Good filler:
Builder Plans 66-Unit Project In Hyde Park
By JOSH POLTILOVE jpoltilove@tampatrib.com
Published: Feb 17, 2005




HYDE PARK - Developers plan to build 66 condominiums and town houses just north of Gorrie Elementary School.
The roughly 97,000-square- foot project at Horatio Street and South Boulevard would replace a vacant 20,000- square-foot office building at 402 S. Boulevard, formerly occupied by Dianon Systems.

The project would cost about $25 million and include 38 condominiums and 28 town houses, said Mike McCanless, a real estate manager for The Paradise Development Group Inc.

The city council likely will consider the company's rezoning application April 28.

The project includes a seven-story condominium building, approximately 80 feet high and 40,000 square feet, and 11 condominium flats.

The Mediterranean-style building's bottom two floors would be used for parking, but neighborhood residents won't see the vehicles because the building would be surrounded by 13 two-story town houses, McCanless said.

``We've done good urban design here and been sensitive to the neighborhood and to the school,'' McCanless said. ``Those town houses will help break down the scale of the building.''

He said units may range from 740 square feet to 1,600 square feet and $200,000 to $700,000.

Jeanne Holton Carufel, president of the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, said traffic problems always are a concern when development is proposed within the historic neighborhood.

McCanless said studies show the project will generate less traffic during peak hours than the traffic generated by Dianon. He said Paradise has hired a traffic engineer to determine the project's effect on Boulevard.

Geoff Meyer, past president of Hyde Park Preservation Inc., said the project is good for the area.

``If they build it as presented, I think it's going to be wonderful,'' he said. ``I think it does everything that an in-fill project should do.''


Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 835-2105.
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGBKFBVCA5E.html

Here is an email I found in my inbox a couple days ago. This is open to the public! Anyone can attend. Just put it out there as I might attend and see whats going on with Central Park.
------------------------------------------

You are invited to attend a community forum on the potential impacts of
redeveloping the old Central Avenue district of Tampa. It will be held
on February 19, 2005 at Kid Mason Center, 1101 N. Jefferson (located
adjacent to Central Park Village), from 11 AM to 2 PM. Lunch and day
care will be provided.

The proposed demolition of Central Park Village will result in the
dislocation of several hundred families, and it will radically change
the existing landscape, for both good and ill. The forum is designed to
begin a formal consideration by public officials, developers, residents,
and all interested citizens about the various impacts that this project
will have.

Our purpose in holding this meeting is to bring people together now, in
order to identify potential problems that can be avoided by timely
action, added resources, or better coordination.

The USF Collaborative for Children, Families, and Communities is
sponsoring this event in conjunction with the Tampa Housing Authority.

The Collaborative is an ongoing partnership between USF researchers and
community leaders to seek solutions to human problems in the Tampa bay
area. The East Tampa Initiative is an example, and forms the basis for
our interest in the proposed changes to the south in the Central Avenue
area.

Although relocation is a primary concern, redevelopment will have
broader effects. Our focus is three-fold: 1) potential impacts on
residents; 2) on businesses, churches, and other interests in the area,
including historic sites; and 3) the impacts on receiving neighborhoods
in other sections of the county, like Sulphur Springs and USF Area.

The format will include an opening discussion of the issues, and some
information based on USF research about prior relocations. Stan Hyland,
University of Memphis School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy, will
talk about similar efforts he has directed in connection with HOPE VI
relocations in Memphis. This will be followed by lunch and break out
sessions, organized by topical interests.

The goal of these sessions will be to identify areas of potential impact
and possible solutions to any problems that are envisioned. Information
of various types will be available in posters and table top displays.
Break out sessions will be recorded.

While the new redevelopment plan is being developed, we hope to build
communication links and to anticipate and possibly ameliorate problems
that will arise when the demolition actually occurs.

For more information, please contact:
Susan Greenbaum, USF Anthropology, greenbau@cas.usf.edu 813-974-0777

Grand Central At Kennedy 68% Full; Developer Says Grocery Store Coming

By JANIS D. FROELICH jfroelich@tampatrib.com
Published: Feb 17, 2005






TAMPA - When developer Ken Stoltenberg and his partner, Frank Bombeeck of Mercury Advisors, began calling retailers to measure interest in their Channel District project, their calls weren't returned.
Now, almost two years later, Stoltenberg said retailers are calling them about leasing space at Grand Central at Kennedy.

``Retailers aren't pioneers,'' he said. ``But now that downtown Tampa and the Channel District are on everybody's radar screen with weekly announcements of new residential projects, their ears are perking up.''

Within the next six weeks, Stoltenberg plans to announce a grocery store coming to his 393-unit Grand Central at Kennedy, between Kennedy Boulevard and Madison Street.

He and his partner have sold 266 units since converting reservations to contracts. The units range from 600 to 2,200 square feet and cost between the high $100,000s to $500,000. Most are less than $300,000.

The midrise office, retail and housing community will have two buildings, one at 14 stories, the other at 12 stories. Roof decks have swimming pools, running tracks and private terraces and cabanas.

Stoltenberg said the 20,000- square-foot office and 125,000- square-foot retail will serve the community, as well as tenants. He's working to sign restaurants, a dry cleaner, coffee shop, plus a drugstore.

The groundbreaking should be within the next two months.

