationale of locating a luxury development overlooking mostly industrial waterfront.

To date, the criticism has done nothing to diminish the enthusiasm Klauber has shown for his project.

``It is going to be really great down there, where the offices are, where the sports things are, where the culture is,'' Klauber, an orthodontist best known for founding the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort, said in an interview with the Tribune. ``It is going to be a great change in the old face.''

``What would be more fun than looking out a window and seeing people getting on and off a ship, or watching the action of the cranes'' loading cargo.

Klauber said it took a year and a half to put the development team together. The final step came about six weeks ago, when Trammell Crow agreed to become project managers/developers. Others Klauber named Thursday are Handel Architects of New York and Alfonso Architects Inc. of Tampa. Those two firms will collaborate as project architects. WilsonMiller's Tampa office will do the engineering.

Klauber said that adding Trammell Crow to the group should not imply any prospect the hotel project could change focus.

Trammell Crow is nearing completion of the first phase of a warehouse project on leased land at Port Ybor that eventually will force the relocation of a ship repair yard. In recent months, negotiations had become contentious between Gulf Marine Repair Corp., and the port authority on how the ship repair company could maintain current and future operations.

``Trammell Crow is working for me, with me. They are not in it to [take] other business,'' Klauber said. ``Bob Abberger is one of the top five people in the United States to put together a building like this.'' Abberger is managing director of Florida Development Services for Trammell Crow.

Alfonso Architects is a longtime local firm whose latest major project was to design Airside C at Tampa International Airport. The $130 million terminal became home to Southwest Airlines, Spirit, Midwest and Independence Air in April.

Handel Architects' list of hotel projects includes the Ritz- Carlton in New York and the Four Seasons in Miami.

Neither Abberger nor Gary Handel, a principal at Handel Architects, could be reached for comment late Thursday.

Klauber's site, north of The Florida Aquarium and just north of the port's headquarters on Channelside Drive, is currently used by International Ship Repair and Marine Services, which was unhappy to learn its lease would not be renewed so Klauber's project could proceed.

Klauber has received a financing commitment from Redwood Capital Advisers, a merchant banking group. Redwood has said Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has signed a letter of intent to manage the hotel portion of the project.

Klauber said the port should be able to accommodate traditional maritime interests, the cruise industry and real estate initiatives.

``The port has plenty of land for repair areas,'' he said. ``It is commendable what the port is doing instead of putting up junk. Baltimore, San Francisco, Boston, they have urban ports, too.''


Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817.

http://money.tbo.com/money/MGBS3GMRLAE.html

Does anyone know the status of the Four Seasons Residences and the Tampa Global Communication Teleconvergence Center? They seem like great buildings but there hasn't been a lot of coverage on them lately. Are they really going to be built or are they "ad infinitum"?

Thanks for any information!

I think your answer to the Teleconvergence center is in the article above this post. :) (thanks smiley for the article) I have seen nothing on these boards about Four seasons for the past year that i have been observing. There for I believe it's dead.

^^ My view on the 55 story tower is that I think it is a fine project. Although I have to admit when one of the developers said "What would be more fun than looking out a window and seeing people getting on and off a ship, or watching the action of the cranes' loading cargo." it did kinda freak me out.

I do have a question though, where exactly is this project? I know it said just north of the headquarters but where are the headquerters? Is the project to the north or to the South of York St.?

I'm happy the article said construction can begin within the next 6 months, but I'd like a rendering. :)

The port HQ sits at Kennedy and Channelside. This will be just north of there... Basically at Twiggs and Channelside.

Thanks for the article smiley. The Teleconvergence Center seems like an interesting project and I hope it doesn't die off. I hope the developers aren't trying market the view of people boarding a ship and some cranes loading cargo as a big selling point. I can think of a million things more aesthetically pleasing than that!

It's too bad the Four Seasons seems like it will be added to the canceled project's list. That would have been a nice addition to the skyline considering its height.

Any word on Towers@Channelside? I couldn't get down there today, and I'm heading out of town for the weekend (I'll be on here a bit though)... I'm eager to know where the contractor trailer was going, if not to thier site. When the truck clipped the trees, it was turning onto the part of 12th that wraps around the SE portion of the T@C site. I figured he was going there.

Oh, and I checked the plat map for DT. The site being staked is owned by Towers@Channelside LLC, so I assume it was indeed for the condo project.
Today, there were two trucks parked on the property and about three men talking to each other. One of the trucks had some vertical device attached. At Trump, the workers were doing something on the river, not the land. Harbor Island....Finally work!

Does anyone know the status of the Four Seasons Residences and the Tampa Global Communication Teleconvergence Center? They seem like great buildings but there hasn't been a lot of coverage on them lately. Are they really going to be built or are they "ad infinitum"?

Thanks for any information!
About Four Seasons, maybe they are waiting to see how all the other places work out before going on with it. Just by being the tallest building would be enough to sell it.

About Four Seasons, maybe they are waiting to see how all the other places work out before going on with it. Just by being the tallest building would be enough to sell it.

I don't know about that tallest building bit...
1- the Fairmont Hotel might be taller, after all it has 4 more stories
2- The people that want to live in the tallest building may have already bought
3- Price, it may also depend on the price of the condos

The only evidence that this project is still alive is that it has been mentioned in most project maps. :)

^^ Thanks Jasonhouse it will be on the east side of Channelside right?

Robbie, I thank I saw that same vertical thing yesterday too. And the Trump sight may have to do with wether the sea wall on the Hillsborough can hold up

I have no reason to think that the 4 Seasons thing is active or dead. . . Let's just enjoy what we get and see.

And, by the way, I think a view way up high over the port would be quite cool.

There is a little confusion over how many floors and how tall the Teleconvergence thing will be... SFAIK all sources except the Tampa Tribune has consistently reported it as 45 stories and/or 550ft.. The Trib calls it a "55 story tower"... Go figure.

Since I've never heard the Teleconvergence thing billed as being a new tallest, but the Four Seasons has, I've got to work with the assumption that the Trib is being sloppy, and that the Four Seasons will be 630ft, and the Teleconvergence thing will be 550ft.

The Trib is probably confusing the 55 in 550ft with 55 floors, which is stupid, but hey whatever... I wouldn't mind a 55 story though :) .

I hope the 4 seasons Residences gets built. That area NEEDS to be filled - there's a gap in the skyline right where the site is. It would be perfect...

I don't know if anyone else is interested in posting their opinion, but Bay News 9 viewer center's question this week is "Has high population growth in the Bay area made you think about moving out of the area? ".

http://www.baynews9.com/ViewerCenter.html

If I leave it will be due to the lack of anything remotely urban and not enough smart growth. Amazing how many people are complaining about traffic , but No word about mass transit. they complain about growth , but not the fact that it is sprawling growth. One guy is bitching about the Trump tower.

Just thought I would post it hear in case anyone else wanted to vent on another site

A representative with the Downtown Partnership has told me that the Four Seasons project is all but dead right now. I bet the developer is worried about being able to fill the building now that the market is saturated with high end developments.

The Hillsborough River Tower is still a go but not untill the downtown office space market picks up which hopefully will happen as more residential complexes come on line. I think as more people move downtown and it become a nicer place to live businesses will want to be in the market as well but that is still at least 5 years away at a minimum.

A representative with the Downtown Partnership has told me that the Four Seasons project is all but dead right now. I bet the developer is worried about being able to fill the building now that the market is saturated with high end developments.

The Hillsborough River Tower is still a go but not untill the downtown office space market picks up which hopefully will happen as more residential complexes come on line. I think as more people move downtown and it become a nicer place to live businesses will want to be in the market as well but that is still at least 5 years away at a minimum.
Thanks for the update. I sent an email to Keith Bricklemeyer about the Four Season's but he is out of the office until the 11th. Spoke to somebody else there and all she said was that the lawfirm handled the rezoning of the property. Not sure but it's at Morgan and Whiting??? Which is a flat parking lot right now. She didn't have any info about the developer. Maybe Mr. Brickelmeyer knows who it is and will tell me. The original article from the Times mentions Four Season & Trump Tower, before Donald was involved:
www.sptimes.com/2004/03/26/Hillsborough/Tampa_s_skyline_set_t.shtml

I talked to John Larocca back in 2001 and he said they were still waiting for major tenents before they build HRT. Do you really think that by having people living in downtown will be enough to attract businesses? Another question is what percent of people living DT work in DT? Another topic!

A representative with the Downtown Partnership has told me that the Four Seasons project is all but dead right now. I bet the developer is worried about being able to fill the building now that the market is saturated with high end developments.

The Hillsborough River Tower is still a go but not untill the downtown office space market picks up which hopefully will happen as more residential complexes come on line. I think as more people move downtown and it become a nicer place to live businesses will want to be in the market as well but that is still at least 5 years away at a minimum.

Very interesting. Being one of the first proposed projects in Tampa, Four Seasons could've easily built their tower and sell it before any other towers had gotten to sales.

You're right about HRT. It mat be waiting until more people come DT which could take a while. I think they should make it half residential. IMO. That would speed up their progress. :)

The Hillsborough River Tower is still a go but not untill the downtown office space market picks up which hopefully will happen as more residential complexes come on line. I think as more people move downtown and it become a nicer place to live businesses will want to be in the market as well but that is still at least 5 years away at a minimum.

Well that's good to hear. Let's just hope that if they do build it, they'll redesign it first. That tower was damn ugly.

Well that's good to hear. Let's just hope that if they do build it, they'll redesign it first. That tower was damn ugly.
I agree. It's very cold looking. It was originally to be 675 feet. Now, it's down to 600. I hope they re-design it and make it more stately. Is the Jeffries Company still building it?

A representative with the Downtown Partnership has told me that the Four Seasons project is all but dead right now. I bet the developer is worried about being able to fill the building now that the market is saturated with high end developments.

The Hillsborough River Tower is still a go but not untill the downtown office space market picks up which hopefully will happen as more residential complexes come on line. I think as more people move downtown and it become a nicer place to live businesses will want to be in the market as well but that is still at least 5 years away at a minimum.
Saul-Sena didn't have a problem with this one. Seems like she doesn't mind height when it's on the south side of DT.

Saul-Sena didn't have a problem with this one. Seems like she doesn't mind height when it's on the south side of DT.

Hopefully that is true with all of the other council members. When developers start wanting 650 ft+ towers on those vast parking lot blocks I hope thay fill it in. :)

Eww this hotel sounds gross what the aarticle says. Condos here would be a nice addition, and with all the units they have it may be a 20 story building. :)

Hotelier Ponders TBPAC Venture
By RANDY DIAMOND rdiamond@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 7, 2005




TAMPA - The owners of Tampa's third-largest downtown hotel, the 13-story Ashley Plaza Hotel, are considering tearing it down and building a mixed- use condominium and hotel project in conjunction with The Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center.
Robinson Callen, president of HI Development, which owns the hotel, said Wednesday that he and family members of the privately owned company were involved in ongoing discussions with performing arts center officials.

He stressed, however, that talks were preliminary, and that the specifics of the project have yet to be determined.

Callen said a possible plan could include 500 condominium units and a 125-room boutique hotel. The possible project would occupy space at the 3.3-acre hotel site north of West Fortune Street and could incorporate undeveloped land across the street, next to the performing arts center's newly opened arts conservatory. The undeveloped land, about a third of an acre, sits next to the Hillsborough River.

Judy Lisi, president of the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center, acknowledged talking with hotel officials but described the meetings as informal discussions about the hotel's intentions.

While she wouldn't go into specifics, she did say that joint ventures between art centers and developers have found success in other cities. She cited Cleveland, where the Playhouse Square theater district includes a hotel. Lisi said any proposal would require city approval. The performing arts center is run by a nonprofit corporation, but the facility and land are owned by the city.

Callen, 80, whose family-run company owns about a dozen hotels in Florida and Puerto Rico, said the project could be completed without the performing arts center, but the center's riverfront land and status as a center for the arts would enhance the project.

Tampa City Council Member Rose Ferlita, who sits on the performing arts center board, said a joint proposal would meet rigorous city review. Ferlita said talk of such plans were premature since there is no active proposal.

Tampa's downtown is full of development proposals, from condominium towers to a renovation of the closed Floridan Hotel. City officials hope the projects will turn Tampa's 9- to-5 downtown into a vibrant area with nightclubs and restaurants that stay open on weekends and evenings.

Lisi said creating residences near the center could help that goal by attracting entertainment businesses to the area.

Whatever is built on the spot will be spectacular, Callen said, or it won't be built at all. ``I know the word spectacular can be used loosely, but we want to give the city a legacy,'' he said.

Callen said the location of the project, at a gateway to downtown, near the I-275 exit ramp, requires a landmark building.

In the meantime, the 312- room Ashley Plaza Hotel continues to operate beset with problems.

Last month the hotel was cited by the Tampa Fire Department for 24 violations of the city's fire code and fined $420. The violations included deficiencies with sprinkler and fire warning systems.

The lodging establishment lost its Holiday Inn status in February 2004 after the Callen family decided not to spend the $7 million necessary to bring the hotel up to the chain's standards.

Hotel guests on Internet travel sites during the past few months have called the hotel the worst place they have ever stayed and describe hotel rooms with mold and mildew. The hotel's former front desk manager, Tom Ziri, who resigned this month, said he quit because conditions were deplorable. He said the hotel washed bed linens without laundry detergent for a month-and-a-half this year because there was no money to pay for cleaning supplies.

Larry Collier, general manager of the Ashley Plaza, disputed Ziri's account about the laundry detergent. He said the fire violations are being corrected and that mold and mildew problems were part of dealing with a 35-year-old building.

Callen said the hotel has made more money during the past few months than any time in its history because occupancy has been strong, and it hasn't had to pay franchise fees. He's told managers to correct problems but not conduct a full renovation. The hotel recently re-carpeted and painted three floors and is sprucing up a fourth.

Collier said the hotel houses many happy guests in its role as a budget hotel for those who don't want to pay high rates. At $50 to $60 a night, its rates are half of what other downtown hotels charge, he said.

``It's not the Waldorf, but I don't charge the Waldorf's rates,'' he said.


Tribune researchers Diane Grey and Melanie C. O'Bannon contributed material for this report. Reporter Randy Diamond can be reached at (813) 259-8144.

http://tampatrib.com/businessnews/MGBHW1PBUAE.html

^it sounds like it would probably be 2-3 buildngs... One or two shorter ones, and then the main tower probably being at least 30 floors. 500 condos and 125 hotel rooms are going to eat up some floor area, that's for sure.

Does this Callen character sound cheap as hell, or what???

I wouldn't be too eager to stay in any hotels owned by that family, or purchase a condo built by them.

That would be a very nice location too. Close to the river. (and riverwalk) :)

Blah blah . . .
Last call for SoHo?
Some worry that the success of the restaurant and bar district has served up its own demise in the form of developers' plans.
By SHERRI DAY
Published July 8, 2005

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


SOHO - Mac's Sports Pub left the party this spring.

Next year, so will Whiskey Park.

Soon residences will rise in their places.

The news of both departures was enough to make Corey Riina, owner of Bahasa Lounge, start scouting for sites to develop outside the restaurant and bar district.