Stoltenberg said the majority of his buyers are 28 to 32. ``I was really surprised those interested were a little bit younger than I first thought,'' he said. ``We even have some under age 25.''

Grand Central at Kennedy is one of the first larger projects to go into the Channel District.

Stoltenberg said the sales center at 1208 E. Kennedy Blvd. will remain open through construction of the 4.35-acre property.

Information is available at www.notthesuburbs.com.

http://southtampa.tbo.com/southtampa/MGB2XD84B5E.html

Downtown High-Rise Is Ready For Takeoff
By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: Feb 17, 2005




TAMPA - Donald Trump's plan for luxurious condominiums may be the talk of the town, but it's the 32-story SkyPoint development that is on track to break ground soon.
If all goes as planned, construction will begin in April - making it the first residential high-rise in downtown's central business district.

Gregory Minder, of Novare- Intown Tampa Development LLC, said Wednesday that the company is close to obtaining the project's $80 million in financing and plans to open a marketing office March 5.

Intowngroup of Tampa is working with the Atlanta- based Novare Group to build the condominiums. Minder said he hopes to attract 25- to 40-year-old professionals looking to live in an urban environment. Many of these units, he said, will offer an alternative for those who cannot afford the high-end homes planned for the area.

``The top end of our product is where some others begin,'' Minder said.

Company officials have kept the details quiet until now, but there has been increasing speculation about what is planned for the downtown site, which is surrounded by a plywood fence. The Tampa Electric parking structure was demolished last month and the property is being prepped for construction.

The 381 units at 777 Ashley Drive would be one- and two- bedrooms, priced from about $170,000 to more than $400,000, Minder said. The building, which would be directly across the street from the proposed new Tampa Museum of Art, would play off the cultural environment planned for the area.

Residents would be able to view and choose their favorite paintings from a virtual gallery in the lobby. The selections would be encoded in their access key. When the key is swiped at the front door, plasma screens in the lobby would display their art.

When the key was swiped to enter the elevator - which would take residents to their floor only - the television in the elevator would change to the station of their choice. The selections would remain for five minutes before the next resident's selections appear.

``The same technology that makes this a safe building is used to make it fun,'' Minder said.

The units generally would range from 745 to 1,310 square feet. The average condominium would be 900 square feet but won't feel small, Minder said, because of 10-foot ceilings and floor-to-ceiling glass windows.

A pair of two-story penthouses also are planned for the top of the building.

SkyPoint amenities would include a 24-hour concierge, a covered parking garage, a pool, fitness center and a common kitchen for entertaining. The interior of the units would feature wood floors and granite countertops.

The ground floor would feature 10,000 square feet of storefronts and restaurant space.

SkyPoint is one of four high- rise condominium projects planned for the downtown business district. In nearby areas, 24 condominium projects of varying sizes are either in construction or proposed for the Channel District, Harbour Island and Bayshore Boulevard.

The majority of the units at SkyPoint would range from $200,000 to more than $1 million. By contrast, units at the planned 52-story Trump Tower Tampa start at $700,000 and run to more than $6 million.

Intowngroup also is involved in the Meridian condominium development under construction in the Channel District. The Novare Group has done projects similar to SkyPoint in Atlanta, Charlotte, N.C., and Atlanta, the company said.

Minder said a model unit will be built inside the marketing center in the Colonial Bank building at 400 N. Tampa St. so buyers can see what they are purchasing. Condominium developments typically take reservations on units before construction begins, but Minder said his company will do contract sales only.


Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.

http://www.tampatrib.com/MGBPEOFDA5E.html

does anyone have any renders of how all these completed projects are going to look in downtown? I'm curious to see how the current skyline will be altered by all these developments. I've seen the individual renders of the buildings, but if anyone has a pic of downtown or channelside with all the developments in it that would be awesome.

Also, I would just like to say that I hope to God they either make the proposed observation tower a lot taller or just forget it completely. As is, it will be about as tall as some of the other stuff being built (ttt, 4 seasons...).

btw this is my first post. I love this site!

There is no composite rendering that I know of.

I was looking around online today and found this...

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102387

it will be a 600 ft, 42 floor office building on Kennedy and Parker st., near the University of Tampa. Does anybody have information on this?

I was looking around online today and found this...

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102387

it will be a 600 ft, 42 floor office building on Kennedy and Parker st., near the University of Tampa. Does anybody have information on this?

It's the most stalled project in Downtown Tampa? That's the information I have

It would be going up next to the Newschannel 8/Tampa Tribune media center right on the River but the building has been stalled out since 1996 when it was proposed - there isn't much of an office market downtown or the new tower would already be UC / built.

I'd consider the project dead -- or in long term hibernation.

^ And the longest advertised project for downtown Tampa.

I was looking around online today and found this...

http://www.emporis.com/en/wm/bu/?id=102387

it will be a 600 ft, 42 floor office building on Kennedy and Parker st., near the University of Tampa. Does anybody have information on this?

I have a pretty brief page on it, here (http://www.bayciti.net/new/info.php?id=205).

I know the developer, and they are all ready to go with permits and utility hookups, they are just waiting for a tenant to lease at least 30% of the floor space before building. While it's been proopsed for a long time, I would not call it dead yet. Pinnacle Place was proposed for a long time, too...

Wrong Place, wrong time, wrong design.

It's dead. They should build a big condo there - they'd sell it out in a month. There are a lot of people who would not mind walking to work by crossing a nice bridge.

Wrong Place, wrong time, wrong design.

It's dead. They should build a big condo there - they'd sell it out in a month. There are a lot of people who would not mind walking to work by crossing a nice bridge.

Yeah, I agree that they should turn it into a condo or at least a condo+office tower. The location is great, and from the renderings I've seen of the Hillsborough River Tower's base it doesnt mesh well with the street.

But, it is what it is ...

(is this thread just for news or news + comments?)

Yes, this this is just for news and to tell me when to update the list. (which needs yet more updating, I know)

I totally agree that a condo should be built on that site. It would have very nice views to the east and south especially. Not only that, but there are so many other parts of downtown that would be more appropriate for office buildings. Plenty of empty parking lots waiting to be filled.

Don't see the new name - when you go over the dot for Tampa it gives you a name for a project in Naples. They could use a better IT guy.

Don't see the new name - when you go over the dot for Tampa it gives you a name for a project in Naples. They could use a better IT guy.

It's a popup window on the site, if you have popups turned off you may not get it, I pasted the text here:

"NEW PORT TAMPA BAY
New Port Tampa Bay is an urban waterfront oasis in the city of Tampa. A vibrant destination on 53 acres of reinvented waterfront, New Port blends private residential with waterfront attractions, including a charming harbor with marina slips, casual retail and waterfront dining, and office spaces.

Ideally located at the foot of the Gandy Bridge, just west of the intersection of Gandy and Westshore Boulevards, New Port will truly be the gateway to Tampa Bay. Watch for more details coming soon on this website or on NewPortTampaBay.com."

There is only one 53 acre parcel in that area, so I am assuming it's the same project. The website just redirects you back to the developer's website, but I assume it will be a future thing.

I have a rendering from the newspaper, I will try to scan it soon if you want it.

Clearly a scan would be appreciated.

^there is digital image somewhere on this site, I just can't find it, since the search is down.

Wondered if anyone had checked this out

http://www.connerton.com/main.html

The site is not that good, but I will be very curious to see what comes of this

that connerton website has been up...was going to be a 15,000+ sized the same as west park village in westchase...same developers...but they sold some land for conservation and now plan a little over 8,000 homes/condos/townhomes and a few hundred thousand square feet of retail and office in a "downtown" setting, even includes schools, hospital, fire department, and police substation.

Museum plans to add leaders, staff
Tampa Bay History Center's current head will become museum director, as trustees decide the job is too big for one person.
By Times Staff Writer
Published March 4, 2005

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


TAMPA - Tampa Bay History Center officials announced Thursday that they will expand their staff and marketing efforts as they work toward breaking ground on a new home.

The museum's board of trustees said it will begin a nationwide search for a new president and chief executive officer to concentrate on fundraising and strategic and financial planning, as well as serve as the face of the history center. The board will also seek a vice president of advancement to concentrate on a countywide fundraising effort for the new facility, which the board hopes to begin building next year and open in 2008 at Cotanchobee-Fort Brooke Park in the Channel District.

Rob Blount, who currently serves as president and chief executive officer, will continue leading the development of the new museum and its exhibits. He ultimately will become director when his replacement is named.

Board chairman George Howell III said the move is a recognition that the responsibilities were too much for one person. His predecessor in that position, Tom Touchton, said the expanded staff has long been anticipated and should not affect the museum's projections to run the museum with the $20-million endowment the board is seeking to raise.

The board has signed on Roberts Communications & Marketing, of Tampa, and Phil Balducci & Associates, of Bradenton, to lead marketing, research and branding efforts. Among other things, the groups will attempt to gauge what exhibits the public would like to see at the history center.

[Last modified March 4, 2005, 00:30:22]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/04/Hillsborough/Museum_plans_to_add_l.shtml

The Crecent heights Channelside project - two 29 story condos/retail towers - around 800 units.
http://www.skyscrapercity.com/photopost/data/500/8CrecentHeights_render.jpg

Developer Amends Proposal For Bayshore Condominiums

Published: Mar 5, 2005




TAMPA - To make its condominium project more compatible along Bayshore Boulevard, a development company has decided to build two towers instead of one 20-story tower.
Crescent Resources LLC plans to build towers of eight and 24 stories north of the 345 Bayshore condominium tower, an attorney for the company said. Crescent originally proposed a 20-story, 168-unit tower at 319 Bayshore Blvd. The new proposal calls for 149 units.

The Tampa City Council will discuss the rezoning petition Thursday at city hall, 315 E. Kennedy Blvd.

When Crescent's rezoning petition came before the council in January, residents of 345 Bayshore said the tower would be too large with too many units. The petition was continued until Thursday.

Truett Gardner, who represents Crescent, said he hopes the change will appease 345 Bayshore residents.

Councilman John Dingfelder suggested in January that instead of a 245-foot tower on Bayshore, the developer should construct a smaller building on the parcel's south side - near 345 Bayshore - and a larger building on the north side.

The towers would replace The Bayshore Apartments, a three-story, 72- unit complex near the Platt Street Bridge.

Josh Poltilove <

http://tampatrib.com/floridametronews/MGBF4PHAX5E.html

I have one question...How many people lives in Tampa and is Tampa second largest city on Florida?