"I'm not sure that the spot to be over the next few years is going to be Howard Avenue," said Riina, whose bar is at the district's northern gateway near Kennedy Boulevard and Armenia Avenue. "I think it may be downtown. It may just end up being restaurants on Howard Avenue."

Granted, Riina makes her living off the bar crowd and reaps rewards for determining the next hip spot. Before opening Bahasa, she owned the former Hydeaway Bar in what's now Whiskey Park.

But her dire prediction about the SoHo bar scene is the topic of conversation around many local beer taps.

The neighborhood's hot real estate market has many business owners concerned. Victor Perez, owner of Sangria's Spanish Tapas Bar and Restaurant, wonders what could become of his restaurant at Howard Avenue and Azeele Street.

"When my contract expires three years from now, God knows what's going to happen to the building that I'm in," he said.

Still, if he has to move, he will.

"You pack up your things and move on to the next neighborhood to see if things are going to happen there," he said. "It's just life."

SoHo is perhaps a victim of its own success. Its vibrant restaurant and bar scene have made it a popular destination for nearly 20 years. But with increased popularity came parking shortages, noise complaints and stepped up police patrols for intoxicated drivers. Real estate developers came, too, betting that people would want to live where they play. It is a perfect storm of sorts that ensures that the neighborhood will soon look vastly different.

To capitalize on people's frustrations with traffic and parking, Riina started a shuttle service last week from SoHo to Jackson's Bistro on Harbour Island, where she puts on Fantasy Friday parties. The free shuttle, which will eventually cost $5 per person, runs from 10 p.m. to 3:30 a.m. Fridays and makes stops on Howard Avenue at Sangria's and Ciccio & Tony's. It will also pick up partiers at the Kash n' Karry on Swann Avenue.

"We know a lot of people walk to the bars on Howard Avenue, and we wanted to be able to get the people that walk to come over to Harbour Island without having to drive," Riina said. The shuttle is "more about Jackson's, but it's obviously going to help everybody."

To be sure, no one is predicting the demise of SoHo. The district is flourishing, each day becoming more of what its founders imagined.

The business district is the brainchild of former University of South Florida architecture instructor Jeffrey Conner, his students and a few Howard Avenue business owners, said Gordon Davis, president and founder of the SoHo Merchants and Residents Association. In the early 1990s, the group decided to work together to figure out how to meld a mixed-use neighborhood of houses, small businesses and warehouses into a cohesive district.

Davis envisioned a Bohemian neighborhood of independent businesses with parking lots in the rear of buildings and storefronts lining Howard Avenue. In the mid 1990s, he suggested that the merchants call the district SoHo, an acronym for south Howard Avenue. He borrowed the concept from London's Soho district, which features hip night life, and New York City's famed SOHO neighborhood, an artists' haven and fashion center south of Houston Street and Greenwich Village in Manhattan.

South Tampa's SoHo district has grown from seven restaurants in 1990 to more than 30 hospitality outlets today, said Davis, who owns Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant and St. Bart's Island House on Howard Avenue.

"It was a little bit pretentious of us to call ourselves SoHo, but I thought it would be fun," Davis said. "I'm very proud of it, personally."

Davis is also pleased with the neighborhood's new direction. He said the addition of townhouses and a boutique hotel near Bern's Steak House will help bring an urban experience to the dining district with more pedestrians and street activity.

"I love what's going on," he said.

Many homeowners in the neighborhood welcome the pending residential projects as long as developers include commercial space in their plans, said Roger Grunke, president of the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association.

"It should be mixed-use," he said. "There should be dry cleaners and all the little things that people need to live in the area. And there also should be possibilities for live/work . . . We don't want Howard Avenue suburbanized."

James Lanza, lead partner at Ciccio & Tony's and Water restaurants, agrees. Any project that is totally residential would be disastrous for Howard Avenue, he said. But he would protest the addition of large bars to any new commercial space.

"The last thing in the world I want is Howard Avenue becoming an alternative to Ybor City, and that's a strong possibility with the big bars that we have," Lanza said. "I prefer smaller bars, cool restaurants, something that appeals to a wider audience.

Lanza and his business partner Jeff Gigante recently purchased the Old Meeting House and plan to open New Meeting House this fall. The duo also signed a lease for the site of the former Primadonna Trattoria restaurant and intend to turn it into a sports and salsa bar by early next year.

But for every new restaurant and residential project in the works, bar patrons question what will happen to the atmosphere that they have come to appreciate.

"It might be nice to have a little bit more housing," Christin Chandler, a wine sales representative, said as she lounged outside Sangria's. "But condos? I just don't picture condos down here."

At Whiskey Park, cocktail server Brandi Balbontin has a spiel for patrons who ask what will become of the bar. She tells them that the bar will be there for at least a year. She doesn't know for sure what will happen after that. But she questions the decision to replace the bar with homes.

"There's so many condos going up already, now they're putting up more," she said. "I think it's going to be too much. Where is there going to be to go? If they spread everything out so much people are going to be drinking and driving."

But all is far from lost, said David Porter, cradling a beer recently at MacDinton's. If one bar closes, he is certain that another one will open.

"I think of opening a bar in this area," said Porter, 36, a St. Petersburg painter and former bartender. "I wouldn't hesitate to put one here."

Meanwhile, MacDinton's general manager Barry O'Connor finds himself trying to quell rumors that he plans to close. Despite his protestations, the rumors persist. Some days, he said, he hears his place is being sold for $5-million, the next day for $50-million.

"We're definitely not going anywhere unless the price is right," O'Connor said. "Everybody has a price. We're not cheap, though."

Sherri Day can be reached at 226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com

[Last modified July 7, 2005, 08:07:07]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/08/Citytimes/Last_call_for_SoHo.shtml

From Seaboard Square (7/8/2005):

Thank you for your continued interest in Seaboard Square.

If you haven’t been on our website lately – check it out at www.seaboardsquare.com. We have a new site with great information about the project.

We are excited to announce that demolition has begun on the site for The Lofts at Seaboard Square! Check out photos of the demolition on our website under News – Project Photos or by using this link: www.seaboardsquare.com/photos.php.

We have new hours at our sales center located at 209 S. 12th Street in the Channel District. The new hours are:

Monday-Thursday: By appointment
Friday-Sunday: 11:00am to 5:00pm

If you have any questions or would like to make an appointment, you may call our office at 813-223-0870.

We look forward to talking to you,

Stan Lifsey & Kalee Haney

Parking? Channelside. With all the new residential properties coming on/ the demand for visitior and residence guest parking will be a real concern!
Talk of adding serveral levels onto the channelside parking garage was a tentative plan, Is that still a prospect?, will future projects have excess parking available for short or long term lease?

Parking? Channelside. With all the new residential properties coming on/ the demand for visitior and residence guest parking will be a real concern!
Talk of adding serveral levels onto the channelside parking garage was a tentative plan, Is that still a prospect?, will future projects have excess parking available for short or long term lease?

Actually I think at least the big projects (o2, T@C, Grand Central, and DTC) have extra parking for their residence's visitors.

Or at least the ones with retail areas that needs extra parking for their costumers. :)

Actually I think at least the big projects (o2, T@C, Grand Central, and DTC) have extra parking for their residence's visitors.

Or at least the ones with retail areas that needs extra parking for their costumers. :)

Grand Central, for sure, has a lot of extra garage parking. The first eight levels of the back of the buildings are the parking garage. If I remember correctly, there were ~600 garage spaces and some of those will be left for visitors and customers.

Surely TTT will officially break ground soon... They have seemingly removed all fo the site's soil and now replaced it... Let's get on with it already!

Surely TTT will officially break ground soon... They have seemingly removed all fo the site's soil and now replaced it... Let's get on with it already!

YES! Go go go!!!!!! :)

Speaking of parking and shopping at the Channelside projects (and doesn't that belong on the Channelside thread?), how does the Trolley factor into all of this? I mean, I can see someone from the Ventana takign the trolley to one fo the south condo complexes to do shopping and then taking the trolley back with groceries.

Of coruse, we're all used to doing heavy load shopping ourselves so this seems unpractical. Maybe it's an impractical expectation of new urbanites in Tampa as well? To figure out there is an alternative to the car....?

People living in Channelside will still have cars and will use them. How else would they visit family and friends outside of their little expensive downtown bubble? I can see residents in Ybor and Channelside using the trolley to go back and forth to partake in the recreational venues of both areas.

Tampa still has a LONG way to go, and I have no patience for this city.

Tampa still has a LONG way to go, and I have no patience for this city.

You've made that very clear.

hahahaha

sorry. It must be annoying. Agent Orange, you should stop too. :)

Lou, would you just go ahead and move to England for crying out loud ?!

And would you take that other whiny European-trapped-in-Tampan-body :) with you ?

C'mon guys.

I agree with FL Hawk on this one. Lou and Agent Orange have simply been extremely unpatient thus far during this DT boom and need to calm down and be more optimistic. It may be hard. But try.

Lou, would you just go ahead and move to England for crying out loud ?!

And would you take that other whiny European-trapped-in-Tampan-body :) with you ?gladly


What is this? Gang up on Loureed day?

I see your true colors
Shining through
I see your true colors
And that's why I love you
So don't be afraid to let them show
Your true colors
True colors are beautiful,
Like a rainbow


I now see everyone's true colors. :yes:

Hey, these colors never run ... you ... you redcoat ! :bash: ;)

I was going to say something earlier when he posted his 18th "God, I hate this city!" post, but I'm still too new to lead any charges.

Just watched the "Punisher'. I thought it made downtown Tampa look super nice. They made it look like a real bustling downtown. I would like to see a part 2 after all these developments finish. They could film part 2 in Channelside this time... :)

Just watched the "Punisher'. I thought it made downtown Tampa look super nice. They made it look like a real bustling downtown.
I've thought about renting the movie for just that alone.

Oh, the magic of Hollywood. :)

Lou, would you just go ahead and move to England for crying out loud ?!

And would you take that other whiny European-trapped-in-Tampan-body :) with you ?

Geez, then there'd be nothing to complain about. :)

Complaining is one thing... Harping away to the point where it pisses everyone else off is called something else.... trolling.

This whole little scene needs to stop please.

*changes subject*

I live in One Laurel Place, so developments at the dirty little hotel across the street always interest me. I'd be very curious to see what plans may come if the owners do decide to tear that building down. For starters they could convince the city to straighten Doyle Carlton, if they're so keen on putting a building on the river. They may have a third of an acre now (about 14k square feet), but it's an odd shape and not conducive to any useful building I can think of. And then there's that wide open parking lot that provides me with such a beautiful view of downtown; cramming 500 condo units plus hotel space onto the present hotel site would indeed require about a 30 story building--but I suspect their plans will call for lower buildings built on that parking lot.
Our little neck of downtown could be a pretty nice place with quality development (to include some restaurant and retail space); as it is, the hotel is an eyesore and a drag on the entire area.

The Floridan may be a historic treasure, but the Ashley Plaza is one hotel that would benefit from a little dynamite.

*changes subject*

I live in One Laurel Place, so developments at the dirty little hotel across the street always interest me. I'd be very curious to see what plans may come if the owners do decide to tear that building down. For starters they could convince the city to straighten Doyle Carlton, if they're so keen on putting a building on the river. They may have a third of an acre now (about 14k square feet), but it's an odd shape and not conducive to any useful building I can think of. And then there's that wide open parking lot that provides me with such a beautiful view of downtown; cramming 500 condo units plus hotel space onto the present hotel site would indeed require about a 30 story building--but I suspect their plans will call for lower buildings built on that parking lot.
Our little neck of downtown could be a pretty nice place with quality development (to include some restaurant and retail space); as it is, the hotel is an eyesore and a drag on the entire area.

The Floridan may be a historic treasure, but the Ashley Plaza is one hotel that would benefit from a little dynamite.
How do you like having the lofts right next to you? Will a new hotel/condo totally block your view or only partial?

Big bayfront dream sails forth
To future residents and business owners, developers of New Port Tampa Bay say: Welcome to paradise. To neighbors, they say: Trust us.
By SHERRI DAY
Published July 15, 2005

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SUN BAY SOUTH - It takes vision to see what developer Ed Oelschlaeger sees. Where the casual observer notices a shipyard littered with scrap metal, dilapidated buildings, wastewater drums and old commercial dredgers, Oelschlaeger envisions a marina club, community park and upscale retail center.

To the naked eye, aging boat slips hug the marina at the Imperial Yacht Basin. But Oelschlaeger looks past the present to a state-of-the-art 250-slip marina with a new seawall, an esplanade and boardwalk.

Oelschlaeger's is a dream of New Port Tampa Bay, a 53-acre residential and commercial development roughly bounded by Gandy Boulevard, Tyson Avenue, West Shore Boulevard and Old Tampa Bay. He has spent eight months trying to get community groups, residents and business groups to catch on.

"It's an urban waterfront concept," said Oelschlaeger, president of EcoGroup, a South Tampa development company. "This is the kind of development that the city wants and needs to prevent the urban sprawl that has already taken place ... Tampa's time has come."

He is nothing if not a believer in his plans. Oelschlaeger bought the Imperial Yacht Basin from St. Petersburg developer Grady Pridgen for $54-million in May. Two months earlier, he closed on the old Moody and Hendry shipyards, both of which abut the Imperial property. With the three parcels, Oelschlaeger vows to create a community that would be an impressive gateway to South Tampa, erasing years of industrial use that rendered the waterfront unavailable to the public.

His development plans have faced challenges from residents in surrounding communities. The homeowners welcome change in the underdeveloped area, but they have pledged to fight for infrastructure improvements and inclusion at every turn.

"Our problem is not really with EcoGroup," said Gandy Civic Association board chairman Al Steenson. "We can't stop the development, but we need to get some assurance from the city that they will do something about the failing infrastructure."

The group has not yet taken a position on the developer's latest rezoning request before the City Council. Oelschlaeger will ask the council Thursday to change the zoning on the Hendry property from commercial industrial to mixed use that would accommodate 1,000 residential units, retail and office space.

Regardless of the council's decision, it is clear the neighborhood is changing. With the introduction of Oelschlaeger's New Port Tampa Bay, the Westshore Yacht Club and other large developments in the area, which has been a largely blue-collar and industrial area, the neighborhood is undergoing a makeover. Restaurants, boutiques and living quarters will replace shipyards, factories and underdeveloped land.

"We have used our water for economic gain rather than for residential purposes for the most part," said Rodney Kite-Powell, a curator at the Tampa Bay History Center. "People want to live on the water. It's part of the Florida dream. Now that those industries are making less money than the land is worth, it's going to happen."

* * *
The developers plan 1,750 townhomes, condos and loftlike apartments in a community with a nautical theme, if the City Council approves the rezoning request.

Oelschlaeger and his design team are betting that the community's public features will draw residents from around the bay area. A retail center with cafes and boutiques would be in the center of the development. Two waterfront restaurants, a community park, and a 40,000-square-foot marina club could also draw crowds.

Plans also call for office buildings at major intersections. In all, the development would have 245,000 square feet of commercial space, EcoGroup said. For nature lovers, the developers intend to bring the Friendship Trail through the community along Bridge Street. To improve traffic flow, they would widen Bridge Street, the community's major thoroughfare, from 50 feet to 67 feet, said Donald K. Gunn, EcoGroup's executive vice president. Bridge Street would be extended to Tyson Avenue.

As in many planned communities, the developers plan to establish a community development district. They said the designation would help to fund the continuous installation of infrastructure, including a new sewer and water system, underground utilities, public parking and large sidewalks. It would be perhaps one of the first community development districts south of Gandy Boulevard, local business leaders said. And unlike some luxury communities, New Port Tampa Bay would not be gated.


* * *

Oelschlaeger and his team of engineering, transportation and building experts made its latest pitch to the Gandy Civic Association on Monday night. The company has been meeting with group members for months, intent on hearing the neighborhood's concerns.

For nearly two hours Monday, residents from Sun Bay South, Port Tampa and Manhattan Manor/Fairoaks peppered the team with questions about plans for the neighborhood.

What would EcoGroup do about traffic?

If warranted, consultants said they would install traffic lights at busy intersections.

Stormwater?

EcoGroup said it would build a retention pond and would route the stormwater directly to Tampa Bay.

Prices for units have not been set but will likely range from $350,000 to $2-million, EcoGroup said. They expect 75 percent of buyers to come from Hillsborough, Pasco and Pinellas counties. The other 25 percent are likely to be purchasers of second homes.

Mostly, community members wanted to know details about the project, ranging from the number of units to the kind of plants that would surround a brackish pond.

EcoGroup representatives said they could not provide such specifics this early in the design and approval process. Oelschlaeger asked residents to trust him. After all, he said, his company spent $74-million to acquire the three parcels and does not intend to give the development short shrift.

But in the neighborhoods south of Gandy, trust is in short supply.

"We're supportive of Gandy because we've already been down this road several times," said Jill Buford, president of the Civic Association of Port Tampa. "We've watched developers say one thing and do another. It's sad. We're very skeptical of the project, and it is because of past projects."

Oelschlaeger left the meeting frustrated. But he and his business partners said they understood why the neighborhood questioned them so vigorously.

"We do realize that this is a major property on the gateway to South Tampa," said Gunn, the EcoGroup vice president. "We don't take it lightly. You only get an opportunity to do this once, and it better work."

Ultimately, Oelschlaeger said he thought the meeting went well. After all, members of the Gandy Civic Association viciously fought Pridgen's initial plans until they wrested concessions from the developer.

EcoGroup urged the group to join forces and work to make sure the $232-million in ad valorem taxes the city receives from the project will be spent on improvements in the area.

The developers got support Monday night from Marilyn Durst, a Manhattan Manor/Fairoaks resident who is also president of the citywide Neighborhood Crime Watch Association. Durst said the development also affected homeowners north of Gandy.

"It's the first time that these neighborhoods have had a shot at revitalization," Durst said. "I'm really hanging a lot of hope on this. I'm afraid to let this get away."

The South Tampa Chamber of Commerce also wrote the council in support of EcoGroup's rezoning application for the Hendry property.

* * *
If all goes according to plan, the New Port Tampa Bay site will soon be teeming with activity.

EcoGroup plans to begin constructing its sales center at the end of the month and open it by October. Demolition of Jimmy Mac's restaurant could take place in August. Sometime in the fall, the boats at the Imperial Yacht basin will have to find a new home, Oelschlaeger said.

Infrastructure construction will likely begin soon, too, and will take 18 to 24 months to finish, developers said. They expect to complete the project in six to eight years.

It is an ambitious plan that could be hampered by community discontent, unfavorable council rulings or simply inclement weather. But Oelschlaeger remains committed to seeing his vision become a reality.

"Our company is on the line as far as doing what we say we're going to do," he said. "We're only as good as the last project we did. We're not saying trust us in the sense that we're going to solve all your problems. That's not possible. But we're going to do what we say we're going to do."

Sherri Day can be reached at 226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com [Last modified July 14, 2005, 09:06:06]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/15/Citytimes/Big_bayfront_dream_sa.shtml

UT baseball field is nudged over for dorm
A dorm is still three to five years away, but the move fits into a UT trend toward on-campus housing.
By ANNE ARSENAULT
Published July 15, 2005

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Baseball at the University of Tampa has a new home and a new stadium . . . sort of. The Sam Bailey baseball field at North Boulevard and Cass Street was recently moved 80 feet from its former location. Construction crews reinstalled the lights and poles two weeks ago and worked on the field last week.

The relocation fits into a long-term plan for expanding UT residence halls. The university is not yet detailing any specifics for a new dorm, but spokesman Grant Donaldson confirmed that there is a "vague plan way out there on our master plan."

The cost for the move fell under site preparation in the university's annual budget, but Donaldson estimated that the construction of a dorm was still three to five years off. The baseball field was moved because of "an idea in our mind about what we might need in the future," Donaldson said.

He added that the eventual plan, years from now, is to move the baseball field next to the softball field on North B Street behind the Martinez Sports Center.

The possibility of a new dorm is part of the trend at UT toward on-campus housing. Of the university's 4,800 students, about 83 percent live on campus, Donaldson said.

Since 1998, the university has opened four residence halls, all with amenities such as broadband Internet, cable and phone. The university broke ground last month on its newest dorm, the 11-story, 152-unit Kennedy Place, which is expected to be finished for the 2006 fall term.

The new dorms are "certainly a pleasant turnaround from about 10 years ago," Donaldson said.

Practices will begin on the new baseball field in November, and the first games will be played in January, said Bill Neyland, project manager for design and construction at UT.

Donaldson said the university will release information about a new dorm as plans firm up.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/07/15/Citytimes/UT_baseball_field_is_.shtml

Latin Quarter Revival
By SEAN LENGELL slengell@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 14, 2005




YBOR CITY - From sleepy 19th century immigrant outpost to popular, and occasionally unruly, nighttime party spot, Ybor City has a habit of reinventing itself.

So, with a residential building boom under way and an entertainment district some think is ripe for redevelopment, many say Ybor City is poised for yet another facelift by the end of the decade.

"I'm very positive of Ybor City in the next five years," said Jim Hosler, of the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission, who helped draft an economic study of the area last year. "It's one of the most attractive residential resources in Tampa Bay."

Several new town house developments south of Seventh Avenue, along with renovations to existing housing, are expected to draw hundreds of new residents to Ybor City over the next few years.

According to the planning commission, Ybor City is expected to gain about 105 housing units annually for the next 20 years. That equates to about 170 residents a year.

The report also identified about 44 vacant acres in Ybor City and many more acres not at their "highest and best use."

Residential development "is what's hot in Ybor City," said Vince Pardo, manager of the Ybor City Development Corp., a nonprofit group established and funded by the city to promote redevelopment in the historical district. "I think the future of Ybor will be connected with residential."

Planners say residential redevelopment typically drives the overall gentrification of older urban areas.

"Usually that's where change comes from," Hosler said. "Residents, they do make a difference."

Ybor May Quiet Down
Most of the newhousing being built or planned in Ybor City are higher-cost town houses or condominiums. Because those properties are drawing professionals with healthy incomes, many expect that more upscale nightclubs, bars and eateries soon will follow, replacing Seventh Avenue's staple of college-age dance clubs.

That commercial gentrification, many Ybor City boosters say, will create a "quieter" district with older crowds seeking a sophisticated, and safe, environment.

More residents also will mean a greater need for retail and service-related business, such as dry cleaners, grocery stores, bakeries and coffee shops.

With more retail, the district, best known for its nightlife, should become a livelier place during daylight hours, Ybor City Chamber of Commerce President Tom Keating said.

"It's going to put people on the street during the day," said Keating, who lives in a new town house development in the district. "This is a place where people live and work. And as you have more residents here, they will have more investment here."

Pardo said he would like to see fewer chain outlets and more independent shops. Those, he said, are a better fit with the district's historic and artistic nature.

"That's really the key to retail in Ybor ... that it be unique," he said.

When Ybor City hosted a pre-Super Bowl event in 2001, Pardo said a small independent lingerie shop on Seventh Avenue far outsold a larger national-chain competitor at Centro Ybor.

Pardo said he also would like to see more nonchain retail shops at Centro Ybor, the district's 5-year-old shopping and entertainment hub, home to such ubiquitous outlets as Starbucks, Victoria's Secret and a multiscreen movie theater.

"We need an eclectic use of the district so we don't have one use dominating," Pardo said.

Ybor City long has had an artistic flair. The area was a haven for artists in the 1970s and 1980s.

But as the area's nightclub scene expanded in the 1990s, rent skyrocketed and gentrification took root, many artists left.

Keating said he would like to see the district's reputation as a friendly haven for artists resurrected. Artists typically are attracted to areas rich in history and architectural character such as Ybor City, Keating said.

"Ybor City is the backbone and the character of this town," Keating said. "Everywhere else they're trying to replicate Tampa's Spanish roots, but here it's real."

Keating points to Ybor City's many "creative industry" tenants -- architects, graphic artists, advertisement agencies and photography studios -- as proof the area is attractive to the artistically inclined.

"These are people who like a little funky, and Ybor has that," Keating said.

Pardo said the city could offer financial incentives using tax revenue from Ybor City's two community redevelopment districts to entice landlords to rent studio and living space to artists.

A natural location for artist space, Pardo said, is Adamo Drive and the streets directly north. As Ybor City gentrifies, some of those businesses could relocate. The properties they leave behind could be converted into studio space, particularly for artists working in media such as welding and glassblowing that require large spaces.

Max Fallon and his wife, Gwyn Zesch Fallon, think Ybor City has potential to again become an artists' haven. The couple spent thousands of dollars recently to convert a former Fifth Avenue warehouse into artist studios.

But Fallon says he doesn't expect Ybor City to return to becoming a hangout for starving artists.

"It's not necessarily the Bohemian artists that are coming back -- it's the artists that have suit jobs because they are the ones that can afford the prices," Fallon said.

Keeping Ybor Real
Keating said that, although entities such as the city and chamber can help steer Ybor City in a particular direction, change shouldn't be forced. Any change must embrace and be respectful of the district's history. Otherwise, he said, it risks turning into a Disney-esque caricature of itself.

"It's not New Orleans and it's not Beale Street in Memphis and it's not Bourbon Street -- it's Ybor, it's unique," he said. "It's all those things with a Florida twist."

Yet Ybor City will be hard-pressed to reach its potential, say city officials, civic leaders and merchants, unless visitors and residents feel safe.

Although Tampa police statistics show a downward trend in overall crime rates in Ybor City since 2000, recent fatal shootings and stabbings are perpetuating the district's reputation as a wild -- and sometime violent -- area after sunset.

However, as long as the area's new condominiums and town houses continue selling -- a trend many don't expect to slow anytime soon -- the public's perception of the area will improve.

"I do think that over time, the good will out push the bad," Keating said.

"I'm very positive of Ybor City in the next five years. It's one

of the most attractive residential resources in Tampa Bay."

JIM HOSLER Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission, who helped draft an economic study of the area last year
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGB5DIB04BE.html

I was wondering why the UT baseball field was all ripped up... Now I know. :)

Tampa Businesses Can Join Condo Craze
By DAVE SIMANOFF dsimanoff@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 16, 2005




TAMPA - As more local professional and medical companies bid farewell to landlords and move into office condominiums, a Miami-based developer is betting that many local industrial firms also are eager to make the leap from leasing to owning.
Adler Group says it will build the area's first commercial condominium center, a 160,000-square-foot building for small businesses that need industrial and warehouse space, at an office park near the Florida State Fairgrounds.

Construction on the building, to be named Commerce Center at Interstate Commerce Park, is to begin soon and should be completed in a year.

Commercial condominiums have proven big sellers in South Florida. In Tampa, Adler will sell units ranging from 2,000 square feet to 7,000 square feet, and prices will run $100 to $150 a square foot.

The Adler development illustrates that interest in real estate ownership is growing among small business owners, said Steve Tombrink, managing director and executive vice president of Grubb & Ellis/Commercial Florida. Tombrink said demand is growing nationwide because mortgage rates remain low and rental rates are rising. The same factors are fueling the residential real estate boom, he said.


Reporter Dave Simanoff can be reached at (813) 259-7762

http://tampatrib.com/businessnews/MGB771547BE.html

Didn't know where to put this post. So I guess here is as good as any thread.
I read yesterday that the mayor is thinking of reopening 7th on weekend nights.

What do you guys think of this?

I personally think it's a bad idea. On Friday and Saturday nights the club's lines form in the street and there will be no room to walk if we force these people on to the sidewalk. I really don't think opening 7th will solve any problems with the crowd. It may actually kill Ybor altogether, which I guess will get rid of the bad element :)

I wouldn't mind closing it all the time, maybe like Lincoln Road in Miami Beach.
It's pedestrian only and I didn't see any bad element while I was there.

The city could lease space to kiosks in the middle of 7th. Restaurants and cafes could open up outdoor seating, since they would have plenty of space. As it is now, if the restaurant puts tables out side, you need to walk into the street.

Wanted to get your thoughts on this.

Is this the same developer developing that 4 story townhome in downtown?

North Hyde Park Sees Room For Improvement
By JANIS D. FROELICH jfroelich@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 20, 2005




TAMPA - Bob Allen figures it has been about 50 years since his North Hyde Park neighborhood has seen new residential development.
``I know there hasn't been any in the 39 years I've lived here,'' said Allen, president of North Hyde Park Neighborhood Association.

Yet as developers begin to cast their eyes on the once-neglected neighborhood, which includes the historic Dobyville area, residents want them ``to go slow,'' Allen said.

Dobyville is where some of Tampa's black residents lived beginning in the 1920s to be near the Bayshore Boulevard area homes where they provided household help. There once were small businesses such as Manley's Sundry and Necie's Beauty Shop to serve the neighborhood.

Now developers are realizing those areas are untapped gems at downtown Tampa's doorstep.

On Thursday, the first of what promises to be many proposals for residential complexes goes before the city council, seeking higher density in the compact community of mostly single-family homes.

Mize & Sefair Properties Inc. wants to build a 16-unit town house development at North A Street and Albany Avenue. The 1,600- to 1,750-square-foot units each would have three bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms and two-car garages. Prices would be in the low $300,000s.

That is a big jump for a neighborhood where the 2000 U.S. census tallied most home values between $20,000 and $90,000. None exceeded $200,000.

Allen said the 60-acre community is unusual for an area just north of south Tampa and a short walk from Kennedy Boulevard. ``We have quite a bit of vacant property,'' he said.

Residents welcome new development, Allen said, but recent community meetings have revealed concerns.

``Folks are looking at their investment,'' he said. ``We don't want rental homes, especially duplexes. Now, I know town homes have owners, and we invite those in.''

Even town houses bring issues. Allen said his group told Mize & Sefair to go back to the drawing board because of concerns about on-street parking.

Allen does not think the two-car garages will be enough because the area has narrow streets and lacks sidewalks. Allen also reasons that a couple with teenagers living at home would have at least three vehicles.

Dan Sefair, chief executive officer of Mize & Sefair, said his company listened to neighborhood concerns. He said he dropped one town house unit from the development to make way for on-site parking.

``I know the neighborhood overall is going to be pleased with this design,'' Sefair said. He also said the location is natural for a change.

Tony Cherry said he has lived in his house at 1509 W. Fig St. since he was born in 1953 but would be willing to pack up and move if offered the right price.