Tampa is third in city limits numbers, and anchors the state's 2nd largest metro. (some organizations, which split the Miami metro consider Tampa the largest metro, but this is silly really)

I think Tampa's estimated pop right now is right around 318-320k for the city and between 2.6 and 2.7 million for the metro.

April 1, 2004 estimate by the BEBR

Tampa (city): 323,663

Tampa/St. Petersburg MSA: 2,587,058 (includes Hillsborough, Pinellas, Pasco & Hernando Counties)

Florida's top 10, as of April 1, 2004

1. Jacksonville: 795,985
2. Miami: 379,550
3. Tampa: 323,663
4. St. Petersburg: 253,010
5. Hialeah: 233,566
6. Orlando: 208,900
7. Fort Lauderdale: 170,297
8. Tallahassee: 169,136
9. Pembroke Pines: 150,435
10. Hollywood: 142,998

www.state.fl.us/edr/population/2004OfficialEstimate.pdf

Damn, the city has been growing fairly fast for the past several years. I guess it will be past 330k by 2010, with ease. The urban residential projects in DT and South Tampa alone are enough to account for another 6,500 new residents.

Does anyone know any more information regarding this project? I believe it could be the old hotel downtown as that is the only building that could house 300 apartment units?????



Confidential - Tampa, FloridaThis planned mixed-use tower is at the very nexus of Tampa’s central business district. It is planned to provide affordable housing for CBD workers as well as luxury units with fabulous views of Tampa Bay and the Gulf beyond.

300 apartment units planned to be converted to condominiums.

30,000 SF of restaurant/retail space.

40,000 SF of dead records storage space.

600 parking spaces.

Amenity deck including health/fitness club, lounge space and swimming pool.

beer can tower?

I sure hope not. That is the worst building in tampa in my opinion if not the worst skyscraper I have ever seen

I can think of two possibilities, neither of which is the Floridan - too small - it only had like 250 hotel rooms back in the 1920's

Where the hell did that little spiel come from (url?)

And, by the way, the beer can (I always called it the heat pump because when it opened there was a trane heat pump ad right next tot he exit on 275 that looked strikingly simiar to it) is actually not that bad once you get to know it - I worked in for a while.

Does anyone know any more information regarding this project? I believe it could be the old hotel downtown as that is the only building that could house 300 apartment units?????



Confidential - Tampa, FloridaThis planned mixed-use tower is at the very nexus of Tampa’s central business district. It is planned to provide affordable housing for CBD workers as well as luxury units with fabulous views of Tampa Bay and the Gulf beyond.

300 apartment units planned to be converted to condominiums.

30,000 SF of restaurant/retail space.

40,000 SF of dead records storage space.

600 parking spaces.

Amenity deck including health/fitness club, lounge space and swimming pool.

I dont see how it would be the beer can building or the Floridan because it says that there are 300 apartments being converted, which implies there are apartments there now...

I did look in an NCNB Tower (beer can...) brochure I have from 1989 and it does say that the tower has 600 parking spaces but that doesnt mean much. And I've been to the top of the Floridan and you cant really see the bay very well. Just some thoughts...

I can think of two possibilities, neither of which is the Floridan - too small - it only had like 250 hotel rooms back in the 1920's

Where the hell did that little spiel come from (url?)

And, by the way, the beer can (I always called it the heat pump because when it opened there was a trane heat pump ad right next tot he exit on 275 that looked strikingly simiar to it) is actually not that bad once you get to know it - I worked in for a while.

Oh, here's your URL

http://www.pavonetti.com/confidential.htm

Looks like a new tower on Franklin one block east of Novare, since you can see the art museum way in the background.

PS I like 400 north ashley too, a friend of mine at the wilson company showed me around one day. You just have to appreciate the architecture...

From that website - which is really interesting:
http://www.pavonetti.com/Images/Confidential.jpg

Ok, here's the deal with this picture - this is the Maas Brothers lot. To the right is the TECO building - across the street, near the bottom, is the front of the Franklin Exchange. Behind it is the little 12 story Gold Bank building. To the extreme right is the Tampa Theater building .This is definately the Maas lot.

I sure hope not. That is the worst building in tampa in my opinion if not the worst skyscraper I have ever seen

??? I like that building a good bit. The old security company I supervised for did that building, so I got to go basically anywhere I wanted to in the building at night (except the roof :()... Most Tampa residents don't know that when the building was built, it was one of the most energy efficient highrises in North America.

That condo on the Maas lot is kinda wierd. But hey, if funny looks help get the dollars per sqft cost down, then great.

??? I like that building a good bit. The old security company I supervised for did that building, so I got to go basically anywhere I wanted to in the building at night (except the roof :()... Most Tampa residents don't know that when the building was built, it was one of the most energy efficient highrises in North America.

I like the Maas tower ... I volunteered at the art fair this weekend and worked next to that block all day, the buildings could be revitalized pretty easily I would think. The tower design is pretty contemporary too, it looks good.

I especially like it (the beer can/haet pump) when they turn the roof lights on at night

That Maas tower resembles the city hall annex in Jax. I rather see the saved and building redeveloped, but its still great to see development finally taking place along North Franklin.

??? I like that building a good bit. The old security company I supervised for did that building, so I got to go basically anywhere I wanted to in the building at night (except the roof :()... Most Tampa residents don't know that when the building was built, it was one of the most energy efficient highrises in North America.

I like the Maas tower ... I volunteered at the art fair this weekend and worked next to that block all day, the buildings could be revitalized pretty easily I would think. The tower design is pretty contemporary too, it looks good.


I'm talking about The Collonade-400 N Ashley-the "beer can building".

I wrote an article about the 'beer can' (or NCNB building as it was then known) for a short lived freebie arts rag called 'Edgewise' after the building had just opened. It was a cool building then and is a cool one now. In particular the banking hall is just a spectacular space. That's the box shaped annex along Ashley. The tower itself has a cool lobby with a sort of compass marked in floor around the building. The gardens were a nice place to spend time when they first opened, though I understand they've been neglected.

This is one of the most significant pieces of modern architecture in the city. I think it even landed the cover of one of the national architecture magazines- Progressive Architecture or Architecture, I think. Check the public library, or the library at USF and you'll probably run across it. Since it was built the aquarium is really the only building that's been built downtown that has received any kind of national attention on architectural merit.

The difference is that HOK's work is pretty ubiquitous in Tampa, whereas Harry Wolf's was something of a surprise. Take the time to understand it, though, and I think you'll find it a rewarding experience. Count the various Fibonacci repitions for fun...

the 'beer can' has also been featured in several architectural books, and is probably the best contemporary building in the skyline, plus its very unique.

My assumption may be premature, as I have not been inside the building, but I cannot see how the exterior can be pleasing. I personally do not like plain looking architecture and to me it seems like these plans could have been drawn up one night in the bar. To each his own, and I love most of the work HOK does (if this is there building) but the "beer can" looks very 70's and if i had to look out of those tiny windows all day I would be there for a very limited time.

well, i guess we can slap some plaster ornatmentation onto the sides to give it a warm, happy feel.

The windows are not tiny. . .They are actually mostly floor to ceiling with an element about 1/3 of the way up - they are shaded - which is actually nice (I have had unshaded offices and they can get mighty hot)

I am not that fond of the bank area for one reason - it walls Ashley street - otherwise, it is ok.

Perhaps the new owners will get creative and build an add-on on the west side of the tower, which could include restaurants and shops, or even lofts above retail.

I still can't believe the Radisson Riverwalk is being renovated, not redeveloped. What a waste of a very important piece of land along the Riverwalk.

My assumption may be premature, as I have not been inside the building, but I cannot see how the exterior can be pleasing. I personally do not like plain looking architecture and to me it seems like these plans could have been drawn up one night in the bar. To each his own, and I love most of the work HOK does (if this is there building) but the "beer can" looks very 70's and if i had to look out of those tiny windows all day I would be there for a very limited time.

I've heard it called many things, but never "70s"! Here is a photo of the windows from the inside: http://www.bayciti.net/new/images/buildings/67/280105.jpg

The Park Tower, from inside, has some brutally tiny windows. 400 North Ashley is probably the most interesting tower downtown architeturally, there are lots of things about it that you have to dig a bit deep to find.

On the waterfront: South Tampa properties purchased for overhaul
Jane Meinhardt
Staff writer

TAMPA -- Aspirations of redevelopment focused on industrial waterfront is creating a snowball effect on commercial property values in South Tampa.

First, Pinellas County developer Grady Pridgen purchased 17 acres, including the Imperial Yacht Center for $25 million. He announced plans for a residential project with condominiums, a marina, a restaurant and commercial space.

Tampa-based EcoGroup Inc. then announced it contracted to purchase 36 acres adjacent to the Pridgen property and plans to partner with Pridgen and some investors to create a 53-acre mixed-use project, one of the largest in the city.

The acquisitions indicate how industrial waterfront and waterfront-view property in South Tampa, particularly south of Gandy Boulevard and west of Westshore Boulevard, is jetting up in value as developers look to higher uses -- and agree to pay high prices.

Ed Oelschlaeger, EcoGroup president, declined to reveal the purchase price of the Hendry Corp. property his company is buying. Closing is expected by May.

Aaron Hendry, president of the shipyard, could not be reached.

Pridgen paid nearly $1.4 million an acre for the Imperial Yacht Center property.
A $74-million parcel

Real estate professionals speculate the adjacent EcoGroup property probably cost that much if not more. That would make the combined project's price about $74 million.

Hillsborough County records show the Hendry Corp. property's appraised value for light industrial use is about $4 million.

"It's hard to tell what they paid for it," said Warren Weathers, Hillsborough's chief deputy property appraiser. "What it will be used for makes a difference. The rule of thumb is that if property is relatively similar, so is the price. Both the Imperial and Hendry properties have location, and both have waterfront. It's like what happened at Channelside."

Entitlements, density and the quality of the products planned for projects also affect the property value, Weathers said.

About a year ago, LIST Realty Inc. tried unsuccessfully to purchase about a dozen acres of the Hendry property with residential redevelopment in mind.

"There would have been a lot of cleanup involved, but we saw the potential there," said Martin Lum, a Realtor at LIST. "We were at $1 million an acre or a little more. We couldn't come to a deal."

LIST is developing 11 townhomes nearby on about a half acre along West Price Street. The project is in permitting so final price points have not been determined, but Lum, the listing agent, estimated units would cost $250,000 or more.

All the townhomes have already been reserved, he said.

Across the street from the LIST project, a sign advertises a 325-by-150-foot lot for sale with zoning for 55 units. Owner John Arenas said he is asking $2.5 million to $3 million for the property.