Although he said he understands residents' concerns about rental property, Cherry said duplexes would not bother him.

``I would like to see the whole area redeveloped,'' he said, as opposed to it being done piecemeal.

Meanwhile, another developer, the LIST Group, is scheduled to meet tonight with the neighborhood association to discuss its proposed project, 10 two-story town houses at 2410 W. Gray St., with prices starting at $225,000.

Steve Michelini, government relations consultant for LIST, said government money is available to improve the infrastructure in North Hyde Park.

``They need upgrades: sidewalks, street lighting,'' he said.

Michelini said the future probably holds a mix of town houses and rehabilitated houses in the neighborhood. The main corridors, such as Kennedy Boulevard and Howard and Armenia avenues, will continue to see new commercial buildings.

There also is a considerable amount of light industry. Allen, who counts about 325 residences in North Hyde Park, predicts the industry will be gone in five to 10 years, replaced by residential development.


Researcher Diane Grey contributed to this report. Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 259-7143.

http://www.tampatribune.com/MGBFUUJZCBE.html

I think they should worry about the current riverwalk length before adding more on to it. Unless they have to sign on that length of construction to keep cost down. :)

Port Officials Consider Longer Riverwalk Route
By TED JACKOVICS tjackovics@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 20, 2005




TAMPA - The manager for Tampa's Riverwalk project sought the Port of Tampa's endorsement Tuesday to extend the walkway to Channelside and The Florida Aquarium as part of a long-term plan to help boost downtown development.
Port commissioners agreed to have staff members examine the city's request, although planners must overcome security issues that affect port property, including land it leases to Channelside merchants.

Ultimately, Mayor Pam Iorio and other supporters of the Riverwalk proposal hope that a 2.5-mile waterfront walkway, along with other public and private development, will help create a lively downtown business district. The city wants most if not all of the multiphase project to be completed before the end of the decade, extending from Tampa Heights to the Channelside area.

``We want to see Riverwalk succeed,'' port director Richard Wainio said Tuesday. ``How to do it, we don't know yet.''

For now, news of the city's request to extend Riverwalk into Channelside was warmly greeted by merchants there. The entertainment complex sits near a growing neighborhood that includes several more proposed condominium projects.

``I can't say how many guests we have from out of town who are flabbergasted we have this great waterfront and we don't use it,'' said Guy Revelle, co-owner of four businesses at Channelside, including Stumps Supper Club. ``Getting Riverwalk through the Byrd condominium property [to the wharf] would be great for business. Getting it through Channelside would be astronomical.''

Brooks Byrd, a St. Petersburg developer who has plans to build a pair of 30-story condominium towers just east of the Beneficial Drive bridge, said his firm would cooperate with Riverwalk plans through his site.

Those plans were outlined Tuesday by Lee Hoffman, the mayor's manager for Riverwalk. Hoffman asked commissioners to agree to let the city build part of the downtown pedestrian pathway on what is now submerged land east of Beneficial Drive Bridge. Then Riverwalk would extend beyond the Byrd condominium just east of the bridge and attach to the port's wharf at Channelside.

Hoffman also requested that the port evaluate options to connect Riverwalk from there to Channelside shops and The Florida Aquarium.

Port commissioners responded favorably in principle to both requests at Tuesday's monthly port authority meeting. They asked Wainio to study and make a recommendation on the requests so they could take formal action.

The most pressing challenge is how to route Riverwalk through port property leased to Channelside shops and through the cruise terminals between downtown and the aquarium.

``I realize there will always be issues with security through the port area, but it would be good to get Riverwalk through to the aquarium,'' said Dan Mahurin, chief executive officer and president of SunTrust Bank-Tampa Bay and head of a civic group backing Riverwalk.

Wainio speculated about several options for continuing Riverwalk into Channelside, including an elevated walkway from the edge of the Byrd development into the second- story area of the Channelside shops.

Whichever options are chosen, the Riverwalk should become a viable part of downtown's future, supporters contend. That includes Hillsborough County Commissioner Ronda Storms, who, along with Iorio, is on the port authority board. Storms said she hopes the project will eventually include water taxis or other water transportation so people can enjoy the ambience of the waterfront.

In other business Tuesday:

* Commissioners recommended maintaining the tax rate for Hillsborough County property owners at 26 cents per $1,000 valuation for fiscal year 2006. The rate would not be finalized until mid-September after public hearings are conducted on the tentative and final rate and fiscal year budget. The county's fiscal year begins Oct. 1.

* Commissioners recommended that the port authority authorize up to $125,000 to complete engineering studies for widening Sparkman Channel, where a conflict happens when Carnival's cruise ship Miracle moves through the channel when a petroleum tanker is berthed there.

In August, the port plans to release details of contracts it wants bids on. Those include an estimated $7.5 million proposal, up from a previous $2.5 million the port anticipated, for dredging Sparkman Channel.

* Commissioners approved negotiating a contract to build a two-lane security gate at Port Sutton Road with Peter Brown Construction Inc., the lowest bidder with a proposed $1.8 million price.

http://www.tampatribune.com/MGBW0CRXCBE.html

This is about the company the port cut in order to get Fairmont, and its possible relocation. :)

Maritime Company, Port Reach Agreement
By TED JACKOVICS tjackovics@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 20, 2005




TAMPA - The president of International Ship Repair & Marine Services Inc. said Tuesday that the Port of Tampa has offered a suitable site for relocation if a proposed hotel and condominium project is built and forces his eviction.
``The port asked me if a particular location would be suitable, and I have given indication, yes, it would if it were made available to me,'' said International Ship President Tad Humphreys.

He said moving costs should not be exorbitant, although it's not yet clear who would pay for the move.

The potential relocation from the north end of Ybor Channel to make way for a $450 million hotel and condominium project has been a long-standing conflict between many longtime port tenants and port commissioners.

The port authority last year did not renew Humphreys' lease and instead leased the site to Longboat Key entrepreneur Murray ``Murf'' Klauber for his proposed development, which also would include a technology conference center.

The port has said the area is not accessible to most vessel traffic and has significant limits for future maritime use.

International Ship was working Tuesday on the Coast Ridge, a 610-foot-long, 105- foot-wide ship, in the berth, which would be filled in if the hotel plan goes forward. Humphreys and other maritime port tenants contend that because the port would lose a 1,300-foot deep-water berth, a resource that cannot be replaced, it would adversely affect the community's economy.

Humphreys said he would prefer not to move his shipyard, which is next to Channelside and Adamo drives and in sight of motorists on the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway.

He also said the port has indicated to him that the hotel developer is not on schedule to meet a March 31 deadline to begin construction.

Port Director Richard Wainio said Tuesday that he expects Klauber will meet with him within a few weeks to report on his timetable.

Stephen Mitchell, Klauber's Tampa attorney for the project, said Tuesday that the project is ``still moving forward.''

Klauber said two weeks ago that he named Trammell Crow Co.'s managing director of Florida Development Services Bob Abberger to head his team of architects and engineers.


Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817.

http://tampatrib.com/businessnews/MGBU3PTXCBE.html

I've heard that the Fairmont Hotel chain is no longer attached to this project; that it is now the Mandarin Hotels.

This was during a meeting last week with several Channel District developers present.

Have not read anything to corroborate this however.

If it is indeed Mandarin Oriental, then that is a coup! Fairmount is great, but Mandarin is top of the line worldwide. www.mandarin-oriental.com/

Interesting turn of developments...

How do you like having the lofts right next to you? Will a new hotel/condo totally block your view or only partial?

I don't even notice the Lofts. They're only visible from the front door, and are frankly an improvement over the vacant and weed-covered lot that was there 18months ago. I do wonder about their view, however; it seems primarily they get to look at the underside of I-275. Not to be a salesman, but we have a better view, more altitude, a much larger pool, and are less expensive than the Lofts. Granted, the building is 23 years old, but most of the tenants have entirely redone the inside. If we could just fire 4/5 of our condo board, OLP would be the diamond in the rough in north downtown.

I have long been deeply concerned about anything that might affect my view, and much as I'd like to see The Big Pink torn down and replaced, I'd want to have a hand in the design process (fat chance of that, of course). You could put a 25+ story building on the riverbank there by the performing arts center, and it would only impede my view of the Alagon construction on Bayshore. Anything built on the same footprint as the existing hotel would also be just fine. Anything built to the east of that, however, I'd hope would come in at six floors or less, preferably four or five. Put in some nice townhomes and restaurants, and put a big parking garage under the taller building, and that would be great.

But I'm selfish.

Hey everyone. I've been a lurker for some time, so I thought I would register.

What's going on with the Cresent Heights project in Channelside? You don't hear anything about it anymore. Is it dead?

Hey everyone. I've been a lurker for some time, so I thought I would register.

What's going on with the Cresent Heights project in Channelside? You don't hear anything about it anymore. Is it dead?

Welcome aboard Maxim98!!

I have been wondering about that project lately too. I go to their website and I can't find the project on Crescent Height's website. However I would not call it dead.

I hope its not dead. I liked the design. I could have sworm I saw a few alternative designs for it floating around these forums a while back...

It's definitely not dead... and there were some minor design revisions...

I hope it still goes ahead, anyway. *waits impatiently*

Let's hope.

I liked the old design better, though.

This is a good project in a nice location. Last I heard (many months ago) it was suppose to start construction this September, which at this point probaly won't happen. :)

Looks like this tower will be 19 stories, 230 feet on Bayshore.

City Delays Action On Bayshore Tower Deal
By MICHAEL H. SAMUELS msamuels@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 22, 2005




TAMPA - City officials and a developer have reached a mediated settlement to build a condominium tower on Bayshore Boulevard, but it has to go before the city council.
The agreement reduces the number of stories of the tower, to be built on an empty lot at Bayshore and Desoto Avenue, to 19 and the overall height to 230 feet, a reduction of 116 feet, said Scott McLaren, an attorney for developer Citivest.

The city council was expected to meet Thursday to set an Aug. 11 public hearing to discuss the settlement. The council postponed the Thursday meeting until next week.

More than two years ago, Citivest submitted its project plans to the Architectural Review Commission because the Bayshore site falls within the Hyde Park Historic District. Two designs were submitted, one showing a 31-story tower and the other a 24- story version. Neighbors adamantly opposed both proposals.

The commission decided the high-rise was out of character and inappropriate for the district. The developer appealed the decision to the city council, which voted to uphold the commission's position.

Citivest sued the city, seeking to overturn the ARC and council rulings. The lawsuit contends the property owners were denied due process and development rights were violated.

McLaren said the settlement is a significant sacrifice for the developers.

``I feel the settlement speaks for itself,'' he said.

Roger Grunke, president of the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, called the settlement a farce.

``It is injurious to the historic district,'' he said. ``It does not meet the guidelines.''

He said the building is too large in mass and scale for the neighborhood.

``There is no precedent for a building that size,'' Grunke said. ``Show me another 19- story building.''

Councilman John Dingfelder, who represents the area, said he learned of the settlement Tuesday and was not prepared to set a public hearing date to discuss the settlement. He said he expected the public hearing to be in September.

``I was extremely perturbed,'' Dingfelder said. ``We did not even know the city was in the process of mediating or negotiating. Council was not kept in the loop at all. It's inappropriate, especially something this high-profile that the ARC and the council has put so much time into.''

Bayshore Gardens Neighborhood Association President Vicki Pollyea, whose neighborhood borders Hyde Park, said she was upset that neighborhoods were kept out of the mediation.

``Nineteen stories might be a good compromise, but for us to be excluded from it, it's something of an injustice,'' she said. ``It feels unfair.''


Reporter Michael H. Samuels can be reached at (813) 835-2109

http://www.tampatribune.com/MGBLZJVYFBE.html

Hey everyone. I've been a lurker for some time, so I thought I would register.

What's going on with the Cresent Heights project in Channelside? You don't hear anything about it anymore. Is it dead?

I don't think this project is dead, but Crescent Heights has put the property on the market, very quietly. Smith and Associates is pitching the entire parcel and disclosing it is already approved and ready to go for a high-rise developer at 800+ units...

Crescent Heights may just be trying to gauge if they can make their profit now by selling the raw land and not even have to build the condos, or maybe they've decided it's too risky for some reason?

Hmm, thanks for the update guys. I hope that they sell the land so someone else can build on it, then.

^^^ You know, now that I remember, I saw a Smith and Associates sign on the eastern part of that lot about 10 days ago. :) Looks like I beat you to that article Smiley. :) :wink2:

Just came back from driving through Channelside, and Grand Central has really made progress ... lots of 20-foot or so pillars coming out from the ground (probably 30 of them) ... not a construction guy, so don't know what this means, but definitely a lot has happened in the past two weeks.

By the way, forgot to mention ... take this for what it's worth ... a friend of mine was being hit on by a female from NYC this weekend at Jackson's who works for Mandarin Oriental Hotels. She could have just been in town for vacation ... but?

Just came back from driving through Channelside, and Grand Central has really made progress ... lots of 20-foot or so pillars coming out from the ground (probably 30 of them) ... not a construction guy, so don't know what this means, but definitely a lot has happened in the past two weeks.

Yeah, noticing those pillars also. I only had a quick glance but thought they were only working on the East building. Shouldn't they be doing the East and West simultaneously since they are the exact same schematic except reverse (meaning one facing the other direction)?

I just hope they get done by end of 2006.

Grand Central is definitely on the fast track, 24 hours a day construction.

I've also heard from a couple other people that Mandarin is definitely attached to the Teleconvergance project (can't they come up with a better name?).

Did anyone see or hear anything about the city council meeting on Thursday? I thought that the developers for the Kress block and adjacent block were going to be resubmitting their plans for these buildings.

The InTown / Novare proposed project in the Channel District did not go before the council last week. This has been postponed until August. There seems to be a groundswell of Victory and 212 residents that are opposed to this for various reasons and will be present en masse at that upcoming meeting to voice their objections.

There's an article in today's Tampa Business Journal about the Tampa Bay 1 project (Dale Mabry and I-275). Apparently, not only is the project still alive, but this long process (proposed initially in 1999) was their plan all along! Who knew? http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/07/25/focus2.html

Yeah, noticing those pillars also. I only had a quick glance but thought they were only working on the East building. Shouldn't they be doing the East and West simultaneously since they are the exact same schematic except reverse (meaning one facing the other direction)?

I just hope they get done by end of 2006.

It was my impression that they were going to build a bit separately. When I purchased (in the East building), they told me the completion dates would be 3-4 months apart (though I could have sworn that the West building would be completed first, but maybe I'm wrong).

I was told the same thing -- the buildings would be completed 3 - 4 months apart. However, I distinctly remember that the east building was going to open first -- that's why I bought in the east building.

This is a simple staging issue... The timeline is offset, so that when the crew is done on one building, they move right over to the other one.

I guess I'll be in the first stage of moving then. I'm in the East building on the 7th floor facing Channelside Drive.

I'm hoping they clean the port area a bit for a nice view.

Oh, and I suspect that the East building is taller? That would make sense, as it would mean that even though the construction on them begins a few months apart, that they could be completed at nearly the same time.

If I remember correctly, the west building is taller. (The east is to be 12 stories and the west is to be 14 stories.) And now that I think about it, it was my perception that this was the main reason why the west building was going to open a little later -- because they had two more stories to build than on the east building.

If I remember correctly, the west building is taller. (The east is to be 12 stories and the west is to be 14 stories.) And now that I think about it, it was my perception that this was the main reason why the west building was going to open a little later -- because they had two more stories to build than on the east building.

And also because they're having to "coordinate" with the Ventana right out in front. From what the rep at Ventana said, they're going to be able to "access the supermarket easier than anyone in Grand Central with a private entrance as well".

I guess I'll be in the first stage of moving then. I'm in the East building on the 7th floor facing Channelside Drive.

I'm hoping they clean the port area a bit for a nice view.

You mean facing Ventana? Ventana blocks Channelside fron Grand Central. Since you'll be looking east (which is correct, right?) from the 7th floor, the 11 story Ventan wiil block you. BTW, looking East, you will see mostly Mandarian Hotel. :) I think I got that all right. :)

I think that Bay Citi is either referring to a different project, or has thier information confused... Or, the guy who told us about a tower going up at Franklin and Channelside has his information confused.

It sure would be nice if folks offered a source for thier info... That's the one thing that bothers me about Zimna's tactics at BayCiti... He just kinda posts things, but doesn't say how he got the info... So for the viewer, it could be a rumor or just misinformation.

I think that Bay Citi is either referring to a different project, or has thier information confused... Or, the guy who told us about a tower going up at Franklin and Channelside has his information confused.

It sure would be nice if folks offered a source for thier info... That's the one thing that bothers me about Zimna's tactics at BayCiti... He just kinda posts things, but doesn't say how he got the info... So for the viewer, it could be a rumor or just misinformation.

I don't have any sources, I just pull this stuff right straight out of my behind. It's all completely made up and fabricated.

Actually... I dont know if the 3 tower thing is the Franklin/Channelside project, the renderings didnt make it clear exactly where it was. It may be different, it may be the same.

I dont know why you'd have a problem with not revealing sources, this is my little hobby at local journalism and journalists often don't reveal where they get info. If you don't like my 'tactics' I'd hate to see how you react to Newsweek.

You mean facing Ventana? Ventana blocks Channelside fron Grand Central. Since you'll be looking east (which is correct, right?) from the 7th floor, the 11 story Ventan wiil block you. BTW, looking East, you will see mostly Mandarian Hotel. :) I think I got that all right. :)

Actually my unit is on the 7th floor and about the middle of the Ventana building, which is the pool area. As you can see from the Ventana rendering, there are no units in the middle and can see through Channelside and Port area. At least that's what the builder rep told me during contract.

Ventana (http://ventanatampa.com/home.html) Click on Enlarge pic

I think that Bay Citi is either referring to a different project, or has thier information confused... Or, the guy who told us about a tower going up at Franklin and Channelside has his information confused.

It sure would be nice if folks offered a source for thier info... That's the one thing that bothers me about Zimna's tactics at BayCiti... He just kinda posts things, but doesn't say how he got the info... So for the viewer, it could be a rumor or just misinformation.


I'm the one that mentioned mix-use condo/retail/hotel at Franklin/Channelside. I am not supposed to release any info or copy the rendering, per the developer. So I'm just sticking to that, but thought I'd give a brief description on it. With any projects, you don't want to give full details as they are still in the development stage.

I dont know why you'd have a problem with not revealing sources, this is my little hobby at local journalism and journalists often don't reveal where they get info. If you don't like my 'tactics' I'd hate to see how you react to Newsweek.

I don't have a problem with your site or your methods... But then again, I don't personally use your site as a source for information posted here...I swear I don't mean to offend you or anything... but my personal preference is that the information posted here be confirmed, bonafide or what have you... You got the info yourself, so of course you feel good about its veracity... But without some citation of a source (developer, realtor, architect, friend at newspaper 'X'... don't even have to name names), that confidence is naturally diluted for others. especially for me, since I am a skeptic by nature.

(please note that this is NOT a rule or something. Just my personal opinion outside the realm of my 'duties' as Admin. Folks can feel free to post whatever info they come across without objection)... What I am 'objecting' to here is the apparent confusion of the unconfirmed info being offered... I hope people understand.

I used to dig for info, and would always cite the source in some fashion... But now, I don't even bother, as the newspapers and council meetings do a fine job of keeping us apprised of developments.

oh, and a prime reason why I don't bother digging... Projects change. Especially if they haven't even been approved yet, and especially if they aren't even in sales yet, and especially especially if they aren't yet U/C... Look at the changes for Pinnacle Place/O2, Crescent Hieghts, the Chesapeake project, Heritage Park etc, etc...

IMO, it's not even worth wasting one's time culling info for projects that pan out to be nothing but pipe dreams much of the time. Reality doesn't change whether we hobbyists know about something when it's still a rumor, or if we don't hear about it until it is officially announced.

I don't have a problem with your site or your methods... But then again, I don't personally use your site as a source for information posted here...I swear I don't mean to offend you or anything... but my personal preference is that the information posted here be confirmed, bonafide or what have you... You got the info yourself, so of course you feel good about its veracity... But without some citation of a source (developer, realtor, architect, friend at newspaper 'X'... don't even have to name names), that confidence is naturally diluted for others. especially for me, since I am a skeptic by nature....

Thank you - well it's easy to be a skeptic especially when following urban projects. I try to get things right, and if I dont, then I dont. Everything changes very often. I just do that site for fun and it usually is, I've met a ton of interesting people. When you have a site, all kinds of people who know things write to you and they become sources if they're right a few times.

I would hope no one takes all the junk I write that seriously. :)

Actually my unit is on the 7th floor and about the middle of the Ventana building, which is the pool area. As you can see from the Ventana rendering, there are no units in the middle and can see through Channelside and Port area. At least that's what the builder rep told me during contract.

Ventana (http://ventanatampa.com/home.html) Click on Enlarge pic


Ohh, so instead you'll be looking at women in bikinis at the pool. Nice. But any way you'll still have a nice view of they Fairmont/Mandarian thing if/when it gets built. :) :)

Hey Zimna....Do you have any idea when this project will be introduced to the public?

Also, do you know why o2 decided to axe the observation tower? I actually liked it and thought it would add another element to our skyline.

Hey Zimna....Do you have any idea when this project will be introduced to the public?

Also, do you know why o2 decided to axe the observation tower? I actually liked it and thought it would add another element to our skyline.

Hi, I don't know when it will be intro'd. I try not to post things on my site unless two people have told me about them, and I got just a tiny bit of info on the stuff this week, sorry. I will keep pestering people, either that or it will show up in the local paper.

The observation tower was a good idea when it was introduced in, what, 1990? - now what good would it be if it's not the tallest thing around? The towers around it have lessened it's impact on the skyline...there really isnt a point to having an observation tower with no view. Additionally, unless you put a roller coaster on the top of it (Las Vegas...) it's expensive and unprofitable. Maybe if it was located on Harbour Island or near Busch Gardens as a tourist attraction or something it would work... or if it were much taller.

The age of observation towers in America is pretty much over, IMHO. (Reunion, Tower of the Americas, Calgary, Space Needle, all old)

Thanks again for the insight. Keep up the good work

The Pinnacle tower would have worked if it was made at a hieght where it was truly the "pinnacle" of highrises in the area, preferably the state... My longstanding suggestion of 850-900ft would have worked out great for an obs deck IMO.

Of course, what would work even better at that site is an office tower of a similar hieght. Channelside will clearly have plenty of residential space, entertainment, retail and hotel space. What is has very little of is office space, and the kind of jobs that office space brings... You know, the very kind of jobs that pricey nieghborhoods like Channelside and Harbour Island need to exist. ;)

2 Big Condo Projects Fade Away


Tampa Tribune
By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 28, 2005


TAMPA - At least two of Tampa's downtown condominium projects have been shelved, perhaps an early warning that the number of proposals may be ahead of demand.
On Wednesday, Crescent Heights, developer of a 27-story complex planned for the Channel District, confirmed that it is looking for a buyer. Also, the developer of the Seasons Residences has reached an agreement to sell its property without building the 51- story complex, although it's unclear what the new owner would do with the property.

The news has raised questions among local real estate observers about the fate of some of the other 22 proposed projects. They speculate that some developers are running into financing trouble or fear a downtown condo glut.

``Those people who've decided not to go forward have decided, or their banks have decided, that now is not a good time,'' said Christine Burdick, executive director of the Tampa Downtown Partnership. ``This is not a surprise; the market will temper the pace.''

Peter Gottschalk, the Seasons architect, said Wednesday that the new buyer has built condo towers elsewhere and may want to build one at the 602 E. Whiting St. site. The deal is supposed to close in 30 to 60 days, said Gottschalk, who would not identify the buyer or the sales price.

The current owner is a Switzerland developer who has decided he has too many other projects in other cities and doesn't have time for this one, said Gottschalk, who would not name his boss.

Crescent Heights, the Miami developers who planned the Channel District project on Channelside Drive, did not return phone calls Wednesday, but had a `for sale` sign at the property, across the street from the St. Pete Times Forum.

An e-mail released by the city Wednesday outlines the company's plans.

``Whoever buys this is getting a complete package including all the design work we have done so far,'' wrote Mike Scotese, of Crescent Heights.

The city followed the e-mail Wednesday by removing the project from its list of towers in the pipeline. Burdick said she's also heard that other developers are thinking of pulling out but is not concerned because there are others wanting to take their places.

Two more condo towers have been announced in recent weeks. Novare-Intown Tampa Development LLC, which is building the 32-story downtown SkyPoint tower, has proposed a 25-story tower in the Channel District. On Wednesday, Mercury Advisors made available details on another tower it wants to build in the district.

``Some people are trying to wait and see what the market does,'' said Burdick, who heads the Tampa Downtown Partnership, a private, not-for- profit group that acts as a liaison between business and property interests and government. ``Others with a better plan or who are more confident might pick up those properties.''

Some developers, she added, are second-guessing their projects because they could flip the land for more money.

``If they bought the property a while ago for cheap, they may feel it's better to sell and get out.''

Ken Stoltenberg, co-director of Mercury Advisors, which has started building its 14-story Grand Central at Kennedy, now plans to build a 22-story condo tower nearby. Grand Central sold all of its 392 units in about four months, and Stoltenberg said he thinks the second complex will do well, too. He's not surprised, though, that some developers are dropping out.

``Just because someone proposes something and gets the zoning changed doesn't mean it's going to be built,'' he said.

There are seven condos under construction in the downtown area, and five recently were completed. If all the proposed condos were built, there could be a glut, he acknowledges, but he expects just a handful more to be built soon.

Well we already knew about Crescent, and I guess we all assumed Four Seasons wasn't gonna happen. Not really sad to see it go, though. It was pretty damn ugly.

Developing A Vision

Tampa Tribune
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.

Sounds like Civitas will do a good job. They say they want something that will "blend in with the community." That could be a good thing, or it could just end up looking cheesy, which is the impression I got from the original renderings they did for that little debacle last year (Thanks again Rhonda ;) )
Is anyone else familiar with their work?

The renderings of the proposed central park village look pretty nice. I hope they build it the way it was described and shown. :)

I wonder what the criteria for the lower-income housing are. I would say not having any criminal or like records would be a part of it.

Although it will break up historical close-knit communities, we can't allow the ghetto to be representative of Tampa's inner core for any longer. Let the gentrification and whitewashing begin. :yes:

^Yeah, because you know, only whites are allowed to live in the new DT Tampa... :bash:

We all know Channelside and dt is going to look like Christmas all year round when all these condos gets built. ;)

Most new low income housing has restrictions on felons and the like and I do not have a problem with that if I am going to pay for it. That only excludes criminals, not any other particluar group

Just a little news flash

City Council just approved:
1) Crescent project on Bayshore - not sure the height but I think it is the 19/8 story thingy
2) Kress/Grant blocks - Grant block to the height of 423'

Just a little news flash

City Council just approved:
1) Crescent project on Bayshore - not sure the height but I think it is the 19/8 story thingy
2) Kress/Grant blocks - Grant block to the height of 423'

How many floors did they approve on the Kress block?

That's great news. I'm looking forward to seeing the new designs on these projects.

How many floors did they approve on the Kress block?


Had to be the same as origionally proposed, because there was either none or only one dissenting vote (Alvarez?) for the Kress portion of the project... The dissention was sheerly over the grant block. And since the grant block was origionally porposed at 423' and approved at 423', we can correctly assume that the scale of the project has gone unchanged.

Will the Council Meeting be replayed tonight?

All asthetic changes, but they presented them in a "book" for each commissioner so they did not show much - though I do not think it will be as bland as before. They did not get into floors - not really into the heights - though Ferlita complained about the Trib calling her out.

No idea when they might replay it. Check early so you can find out what the deal is with the Crescent project - I just saw the vote.

Usually, it is replayed pretty late... like midnight, or 1am... something like that.

/\ It sucks living in Manatee now. They don't play the city council meetings on the local gov channel. Instead I can watch county commision meetings about the approval of 5,000 unit subdivisions. Joy.

Well we already knew about Crescent, and I guess we all assumed Four Seasons wasn't gonna happen. Not really sad to see it go, though. It was pretty damn ugly.
I'm back! I'll try to not be so annoying this time. Well at least now we have closure on the Four Seasons and Crescent Heights and with all the talk lately it's out with the old and in with the new. Now I know if a project never makes it to a "floor plans website" then it probably is stagnant and eventually dead.

How many floors did they approve on the Kress block?
Hopefully it will be in the Tribune tomorrow.

^We already know Robbie... read the thread.

I've never watched a city council meeting before... did the tower at the Newk's site just get approved? Sweet!

I'm new here by the way, nice to meetcha :lurker:

Yes, it did.

Looks like another 400 footer for Tampa is officially approved.

Indeed, the Plaza at Channelside - not sure exactly how tall - but at least it has a new color and a eent shape from the little I saw - though the parking garage really needs work.

Is the Newk's project and the Plaza at Channelside the same project?

Let me get this striaght....just today the council approved the Kress Block, the Crescent Tower on Bayshore, Newk's Project, and the Plaza at Channelside. Two disappear, while four get approved. Not a bad rate.

Just got back from being in South Florida for a year. I really wasn't too excited about coming back to Tampa but I did and for family reasons only. One thing I'm pretty excited about is all the new building and proposed projects in this town. The city is taking on a whole new look and in a few years I probably won't even believe I'm in Tampa. Believe me (and I know you all know this) Tampa has talked for years of stuff that never came to fruition and now it seems developers from everywhere are proposing things that this city has never seen.

I left Tampa for job reasons and the lure of all the overbuilding of South Florida just got my head spinning :bash: . I sure hope it happens in Tampa Bay. Not the overbuilding so much but lots of cranes and highrises under construction. Totally blows me away. :) :)

So has the Davis Island NIMBY's changed? Are they ever going to develop Davis Blvd. and make it a bit nicer? Why do they keep all those tacky 1-2 story apartments as the gateway to that beautiful island? I'm sure developers would like to build nice mid-rises but I figure that is the DI way - developers are bad! Why don't they fix up those buildings that has the shops in their downtown area. They look shoddy and I noticed that even a few more tenants have left? Does anyone agree with me here? :rofl:

OK I got that off my chest about DI - I live in a Hyde Park condo and soon when the house is finished I'll be in Ballast Point, but I mainly want to say hello to everyone here in Tampa.