Single-family homes and townhomes in Westshore Yacht Club, a WCI Communities project further south, are selling quickly. Prices range from about $425,000 for a townhome to $3.3 million for a single-family unit on the water.

The comprehensive land use map shows a density of 60 units an acre for the Hendry property, but Oelschlaeger said his project would be 31 units an acre. The residential component will include townhomes and mid-rise and high-rise condominiums.
Seeking a zoning change

Four of the 36 acres EcoGroup is purchasing belong to M.M. Moody & Sons Inc. They are on the south side of the Hendry parcel and front Tyson Avenue.

The property's current zoning does not permit residential use so EcoGroup plans to seek a separate rezoning, Oelschlaeger said.

As developers see successful projects in the corridor and realize the potential in the property, value appreciates.

"Anything done along the waterfront there has been an instant success," said Larry Richey, senior managing director of Cushman & Wakefield. "That creates a kind of feeding frenzy."

Depending on a parcel's entitlements, zoning and site plan, developers capitalizing on the highest and best use of property will end up paying more because of surrounding projects.

"I would not be surprised to learn that property being sold now or in the near future there costs more than other recent comparables," Richey said.

jmeinhardt@bizjournals.com | 727.224.2299
http://www.bizjournals.com/industries/real_estate/residential/2005/03/14/tampabay_story4.html?page=2

I'm actually a bit dismayed to see such large and dense projects being envisioned around the generalized Gandy/Westshore Bld area... How in the hell are people supposed to get to other parts of city after thousands more people move into the nieghborhood? The traffic is already approaching gridlock during the rushes as it is. I don't really see the motivation for the city to allow all of this development, which is inevitably going to lead to the need for costly infrastructure improvements basically from Kennedy all the way down.... Otherwise, S Tampa is going to become a traffic nightmare.

Since my job basically got rained out, I drove around DT on the way home and noticed quite a few things...:)


Basic site prep is well under way or completed at numerous project sites...

At TTT, they are pushing dirt and working on the seawall, probably for the riverwalk portion they have to do...(The city riverwalk park next door is also well underway, as is the one south of Brorien)

At Pinnacle Place/O2, demolition is nearly complete, as they are now tearing up old foundation slabs and piles, and other cleanup...

Towers@Channelside is prepped and ready to go...

Grand Central and Ventana also look to be basically prepped and ready to go...

Novare's Skypoint site also looks to be just about prepped and ready to go...


I didn't see any action at the site of The Place, or at The Plaza site on Harbour Island.



The Embassy Suites project... looks like the squabble with the city over the Franklin St walkway slowed things considerably. They are still working on the lobby spaces, and have Franklin closed. This tower hasn't gone any further up for several weeks now...

One Bayshore is getting painted, and driveways and the plaza are getting done. A few more weeks, and this tower will look complete.

On Bayshore, the Alagon and Bellamy are humming along nicely, and both looked to be above the 10th floor (I didn't drive by, but checked them out from like Bayshore and Howard)...

On gandy - maybe if they get rid of the old neighborhood, they can finally finish the Selmon . . .

On the other stuff - did they have guys out at Grand Central doing smaples (like they did on Sat)?

On Embassy Suites - you know, I thought that too, but I drive by there a lot and noticed a couple of things - the bottom two floors were built in two segments (oddly) and they are just finishing the south portion - also they were pouring a bunch of stuff on the north endo f the site last week that seemd to be half under streetlevel - I am not sure what it is but my guess would be some loading dock stuff or something. . . In any event - while it isn't moving up real fast, they are doing stuff.

It's midmarch - everybody is promising March/april - I demand action.

I think this is grand central at kennedy. Should start in April

Bid Date: Est. Start Date:
ASAP April 2005

Description:
New construction and site work for a mixed-use development in Tampa. Working plans are calling for 392 studios, one- and two-bedroom condominiums ranging from 620 to 2,169 square feet. The project will also include 55,000 square feet of office space, 125,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and service business space, a 2,000-square-foot art gallery, and a 4,500-square-foot community theater.

Construction is expected to begin in April 2005 and the general contractor is currently accepting subcontractor bids for all trades.

Ok, where do you get these things, what is the site?

bidclerk.com

Dig.

I love this website:

this is obviously the Crescent project on Bayshore - though how they can anticipate Summer 2005 starting without even having an approval . . .

Project Address: Available to subscribers only. Sign Up now! Bid Date: Est. Start Date:
May 2005 June 2005

Description:
New construction and site work for a new residential complex in Tampa. Schematic plans are calling for the demolition of a three-story building to make way for two towers of eight and 24 stories to house 149 one- and two-bedroom apartments. The complex will include a business center and a conference room.

Construction is expected to commence in summer 2005. Interested parties should direct inquiries to the developer
http://www.bidclerk.com/projects/projectDetail.jsp?projectID=2d58b2e6-227c-4742-95ab-096e6c5f4590

^I assume because it's apartments, and because other than the building shape issue, which now appears to be resolved, thier project looks to have little in the way of hurdles remaining.

Everything I have heard is condos - unless this includes the apartment building as well. This whole deal with Crescent is very confusing.

Yes, it is... I'm not sure they know what they're building either.