WOW, I'm out for one day and 4 projects get approved. You just can't blink out in Tampa or you'll miss something. :)

Welcome, TamHavPolis and welcome back, CityBoiFlorida.

Tough to say if the NIMBYs at Davis Island have changed at all. My guess would be NO, but since there are very few developments proposed or announced for DI, there hasn't really been anything for them to fight (other than the expanded parking garage at Tampa General; they lost).

You're absolutely right about Tampa's development. I'm sure you've noticed that the Channel District is going through a rapid evolution. New residential towers will be springing up throughout the CBD in the next few years. It's been fun to read about in the news, and will be great to see come to life.

OK, does anyone else think it's confusing or stupid to have a Plaza at Channelside when the Plaza at Harbour Island is ready to begin construction soon. I mean, these two projects are literally only a few hundred feet apart. Are all the other good names already taken???

OK, does anyone else think it's confusing or stupid to have a Plaza at Channelside when the Plaza at Harbour Island is ready to begin construction soon. I mean, these two projects are literally only a few hundred feet apart. Are all the other good names already taken???

I do, maybe Plaza at HI should rename to Place at HI. :rofl:

TamBay.... The Plaza at Channelside is being built on the Newk's property... There's only one project there, not two...

What the council approved yesterday was Crescent's Bayshore project, the Plaza@C, Doran Jason Group's Kress and Grant block project, and the PDA for the 2nd half of the Imperial Yacht Basin project down in SOG.

This totals 5 towers for the DT area, and 6 midrise-highrise towers in the SOG area.

^We already know Robbie... read the thread.
There's so much now, it's hard to keept track of it. About Newk's....Never eatin there. Is their food any good?

Yes, it's pretty good... It's typical sports bar fare, but it's pretty much become a DT staple.

Got this in the mail today:

Updates for Purchasers - Summer 2005

Construction for Grand Central at Kennedy began April 15, 2005. The vibrations brought excitement in the model center as piers were set in place. Soon we saw concrete support beams coming out of the ground and began to really see the magnitude of the project. Most of the columns have been erected up to the second floor on the East building, and piers are now being placed on the West building. The second crane was erected and put in place on what will eventually be the road between each building. Two shift crews work daily to ensure good use of dry weather and bring the project in on schedule.

The model center was closed the beginning of July 2005. While there is no functioning sales center, office space is being used within the Hardin construction staging site to provide support for your needs. The new mailing address is P O Box 172565 Tampa, FL 33762-0565. As the building begins to take shape, it will soon be time for the contractor to place the orders for your appliances and finish color schemes as you have selected. All requests will be submitted to the contractor on August 15, 2005. If you have a desire to make any additions or changes to your existing choice, please contact the office prior to this date. No changes will be accepted by the contractor after that time. The office number is 813-226-0988 and the fax number is 813-226-0998. Someone is generally in the office between 10am and 5pm Monday through Friday. The office is closed on weekends. Voicemail can be left in the general mailbox or you can leave a message for Don Scalf, Contracts Administrator, in mailbox 202.

Buyers who had not taken advantage of available storage and parking spaces were notified recently that limited space was still available. Many of you realized the value of parking in an urban setting and purchased additional space. Only a few are still available after the recent price increase to $17,500.00 per parking space within the secured resident area. If you have an interest in parking or storage space, please call the office to discuss availability.

As many of you have seen, there was an announcement in the Tampa Tribune on July 27, 2005 that the developers of Grand Central at Kennedy are moving forward with another great project in Channelside called The Martin. Details on the project are very limited and you are encouraged to monitor the website www.notthesuburbs.com for upcoming announcements. The focus at this time is to make sure that Grand Central at Kennedy is everything that you anticipated.

if you haven't been to Channelside recently, you are encouraged to take the time to come see the progress at Grand Central at Kennedy and drive through the neighborhood to get a glimpse of the future of the urban lifestyle that will soon be available in Tampa. In the meantime, we will keep you informed on construction and future events in similar notifications.

From the Ventana today ... aren't they being a little presumptuous assuming that the park proposed by The Martin has been finalized?

Ventana News Update

Ventana is now in its 10th week of construction. And we only have 23 units left to sell.

We just got word that the property to the north of Ventana is going to be a Park. That gives the residents in the north tower a great view when looking out their floor to ceiling windows.

Don’t miss out on this chance to own a part of this beautiful development. The window of opportunity is slowly closing – don’t miss out.

We still go to contract with only 10% down and then no more money would be required of you until the project is complete and that should be around December 2006.

Please call with any questions you may have or come to our sales office and see the Virtual tour now available of our beautiful units.

Thank you,
Laurie Dosal 813-272-2222

Wow, another condo project for Bayshore... There will be quite a cluster near Bay to Bay...



New Developer To Seek Delay From Council On Proposed Condo Tower

The Tampa Tribune
By JOSH POLTILOVE jpoltilove@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 28, 2005


SOUTH TAMPA - Plans for a condominium tower a block from Bayshore Boulevard will be pushed back while a new development company finishes creating its vision, attorney Truett Gardner said.

Atlanta-based Southeast Capital Partners plans to develop a $50 million, 26-story tower on Ysabella Avenue near Barcelona Street. When the matter heads to the city council tonight, Gardner will request a continuance.

Southeast Capital Partners decided in April to develop the project.

The Bayshore Gardens Neighborhood Association supports the project but will tell the council of several concerns, including traffic and sidewalks.

Vicki Pollyea, the group's president, said the developer has worked with her neighborhood and resolved some issues.

"We don't like the precedent of big tall buildings in the neighborhood, but it is an area where there are all other tall buildings," Pollyea said. "We did feel like they were trying to make concessions and trying to work with us about green space."

Although the 340,000-square-foot tower would replace a parking lot, the site is zoned for an office building. The rezoning would generate less traffic than an office tower would, Gardner said.

The site's previous concept of a 15-story condominium tower came from a different developer. But at roughly the same square footage as the new plan, that building would have included a hulking parking structure and less green space, Gardner said.

The new plan includes about 84 units, compared with 60 in the previous plan.

Condominium prices will range from more than $600,000 to about $1.7 million, said Satish Lathi, principal partner for Southeast Capital Partners.

And it's nice to see that student housing in and around USF is finally getting a foothold... This has been a LONG time coming.

Also, it's funny how the NIMBYs totally blew it on this one...Nyah nyah!!!


Expansion Approved For Fontana Hall

The Tampa Tribune
By LAURA KINSLER lkinsler@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 28, 2005

TAMPA - Residents of Sweetwater Oaks had won a battle to keep Fontana Hall from building an eight-story addition. When nobody from the neighborhood showed up to speak against it Tuesday, they ended up losing the war.

The Board of County Commissioners voted 5-1 to allow the expansion of the almost 40-year-old college dormitory.

A number of condominium owners from Sweetwater Oaks and Bavarian Village had spoken against the project in June. Their comments persuaded zoning hearing master John Crislip to recommend denying the expansion.

He said the project, which also includes a five-story parking garage, would have a negative effect on the surrounding properties.

Residents also had complained about the congestion on 42nd Street and said allowing 400 more students at Fontana Hall would make the problem worse.

But the owner, Orlando-based Broad Street Partners, agreed to rebuild the intersection at 42nd Street and Fletcher Avenue.

Project engineer Dave Walthall said the new building would be modeled after modern student housing: four-bedroom apartments with living rooms and kitchens. The new building should be completed in time for the 2006 school year, he said.

Commissioner Mark Sharpe said he believes the project will improve the Fletcher Avenue corridor. Chairman Jim Norman voted against the expansion. Ronda Storms was absent.

I am thrilled with the activity in the Channelside & Downtown area. By the end of the decade, the city will be well on it's way to becoming an actual city and the skyline will be fabulous. I'm also impressed with the height of some of the newer projects.

I'm sure Channelside will become a very dense, multi-cultural area with all the low & mid-rise condos going up there, as well as the new Civitas proposal.

What I would love to see is Tampa when this whole thing is over, and how it's changed; street-wise and skyline-wise!

^ And then where will you find all that grit you love to photograph ? ;)

Just went Downtown and saw that Residence @ Franklin Street is vertical and has a big red crane up. Also in Rocky Point demolishin has been completed. There are just some piles of rubble remaining for Oasis and Westin. :)

City OKs Bayshore Condos
By JOSH POLTILOVE jpoltilove@tampatrib.com
Published: Jul 30, 2005




SOUTH TAMPA - More than a year after a site plan to develop condominiums at 319 Bayshore Blvd. first came to the city, the city council offered initial approval.

Council members voted 5-2 in favor of the oft-delayed project, which includes two towers just north of the 345 Bayshore condominium tower. Councilwomen Linda Saul-Sena and Rose Ferlita voted against the towers.

The matter returns to the council Aug. 11 for final approval.

"I think they've done a fair job of making concessions to make this the best project it can be," Councilman John Dingfelder said of developer Crescent Resources.

The council rejected two previous site plans, telling Crescent to reduce the project's scale. The new plan includes a 21-story tower on the parcel's north side, with a southern tower at eight stories.

Residents of 345 Bayshore initially expressed concern about the project's size and proximity to their tower, saying it would block their view of the Bay. Ferlita voted against the towers due to traffic issues; Saul-Sena said the towers' scale was her biggest concern.

But Councilman Shawn Harrison said Crescent Resources and residents managed to create "something everyone can work with."

In March, the council asked Crescent to reduce the project when the developer proposed a 20-story tower. Acting on suggestions from the city council, Crescent returned in May with revised plans to build towers of eight and 24 stories, with the eight-story one closest to 345 Bayshore. The council again asked for a reduction.

The towers will replace The Bayshore Apartments, a three-story, 72-unit complex.
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGBS1ODYQBE.html

Gay Influx Into Neighborhood Tends To Raise Property Values

By ALLYSON BIRD abird@tampatrib.com
Published: Aug 1, 2005

TAMPA - Another drug deal, Jeff Norman thought, stopped in 15th Street traffic, watching a kid on a bike pass a baggie to a man in an old Caddy. Another day in Seminole Heights paradise.
The kid turned to Norman. ``[Mess] with me and I'll kill you,'' he threatened.

Norman would remember sitting exposed in his red Sunfire convertible, that incident with the kid one more on top of yelling at guys puffing joints behind his house, finding prostitutes' underwear there in the morning, listening to neighbors scream profanities in the middle of the night.

Instead of reconsidering his decision to move from St. Petersburg to southeast Seminole Heights, he would finish what he had started on the dilapidated 1925 bungalow purchased in 2000. Norman, now 42, and other gay homeowners rushed in where so many others feared to buy.

Norman's property value has tripled from the $49,000 he paid five years ago. He became a full-time property investor in 2003, the same year southeast Seminole Heights was named USA Neighborhood of the Year.

And the real estate agents were watching. They know the trend.

They put up their ``For Sale'' signs while whispering the worst-kept secret in real estate: Buy it fast once gays move in, because prices will soar.

It happened at Logan Circle in Washington, Midtown Atlanta, Chicago's Boystown. And it's happening in Tampa.

Tampa ranks 26th out of 49 metropolitan areas with populations exceeding 1 million people in the ``Gay Index'' - a measure of the concentration of gays used in Robert Florida's 2002 book, ``The Rise of the Creative Class.'' The book examines creativity as an economic driving force and names gays as a barometer of a city's creativity.

Creative Tampa Bay Inc., a nonprofit group inspired by the book, works to foster that creative climate in Tampa. President Peter Kageyama stresses gays aren't the only ones rejuvenating neighborhoods. It's also artists, college- educated young professionals and DINKS - dual-income households with no kids, Kageyama said.

But gays, simply by living in same-sex households and often displaying pride symbols, happen to be the most recognizable group.

They're the ones real estate agents talk about, and everyone has a theory.


Diverse Reasons

It boils down to financial freedom, said Aaron Berger, a real estate agent with the CDR Group of Keller Williams Realty. ``Frankly, they have a lot of money,'' Berger said. ``They don't have a lot of children, so they have a little more disposable income.''

Greg Burton, a real estate consultant with Realty Executives in St. Petersburg, said gays look for neighborhoods with architectural interest and proximity to downtown culture - shops, restaurants and parks.

But Brian Longstreth, a real estate agent with Your Neighborhood Realty Inc. in St. Petersburg, thinks the gentrification trend is more complex. ``Some of the criteria they use are different from straight people with children, and I think the biggest one is crime,'' Longstreth said. ``They don't have to worry about their children or their schools.''

Before launching a project, one national developer visits the prospective site in search of his bellwether - rainbow flags, the classic gay pride symbol.

Bob Silverman, a trustee with the Urban Land Institute - a nonprofit real estate forum that tackles land use practices - has been speaking about gay urban pioneers since the 1990s. Chairman of the Winter Group of Companies from Atlanta, Silverman turns run-down historic buildings into loft apartments and offices.

Gays ``are not afraid of diversity, when what some people see as an unsafe neighborhood is one with Latinos or African-Americans,'' Silverman said in a telephone interview from Greenville, S.C.

Real estate agents here say Tampa Heights and Seminole Heights are today's hot landing spots for gay urban pioneers. But it all began in Hyde Park, now an upper-class area with a shopping village.


`A Tolerant Place'

Leesa Moore, 44, moved to Hyde Park in 1989. While her friends were renting sparkling new apartments north of downtown for a pittance, Moore settled for the first floor of a bungalow so she could be in the city.

Back then, lawns weren't perfectly pruned with security system signs popping up between the tulips. There were no condos, and plenty of the homes hadn't been renovated.

Moore, a self-employed real estate agent and Rhode Island native, remembers the familiar homeless man on the corner of Morrison and Howard avenues, neighbors growing fresh herbs on DeLeon Street, the ``Hyde Park Zoo'' house on the corner of Packwood and Inman avenues, which was filled with animals and falling into disrepair.

``I miss the characters,'' she said, sitting in her home around the corner from Tampa Bay. She and her partner, Carolyn Kurtz, bought the place in 1998 and fixed it up piece by piece. They took down the partition in the living room that had divided two families. And they took down the air conditioner that sat atop the roof.

They couldn't afford to buy the house today, now that Hyde Park has exploded into a distinct community with all the necessities, plus a movie theater, fine dining and rows of boutiques. Moore knew this place was hip before the developers caught on, but that's not the only reason she moved there.

``To get into the less than lovely part of our lives, the gays are used to being in dangerous situations,'' she said, remembering sneers in an Ocala restaurant and trekking through dangerous parts of town to get to gay bars in both Rhode Island and Florida.

Moore landed in her current neighborhood because, she said, ``Hyde Park seemed like a tolerant place.'' Neighbors don't seem to care about two women living together and raising a 4-year-old boy.

That welcoming attitude is one of the most noticeable trends in these up-and- coming neighborhoods, where neighbors are more than what they drive or where they work.


Finding Common Ground

Tampa Heights couple David Purnell and Steve Johns meet up with their neighbors at semimonthly porch parties and with their old neighbors from Old Seminole Heights every Wednesday for family dinner night.

The neighbors come bearing pizza, sushi, fruit and cake. They introduce husbands, wives, partners and children and talk about work and family and the neighborhood. Those who have lived there for years have been through a lot together.