Remember when it was supposed to be a 26 story tower with 300+ apartments? Now, they're not even building on that land (turning it into a park or plaza apparently), and instead decided is was more fiscally prudent to tear down a profitable apartment complex, and replace it with a redevelopment which is maginally larger in terms of units... Yeah, I'm still a total rookie when it comes to these things, but that doesn't sound like good business acumen to me.

See this is where it is screwed up - at the original hearings for the new project, Crescent said it was going ahead with the apartment building, but the realtor told me they weren't (thogh that was before the hearing). I also saw an article later that still mentioned the apartment building - so all I can say is that it is messed up.

All I can offer about it is the fact that where the 2nd tower was supposed to go now has curbs and landscaping being installed, indicating that a plaza is going there (which would obviously serve as the roundabout entrance for both the 1st tower, and this new proposal. (unless a tower is going on the tiny wedge of land at the westernmost point of the property, but we know the ARC already poo-pooed this idea before)

That is a little pocket park that was in the original siteplan, from their website, to wit:
http://www.crescent-resources.com/condos/onebayshore/images/siteplan.jpg

^Yep, good point... Very confusing these guys...

They definitely need to clarify this stuff.

I've got a hypothesis...

They bought the apartments next door, because this is when they could. If they wait 3 months, a year or whatever, then maybe someone else buys it... And more importantly, perhaps they've figured out that by buying the apartments and putting up two towers of thier own, they surround the second tower site at One Bayshore with land they own and control. I think this would make it difficult for anyone (including the ARC) to put up reasonable objections to an upsizing of One Bayshore's 2nd tower. Especially considering the site plan and zoning are already a done deal, with the site of the 2nd tower already approved for 300+ units...It is my suspicion that they intend to make that a 300+ unit condo tower in a few years when the apartment project is done, and the market is ready. Such a condo tower would surely be taller and larger, than a 300+ unit apartment tower would have been.

Does that make any sense?

Blight made right
Old buildings gain new interest downtown, with developers planning to spare at least some historic elements.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published March 18, 2005

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


DOWNTOWN - The residential buzz around downtown Tampa has reached six historic buildings that have been vacant for more than a decade.

Developers have proposed condominium, retail and hotel projects for the former Maas Brothers store, the Floridan Hotel, and the Kress building, adjacent Newberry and two Woolworth properties. All were built along N Franklin Street between 1905 and 1942.

On the Kress block, Coral Gables developer Doran Jason wants to build a 400-unit residential and retail center.

In place of the Maas Brothers building, managed health care executive Pradip C. Patel, who bought it in January, plans to put a condo tower with up to 500 units.

And on the Floridan site, a local developer has proposed preserving it as a hotel with some living units.

All three concepts are preliminary - but encouraging to city leaders trying to revitalize the city's urban core.

"What's exciting is all the interest in downtown," said Annie Hart, the city's historic preservation manager.

Tampa architect Stephanie Farrell, who has worked on historic preservation issues for more than 20 years, said a healthy economy, rising housing prices, and the mayor's commitment to create a vibrant downtown have sparked developers' interests.

"The development world is recognizing that historic buildings are economically feasible as well as attractive to buyers," she said.

Plans call for saving the entire Kress building, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, and facades of the Woolworth and Newberry department store buildings. Behind the facades, developers would build condo towers.

The Maas Brothers building may be too deteriorated to salvage, but the Floridan has potential to be restored as a hotel, Hart said.

"That would be a wonderful addition to downtown. A lot of the historic fabric is there," she said. "That is a gem of downtown Tampa."

The Floridan is a local landmark and on the National Register of Historic Places, which makes the owner eligible for tax breaks.

Lisa Shasteen, an attorney for the local developer interested in the Floridan, said her client has had a contract on the building since early this month. She declined to give the developer's name.

"We're just doing due diligence," she said. "Many people have done this before."

If the plans don't come to fruition, someone else is likely to consider the building, she said.

The Floridan wasn't restored before, Hart said, because its owners were waiting to get the maximum price possible. "The time now is right."

Farrell hopes that this time the Floridan will see a revival.

"I have had my eye on that building for a long time," she said. "The use is perfect."

Jason, the Coral Gables developer, hired Farrell to incorporate the old structures on the Kress block into what they've dubbed Kress Square.

He has asked the city's Historic Preservation Commission to give the Kress building landmark status, but declined to do so for the others because he wants to raze one of the two Woolworth buildings to accommodate parking. The commission will consider the issue April 12.

At some point, the commission will weigh in on demolition of the Maas Brothers building, which the City Council last year said needed to be done. The structure has deteriorated so much that the fire marshal and structural engineers don't want to enter it, Hart said. The last time she toured the building, the wood floors on the upper levels were worn so thin she could see through to the lower level.

Hart would like developers to save at least the portion of the Maas facade built in 1915 for the Strand Theatre, a Mediterranean-revival style movie house that in 1939 became part of the department store.

The entire building, though, is another story.

"At some point it can be impractical to rehabilitate," she said.

Farrell agreed.

"It's hard for me to give up on a building," Farrell said. "But at some point it does become impractical and you have to just say new is better."

The Kress and Maas Brothers developers say they want to offer homes that will be affordable by downtown standards. In the nearby Channel District, condominiums start at about $300,000 and go up to several million. Patel said he wants to keep prices between the low $200,000s and $350,000.

"We are looking at a price point that the people working downtown can afford," Patel said.

He hopes to start construction at the end of the year.