For two years beginning in 2001, 15 or so neighbors would gather Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays between midnight and 4 a.m. for what Johns, an extroverted public-speaking instructor, liked to call ``the hoe down.'' They'd drive down Nebraska Avenue together, shining flashlights on prostitutes trying to work and writing down their customers' license plate numbers.

Living in an up-and-coming neighborhood fosters that community pride and closeness. If all the houses are brand new, there's no need to ask neighbors for referrals to good roofers or plumbers, said Purnell, 41.

``The thing that brings people together is property, the common interest in making it better,'' said Johns, 43. ``Then we come together and think, `Oh my God, I like you' about people we would not have spoken to otherwise.''

Purnell and Johns' surroundings are full of people who look nothing like them. A colorful banner hangs on the front of their house, a sage Victorian trimmed in amber and yellow: ``Tampa Heights. Established 1898. National Historic District.''

They live directly across North Florida Avenue from a red brick building with its own sign: ``Metropolitan Ministries. Providing answers for poor and homeless families. Faithfully.''

Within three blocks of Purnell and Johns' home, a Baptist church shines a neon cross over North Florida Avenue, and a sign outside a Hindu mandir on Palm Avenue asks visitors to remove their shoes and turn off their cell phones and pagers.

While strong community is one common thread in these growing neighborhoods, diversity is another. These neighborhoods aren't black, white, Hispanic, gay, straight, young or old, though they once might have been.

Corey Thomas, who has been working as park director at Robles Park in Tampa Heights for 17 years, has watched this place change. The park sits between I-275 and one-story homes with fenced yards. The peach-colored project down Avon Street is its next-door neighbor.

Thomas sees project kids and Tampa Heights kids, and now gay couples taking a stroll through.

``Once upon a time, 10 years ago, when gays came over here, a lot of people would talk,'' Thomas said, his gold tooth catching the fluorescent lighting. ``Now, nobody seems to notice.''

Reporter Allyson Bird can be reached at (813) 259-7827.

Source: http://news.tbo.com/news/MGBPR085UBE.html

Trump Tower Ups Reservation Price
By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: Aug 2, 2005

TAMPA - The Trump name has become more expensive in Tampa after the prestigious condominium development acknowledged last week that rising construction costs have forced up prices for some people who thought they had reserved lower-cost space.

But not every Trump development is taking that approach. In Las Vegas, for instance, reservation holders recently received assurance that their prices won't go up for the $500 million Trump International Hotel and Tower being built there.

``The price indicated on your Reservation Deposit Agreement will be the price indicated on your Purchase Agreement. There will be no increase of price to you,'' a recent newsletter for the Vegas project stated.

There can be no doubt that the prices for many construction materials have increased due to demands in the United States and elsewhere, especially China. Raw steel prices have gone up 40 percent since 2003, the American Institute of Steel Construction said Monday. Cement prices have gone up about 10 percent this year already, according to a recent estimate by Houston-based Cemex Inc., the biggest cement supplier in the United States.

Still, developers generally want to avoid being put into a position of having to break such bad news to prospective buyers.

Brooks Byrd of the Byrd Corp., which is the residential developer of Downtown Channelside, said his company has never raised reservation prices and doesn't want to start now.

``It's the last thing you want to do as a developer because the buyer doesn't like it,'' said Byrd, who expects to accept reservations in October. ``Trump has buyers willing to pay more, but I'm not Donald Trump.''

Byrd said construction costs have gone up and developers have to be extra cautious to make sure they can build their condos for what they sell them for. He said he typically writes in a cushion of 5 percent to 7 percent for hard costs.

``It's for the uh-oh factor,'' he said. ``And right now the uh-oh factor for developers is construction costs.''

Unforeseen costs have hit home at another Trump project in Miami, where the $700 million Trump Grande Ocean Resort & Residences is being built. Total construction costs for the tower there have risen $5 million to $10 million. But the developers say they didn't realize it until after they had converted reservations to contracts. So they can't raise prices.

``It's going to cut into the bottom line,''said Don Moss, controller of Dezer Properties, which partnered with the Trump company on the project. ``The developers are still going to make a lot of money, but not as much.''

At the $650 million Trump International Hotel & Tower in Chicago, buyers go straight to contract, so their initial price doesn't change. The prices of the unsold units go up daily, however, said Tere Proctor, director of sales.

``Because of supply and demand for the Trump product, we raised prices,'' Proctor said, noting that the 758 residential and condo hotel units are 70 percent sold. ``The brand adds more value to the condo.''

That's even true for the Trump projects in Las Vegas, where the developers' construction estimates were ``pretty close to right on,'' said Jack Christie, vice president of sales and marketing with Trump Las Vegas.

If a reservation holder backs out, the new price is much higher, he said. A second Trump tower, not yet sold, will cost about 35 percent more than the first one and will probably skip the reservation phase, he added.

Trump Tower Tampa developers say each project is unique.

``All the Trump projects are different and have different structures,'' said David Hooks, spokesman for the 52-story Tampa complex under construction. ``We didn't do this for the fun of it. Construction costs have gone up.''

Hooks isn't saying how much more the complex will cost to build or how much sales prices are rising. The developers originally said the 190-unit condominium along the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa would cost $220 million to build. Still, Hooks wouldn't dispute assertions that costs could be rising several hundred thousands of dollars on some units.

He did say some buyers will see no increase and some will be charged more than others, depending on square footage and floor. Prices in Trump Tower Tampa have advertised for $700,000 to $6 million.

The local development company building the complex is Dag-RoBEL LLC.

Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.

On Ballot Today: Temple Terrace Redevelopment
By GEORGE WILKENS gwilkens@tampatrib.com
Published: Aug 2, 2005




TEMPLE TERRACE - Voters weigh in today on the proposed redevelopment of Temple Terrace, the most costly proposition in the 80-year history of Hillsborough County's smallest city.
Voters are being asked to authorize bonds and a 1 mill property tax increase to help pay the city's one-fifth portion of the proposed $300 million downtown redevelopment.

Unicorp National Developments, the Orlando company vying to negotiate a contract for the public-private partnership targeting the area southeast of Busch Boulevard and 56th Street, proposes a ``lifestyle street.'' Plans call for a bike trail, river walk, gardens, interactive fountain and other features emphasizing the Hillsborough River.

The mixed-use project, to be developed in phases over 10 years, would include town homes, retail shops, boutiques, restaurants and a parking garage. Plans are to include a new city hall and cultural center in the ``New Urbanism'' design.

Proponents and opponents have lobbied neighbors, distributed yard signs and created Web sites espousing their views.

Proponents say redevelopment of the business district will dramatically enhance the commercial core, improve the business climate and boost the tax revenue base.

``It's crucial for our city,'' Mayor Joe Affronti said Monday. The target area, now the site of an old shopping center, will continue to deteriorate if no action is taken, he said.

``A lot of naysayers say [the proposed redevelopment plan] is too big, it's too this, it's too that, but nobody came up with another idea.''

Redevelopment, the mayor said, is an ideal way to increase the tax base and revenue to keep up with the rising cost of municipal services. ``I'd much rather have a 1 mill increase to build something beautiful for our city that will have long- term positive effects than to have a 1 mill increase just to support our services.''

Businessman Ken Tozier and other foes say the plan is too grandiose and contend the city should explore options.

``If it passes, I am afraid that these people think it is a license to proceed with the plan they put in place,'' which includes 842 condominiums and parking for thousands of vehicles, Tozier said. ``The introduction of an urban-scape into this suburban community, I think, will be a change you would never want to make.

``I think if it fails, the administration needs to take this as a healthy message,'' Tozier said, citing residents' concerns about additional traffic and other redevelopment issues.

Today it comes down to a simple yes or no vote on a 70- word ballot question.

If it fails, states the city's Web site, ``It is likely that progress on the downtown revitalization will slow to a crawl and the city's new downtown will not be realized for many years, if ever.''

The tax increase would cost the owner of a $150,000 house with a homestead exemption an additional $125 annually.
http://www.tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGBB55GLVBE.html

From downtown I can see a crane when I look westward...its kind of in the West Shore area maybe. Its hard to tell exactly where it is from here. Does anybody know what it is? It looks fairly tall.

From downtown I can see a crane when I look westward...its kind of in the West Shore area maybe. Its hard to tell exactly where it is from here. Does anybody know what it is? It looks fairly tall.

It could either be the new vertical shopping center off Dale Mabry and I-275 or the new economy parking garage at TIA.

I don't think so, its south of Kennedy.

From downtown I can see a crane when I look westward...its kind of in the West Shore area maybe. Its hard to tell exactly where it is from here. Does anybody know what it is? It looks fairly tall.

It might be Kennedy place. Although that's pretty close to Downtown.It could be just another Hyde Park loft project or maybe its the TIA building its new airport terminals, yeah prolly the terminals. :)

Does anyone know the website for the Oasis condos here in Tampa?

http://www.oasisrockypoint.com/

Why is noone discussing how Temple Terrace residents voted down property tax increases to fund the mixed-used urban redevelopment project??????????????

Why is noone discussing how Temple Terrace residents voted down property tax increases to fund the mixed-used urban redevelopment project??????????????

I'm guessing that no one's surprised.

^Indeed... It's the kind of typical small minded myopia we've come to expect around here.

it took Tampa about 25 years to start getting its act together DT. I expect Temple Terrace to take at least as long before its residents wake up and do thier part to help fight the ills of sprawling development, by invigorating and redeveloping existing urban areas.

Whoa, didn't they just get a $28 million grant from the feds during their last round of transportation handouts the other week? I wonder where that money's going to go now?

And this on the heels of the end of Newsworld International. It's a damn shame.

Actually, I am kind of wondering why they needed to raise taxes to do this thing if it was such a good idea. The developers can do it . . . I'm not sure I would have voted any differently.

Developer Gets OK For Rezoning
By MICHAEL H. SAMUELS msamuels@tampatrib.com
Published: Aug 4, 2005




It may not look like much now, but Ed Oelschlaeger has plans for 53 acres of a dilapidated industrial site west of West Shore Boulevard at the foot of the Gandy Bridge.

Oelschlaeger, president of EcoGroup Inc., received approval from the Tampa City Council last week to rezone the 32 acres formerly housing the Hendry Corp. shipyard to build a waterfront housing, commercial and retail community.

The approval for the Hendry land is the second of three EcoGroup needs for its New Port Tampa Bay project. Already zoned is the 17-acre Imperial Yacht Marina to the north of the Hendry parcel. The rezoning for the 3-acre Moody property to the southwest of Hendry is expected to be brought before city council this month.

"I'm very happy and excited by the unanimous endorsement by the city council of this project," Oelschlaeger said. "It shows the council understands the importance of reinventing the waterfront."

EcoGroup plans to build 1,750 residences, more than 200,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, a 250-slip marina and parks on the properties stretching from Gandy Boulevard to Tyson Avenue west of West Shore.

Oelschlaeger said his vision for the project is a mix of other successful waterfront communities in areas such as Baltimore, Seattle and Vancouver.

He said the project will include more than 5 1/2 acres of parks to go with an extension of the South Tampa Greenway along a widened Bridge Street. Bridge Street will also be extended from Gandy to Tyson.

"This was inevitable," said Mike Hursey, president of the Gandy Civic Association.

Hursey and other members of the civic group relayed concerns they had about the project to the city council, focusing on traffic and flooding.

He said for a project of this magnitude that's going to serve as a gateway to Tampa, the city, community and developer need to work together to improve the quality of life in the area.

"The city now needs to step up," he said. "They can no longer rely on the developers to pull the full weight."

Al Steenson, chairman of the board of the Gandy group, called the project ambitious, grandiose and one that will "forever change the character, appearance and flavor of the neighborhood.

"This is a major gateway," Steenson said. "It is imperative the city, developer and community get it right."

City Councilman John Dingfelder, who represents South Tampa, said he was willing to support the project despite ongoing questions regarding the size and scale of the buildings proposed, traffic and stormwater improvements and lack of specificity on the site plan.

"Doing this requires a leap of faith," he said. "I do not care much for leaps of faith, but it seems you have done an extensive and exhaustive job. I'm willing to take that leap of faith."

"It is imperative the city,

developer and community get it right."

AL STEENSON On ambitiousness of project
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGB4ISB1YBE.html

Ok, now this is Westshore - it should be allowed without any questions, which means the city council will not allow it.

Part-Hotel, Part-Condo Project Proposed
By JOSH POLTILOVE jpoltilove@tampatrib.com
Published: Aug 4, 2005




BEACH PARK - A developer plans to tear down part of a Kennedy Boulevard hotel, replacing it with a 10-story condominium tower.

The tower, at Kennedy and O'Brien Street, would include 168 residential units.

A 90-room wing of the Clarion Hotel Tampa Westshore, 5303 W. Kennedy Blvd., would be demolished. The hotel's 160 other rooms would remain.

On Aug. 11, the city council will consider whether to allow the project. The tower would not be taller than 120 feet, with seven levels of residential units above three parking levels.

After meeting twice with the developer in recent weeks, Beach Park Homeowners Association board members voted to oppose the project.

The project may not be out of scale next to the hotel, but it would be too big and would bring too many people to the area, association President Emmy Purcell Reynolds said.

She said the area already has traffic problems.

"We asked them if they would consider reducing the number of units, and they said it is not economically feasible to reduce it at all," Reynolds said.

Project representatives couldn't be reached for comment.
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGB5OQB1YBE.html

And this on the heels of the end of Newsworld International. It's a damn shame. :eek2:

So YOU are the other newsworld international viewer in Florida according to the Nielson ratings!

ok, well i didnt wanna open another thread for a few pics, so i guess ill just post them here.

some tampa aerials from a plane that i took.
http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/mia/06.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/mia/07.jpg

http://i10.photobucket.com/albums/a140/miaballinboi/mia/08.jpg

City moves toward lawsuit settlement
Neighbors and some council members want the city to fight the developer who proposes condos for a historic district.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published August 5, 2005

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City Council members and City Attorney David Smith sparred at a council meeting July 28 over the scheduling of a public hearing on a settlement between the city and the developer of land at the edge of the Hyde Park Historic District.

After a long discussion, the council set a hearing for Sept. 1 at 6 p.m., with John Dingfelder, Linda Saul-Sena and Rose Ferlita voting against it.

Dingfelder told Smith he opposed the hearing because he wanted Smith to continue litigation with Citivest Construction Corp.

"This settlement is premature," Dingfelder said. "It sends a bad message to this community that anybody who doesn't like our decisions sues us and we collapse."

Smith countered that the city often fights lawsuits and wins. But Citivest made a good case for settling, he said, although he couldn't publicly discuss why the city decided to settle because doing so might open the door to more litigation.

"We have looked at this issue seriously," Smith said. "We are not intimidated by people who file lawsuits."

Citivest wants to put a condominium tower on Bayshore Boulevard at DeSoto Avenue. Neighbors object to the building, saying it's not appropriate for the 1.1-acre lot in the historic district. Last year, the Architectural Review Commission and the City Council rejected Citivest's proposal for 24 stories, already a scaled-back plan, and the developer took the issue to court. The city and the developer reached an agreement July 7 that would allow a 19-story building.

Smith, the city's historic preservation manager Del Acosta and land development manager Thom Snelling signed off on the deal. Smith said he negotiated the settlement to avoid exorbitant legal fees if the city loses the battle. The case could drag on for years, he said.

To illustrate, he used a dramatic example of a costly local legal battle, noting that Judge Gregory Holder had racked up a $1.92-million bill over two years to successfully fight plagiarism charges.

Smith said the council should schedule the hearing to learn details of the settlement and then decide whether to continue litigation.

The point of the hearing will be to discuss the size of the project. Architectural guidelines will not be relevant, Smith said.

Residents say the issues have already been discussed.

"I can't imagine there's any fact that we haven't heard about the case," Jeanne Holton Carufel, immediate past president of the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, told the council. "This historic district is in great danger right now."

Residents say the project doesn't comply with the city's rules for a historic district. They say any new construction must be similar in height and width to buildings on adjacent sites. A single-family house, the 10-story Bayshore Royal condo building and a two-story apartment complex surround the Citivest land.

The company's proposal could jeopardize the historic district's designation, neighbors say.

Neighbors say the city didn't fight hard enough and that they feel cut out of the process. They filed a motion to participate in the mediation, but a judge denied it.

"The attorneys' fees will not go away if you settle this case," said Seth Nelson, a lawyer hired by residents. Nelson said his clients will take the issue to court if necessary.

Council members who voted in favor of the public hearing said they trusted Smith to act in the city's best interest.

"We don't speak for the city of Tampa when it comes to legal matters," council member Shawn Harrison said. "Mr. Smith does."

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

[Last modified August 4, 2005, 08:43:14]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/05/Citytimes/City_moves_toward_law.shtml

Shipyard rezoned for 53-acre development
The largest parcel in the future New Port Tampa Bay gets the green light. Neighbors will press for infrastructure.
By SHERRI DAY
Published August 5, 2005

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Developer Ed Oelschlaeger moved one step closer last week to making his vision a reality.

In a unanimous decision, the City Council voted July 28 to approve Oelschlaeger's application to rezone the old Hendry shipyard for development as a residential and commercial property. The site at 5107 S West Shore Blvd. is the largest parcel in Oelschlaeger's planned 53-acre development. The council rezoned the Imperial Yacht Basin on Gandy Boulevard at Bridge Street last year.

After the hearing, Oelschlaeger was triumphant.

"I was very pleased with a unanimous endorsement of the project, and I think that speaks volumes," he said. "The council recognized the importance of this, and we accept the responsibility to do it right."

For Sun Bay South residents, the hearing was likely the last opportunity they would have to wrest concessions from the developer and the city before work on the project begins.

Oelschlaeger's company, EcoGroup, has been meeting with the Gandy Civic Association for months. Neighbors worried that the area's aging infrastructure would buckle under the combined weight of several large developments planned for the area. Neighborhood leaders also took issue with the lack of specificity in EcoGroup's petition.

EcoGroup submitted a PD-A application, which does not require a detailed site plan.

After rigorous questioning on topics including traffic, the extension of the Friendship Trail and stormwater management, council member John Dingfelder said he would support the project despite the lack of specificity. The rezoning application for the Imperial Yacht Basin was also a PD-A.

These types of applications "sort of involve a leap of faith, and I really don't care much for a leap of faith especially with the responsibility that we have," said Dingfelder, who represents the area. "With that, I'm willing to take a leap of faith. It looks like it's going to be a phenomenal project."

On the combined properties, EcoGroup plans to build 1,750 residential units, 245,000 feet of commercial and office space, a community park and a marina club. Last week, the company said it would reduce its plans for the Hendry property by 150 residential units, to 850, at the request of the civic association.

The homeowners group, which last year waged a vigorous campaign against the initial proposal to redevelop the yacht basin, did not oppose the project.

Association president Mike Hursey said he would remain vigilant in demanding infrastructure improvement in the area.

"The city's going to have to start stepping up," he said. "It may be a very fabulous development, but if you have deficient surroundings, what does that do to your development?"

Oelschlaeger and his management team will have little time to revel in their most recent victory. The company plans to rebuild the seawall at the yacht basin and construct a new boat slip and marina. Boaters are complaining that they have received scant information about how much longer they will be allowed to stay.

"We're not trying to keep him from doing anything," said John Sims, a Carrollwood man who has rented a boat slip at the yacht basin since 2001. "We just want to know what he's going to do so we can know what to do."

Oelschlaeger said he would communicate with all tenants, including boat slip and dry dock renters and Jimmy Mac's restaurant, this month.

"We were really totally focused on the rezoning," he said. "Now we're going to be meeting and making plans going forward on a lot of fronts, and that will be one of them. They're all month to month, and they know that. But we want to give them as much notice as possible."

EcoGroup said infrastructure construction would likely begin soon. The entire project could take six to eight years to complete.

- Sherri Day can be reached at 226-3405 or sday@sptimes.com [Last modified August 4, 2005, 08:43:14]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/08/05/Citytimes/Shipyard_rezoned_for_.shtml

City moves toward lawsuit settlement
Neighbors and some council members want the city to fight the developer who proposes condos for a historic district.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published August 5, 2005


These people whine about anything other than single family homes. They don't actually care about the Historic district. they just want to continue their suburban life style, yet be able to call themselves "Urban", since that is trendy now.

If they gave a shit about Historic preservation, then how in the hell did they allow an old house at the corner of Rome and Bayshore to be torn down and replaced with two Very contemporary homes. The one on the actual corner is very contemporary and doesn't fit in at all, IMO. this all happened about four or five years ago , without a freakin word from the nieghborhood.

Features - August 2005


Tampa Bay Report

http://southeast.construction.com/features/archive/0508_Feature2.asp
High-Rise Condos Help Heat Up Area Market

By Debra Wood

It may not compare to South Florida, the state's hottest geographic market, but contractors in the Tampa Bay area are keeping busy chasing a growing high-rise residential sector and health-care, retail and school projects that support the region's population influx.

"It's better than last year," said Steve P. Cona Jr., president/CEO of the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors. "There's definitely a lot of work going on and potential work coming up."

During the past four years, about 2,200 people a month have moved into the Tampa Bay area of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Lyle Blanden, president of J.O. DeLotto & Sons of Tampa, attributed much of the growth to baby boomers retiring or preparing to retire and low interest rates for home loans.

Condos

"Tampa is a very healthy market, particularly high-rise residential, as well as single-family homes," said Page McKee, senior vice president of Hardin Construction Co. of Tampa. "There are several thousand units planned for downtown."

Hardin is wrapping up construction on Parkside of One Bayshore, a $30 million, 17-story, 104-unit condominium for Crescent Resources of Charlotte. The residential units sit atop retail and parking levels. The company also has began construction on Grand Central at Kennedy for Mercury Advisors, a division of Merrill Lynch Investment Managers of Plainsboro, N.J. The $90 million, 300-unit residential project will include ground-floor retail and office condominiums.

advertisement


Batson-Cook Co. of Tampa has begun boring and sitework for the Towers of Channelside in downtown Tampa. The $80 million complex features two 24-story towers with 257 units above a four-story parking structure.

Pinnacle Group Holdings of Tampa is developing a $300 million project at Channelside. Skanska USA Building is serving as construction manager in an advisory capacity for the O2 Condos, one component of the proposed Pinnacle of Tampa Bay project. Sitework has begun for the residential portion.

Donald J. Trump of New York and SimDag-RoBEL of Tampa announced plans for Trump Tower Tampa, a $220 million, 52-story condominium project along the Hillsborough River, also in downtown Tampa. The 190 residences, priced from $700,000 to more than $6 million, are 98 percent sold. Sitework has begun. Bovis Lend Lease of Orlando, which has worked on Trump projects in Chicago and New York, will build the tower.

Support for New Residents

The School District of Hillsborough County has about 40 construction or renovation projects under way and about 50 in design. Across the bay, Pinellas County Schools has budgeted about $63 million for six projects planned for the 2005/2006 school year.

"The educational market is always playing catch-up in Florida," said Dave Marshall, with Batson-Cook, which is finishing an elementary and middle school in Hillsborough County.

Batson-Cook also is working on a 45,000-sq.-ft. children's science center at the Museum of Science & Industry in Tampa. This is the company's fifth project for the museum.

J.O. DeLotto & Sons expects to complete a new downtown Tampa elementary school and an attached 450-space parking garage in time for the fall start of classes.

In the post-secondary education market, Fred Hames, senior vice president of Skanska, reported an increase in community college projects. The Beck Group of Tampa is providing construction management services for a $15.6 million, 11-story residence at the University of Tampa. Collegiate Housing Foundation will own the building and lease it to the school.

Hospitals are gearing up, adding beds and services to care for the new residents and an aging population. Skanska serves as construction manager for Tampa General Hospital's $65 million four-story addition and parking garage.

"The foundation is in the ground. Tower cranes are set, and we're about to go vertical with the frame," Hames said.

Brasfield & Gorrie of Lake Mary broke ground this spring on All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, an eight-story, 300,000-sq.-ft. replacement facility and outpatient services center.

New residents also shop. McKee anticipates additional regional malls in the suburbs. Closer to downtown, Skanska is building a $30 million multilevel retail center developed by Morin Development Group of Tampa at the site of the former Walter Industries buildings.

Public Projects

More people require more public infrastructure. Skanska has broken ground and is going vertical on a $22.5 million, 16,400-sq.-ft. health-care facility for the Pinellas County Jail in Clearwater.

Road projects continue throughout the region. PCL Civil Constructors of Tampa is working on the 9-mi. reversible lanes bridge being built in the median of the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway for the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority.

Pier foundation problems caused a portion of the structure to collapse in April 2004. Remedial foundation work has added an estimated $78 million to the original $140 million project, now scheduled for completion in August 2006.

Gilbert Southern Corp. of Tampa is adding capacity along 3 mi. of Interstate 4, doubling it from two- to four-lanes in each direction near downtown. The $158.2 million project, scheduled for completion in 2008, will tie into the Downtown Tampa Interchange, currently under construction.

Granite Construction of Tampa is scheduled to complete that $79.5 million I-4/I-275 interchange next spring. The project includes eight new bridges and widening of 18 existing bridges.

Flatiron-Tidewater Skanska, a joint venture between Flatiron Construction Corp. of Longmont, Colo., and Tidewater Skanska of Virginia Beach, Va., is scheduled to begin construction in August on a $202 million project to improve State Road 60 interchanges near Tampa International Airport. The project will separate local from express traffic with collection/distributor roads.

Also at TIA, Clark Construction Group of Tampa is building a $67.3 million, six-story, 5,600-car parking garage and administrative building for the airport authority.

Not Everything Is Rosy

Despite unanimous agreement among industry experts that construction activity is bustling, the latest information from McGraw-Hill Construction Research and Analytics shows a decline in new 2005 contracts, with nonresidential off 20 percent from last year but residential up 4 percent.

For one thing, the office market remains slow, with virtually no speculative projects. Hardin recently completed a four-story, 138,000-sq.ft. build-to-suit building for Nielsen Media Research in Oldsmar.

There also have been concerns about labor shortages, which were exacerbated by all the repair work necessitated by last year's hurricanes.

"The rebuilding is taking its toll on labor and materials. It's making everyone run at 110 percent," J.O. DeLotto & Sons' Blanden said.

"Our challenge is going to be the shortage of workforce and manpower," ABC's Cona added. "The issue facing most of the subcontractors is the manpower issue."

Some subcontractors are becoming more selective about the jobs they bid on, only going after those they know they can finish with existing staff.

"I'm hearing about a lot of them getting backlogged," Cona said. "Subs don't want to make commitments and not be able to fulfill them because of manpower."

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Unshuttered

Renovations begin this month on the Floridan, boarded up since 1989.

By STEVE HUETTEL, Times Staff Writer
Published August 6, 2005

TAMPA - Maybe the sixth time will be the charm for the historic Floridan Hotel.

Crews will start cleaning and patching up the downtown building this month, the first step in a plan by Clearwater developer Antonios Markopoulos to restore the Floridan, boarded up since 1989, as an upscale boutique hotel.

Markopoulos bought the deteriorating hotel for $6-million in April and will try to pull off an ambitious project that frustrated five development groups over the past 18 years.

Unlike the others, Markopoulos won't need to seek financing, said Lisa Shasteen, his attorney. He sold 3 acres of beachfront in Clearwater Beach for $40-million last fall to Dr. Kiran C. Patel, who plans to develop a 350-room resort on the site.

Restoring the 19-story Floridan is critical to revitalizing the city's central business district, said a consultant hired to map out a development plan for the city and the Tampa Downtown Partnership.

Abandoned buildings such as the Floridan, Mass Brothers and Kress buildings are "eyesores that remind downtown workers and Tampa leaders daily that the once-grand retail boulevard ... has become a largely deserted and abandoned strip," wrote Hunter Interests Inc.

Opened in 1927, the Floridan was the tallest building in the state at the time and remained among the area's best accommodations through World War II.

By the late 1950s, travelers headed to newer suburban hotels. The Floridan became the place to find a clean, cheap room and eventually turned to renting by the month as the 1960s came to a close.

The hotel changed hands three times from 1987 to 1997. The owners and two potential investors floated renovation plans. The last owner, Capital LCC, gave up after president Alec Land died last year and the remaining partners lost interest, said lawyer Jim Cusack.

Markopoulos ran into fierce opposition with his plan to develop his Clearwater Beach property before selling to Patel.

But he wanted to pursue a new project, Shasteen said. She was driving Markopoulos around downtown Tampa last spring when he spotted the Floridan. He got a tour and within a month beat out six other bidders, Cusack said.

Built with 426 rooms, the renovated Floridan will have about half that number, along with a high-end restaurant and a new parking deck, Shasteen said.

Renovations will take between 18 and 24 months, she said. She didn't have an estimate of the cost but said the downtown partnership consultant put a price tag of $16-million to $20-million to reconstruct the hotel for residential units.

Contractor Magnum Homes obtained a city permit Wednesday to clean out the inside and exterior of the structure at Florida Avenue and Cass Street, across from the federal courthouse.

Work should begin in the next two weeks, Shasteen said, and include spray-washing the outside, replacing loose grout, sealing cracks and cleaning up lots of bird droppings inside.

The building has some water damage from a leaky roof but is in "remarkably good shape" after being empty so long, she said.

Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or 813 226-3384.

Hopefully it will become popular again, because it would be a real shame to see it go to waste.

This is truly a sign of the Apocalypse (in a good sense, of course) ! :)

^What???

You sure are what-ing me a lot lately. It means a very pleasant surprise that was a long time coming.

Oh, like "the fat lady has sung"...

^ Yeah, I guess I could have said that too. ;)

This is truly a sign of the Apocalypse (in a good sense, of course) ! :)

Soo... does this mean our Lord would take all the believers away and leave the world full of merciless war and strife right as the long awaited Floridan restoration begins?!?! Surely my God would allow His people to enjoy the fruits of patience in downtown Tampa once the "transformation" begins. No, He would not take that away from us so soon. Active urbanism in Tampa cannot be so fleeting.

Now if Rhonda Storms were to spontaneously combust during a live news broadcast regarding the Central Park renewal project, then I would say the end is near. But not yet, my friend, not yet.