Despite the possible loss of the Maas Brothers building, Farrell said she's encouraged to see that the redevelopment of downtown Tampa is including historic preservation.

"It makes such a big difference in the character of the city," she said. "You see its history through its buildings. You see layers of time. In our case, it's the early 1900s through the present. A healthy city has it all - the best of the old and the best of the new."

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

[Last modified March 17, 2005, 08:41:04]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/18/Citytimes/Blight_made_right.shtml

^^^

Great news. I knew those historic buildings would be restored sooner or later.

Pub Owner Planning Hotel In Parking Lot
By RANDY DIAMOND rdiamond@tampatrib.com
Published: Mar 19, 2005




TAMPA - The owner of a popular Tampa tavern, Four Green Fields, plans to get into the hotel business, proposing a $10 million, eight-story facility nearby.
The proposed hotel must be approved by the Tampa City Council, which has set a public hearing on March 31 at 6 p.m.

Colin Breen's plan calls for a four-story parking garage topped by four floors of hotel rooms on the site of the tavern's parking lot at Platt and Plant streets.

Breen said he is negotiating with several major chains to run the planned 121-room hotel, but he wouldn't name them. He said the project needs city council approval before an agreement with a chain can be reached.

The hotel would aim for an audience looking for the personalized service that can be found in a smaller hotel, Breen said. He said its location on the fringes of south Tampa and Hyde Park and just across the Hillsborough River from downtown should draw a mix of guests.

Breen said he is considering an Irish atmosphere, but the full pub menu of Four Green Fields may be missing. The hotel would offer only limited meal service, he said.

Steve Michelini, a consultant hired by Breen, said the hotel hopes to capitalize on guests who need to do business downtown but don't want to stay there.


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

http://tampatrib.com/Business/MGBFUFO5H6E.html

Landowner Gets Deal On Parcel Near Port
By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: Mar 19, 2005




TAMPA - The owner of a 53- acre parcel of land near Tampa's port can move ahead with turning the site into a residential and commercial hub.
Tampa port, city and state officials said Friday they signed an agreement with property owner Bruce Woodruff that will allow up to 900 condominium units to be built on the site. The Tampa City Council, which must approve the agreement, is expected to vote on it Thursday.

As part of the deal, Woodruff had to agree to several stipulations, including building an 8- foot high wall along 22nd Street and a 20-foot landscaping buffer. Any residential development built on the site would also be limited to two entrances.

Property owners would also have to be informed in writing that homes are located in an industrial area, officials said.

``We just don't want them to complain about the port later and want it to leave,'' said Bob Clifford, planning manager for the state Department of Transportation. ``We believe we have the best deal we could work out.''

The land, located across from city shrimp docks and the former Seabreeze Restaurant, was home to the Auto Park drive-in from about 1960 into the early 1980s.

Woodruff's proposal, backed by city officials who want to spruce up the waterfront corridor, had met opposition from the Tampa Port Authority and state agencies worried that new residents of a development and existing maritime industry would clash over noise, traffic and pollution.

``We hope this agreement will be a win-win for everyone,'' said Mark Huey, the city's economic development administrator. ``Any significant road that comes into the city is a gateway. Right now, [22nd Street] is not an attractive roadway.''

Woodruff has tried for more than a year to get the property, located north of 22nd Street, rezoned for residential use so he can sell it to a developer.

His efforts to get rezoning approval were held up when the state Department of Community Affairs denied his request last year, largely because the city's comprehensive land use plan calls for industrial use on the property. The Tampa Port Authority and the state Department of Transportation had also objected to Woodruff's rezoning efforts, arguing that a residential development would not fit in with the heavily industrialized port area.

Woodruff's proposal won preliminary city approval in March 2004, but stalled while state and city officials tried to work out whether to amend the comprehensive land-use plan. The issue was heading to an administrative law judge when the settlement was reached.

The gateway idea gained support in January when businessman George Lorton went public with his proposal to build condominiums and office space on 54 acres near Woodruff's land, on the south side of 22nd Street. Lorton has instead agreed to sell the land to the Tampa Port Authority, which voted Tuesday to buy 39 acres from him for $15 million. The deal is expected to close next month.

Port Spokesman Steve Valley said Friday the port is not interested in buying Woodruff's property because it does not abut deep-water the way Lorton's property does.

``Our main concern right now is to limit the marine industry impacts on people who will be moving in,'' Valley said. ``The proposed settlement agreement handles that.''

Clifford, the planning manager with the state Department of Transportation, said the department does not support residential development along the corridor but can live with the Woodruff agreement. The department's main concerns, he said, are truck traffic along the causeway and future residents objecting to noise and pollution from the port.


Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.

http://tampatrib.com/Business/MGB2WWU8H6E.html

Cigar Factory Owners, Artists Lighting Up Past And Future
By JOSE PATINO GIRONA jpatino@tampatrib.com
Published: Mar 19, 2005




TAMPA - Needing space to expand their office furniture business, the Ellis family was attracted to an abandoned cigar factory built in 1904.
The Antonio Santaella Cigar Factory, 1906 N. Armenia Ave., offered them a basement, three floors and 48,000 square feet of space.

It was more than they needed, but they thought they could lease the extra space.

The FBI came calling, wanting to store equipment for emergency cases. A local television station looked at space for a secondary studio to broadcast from during hurricanes. One guy wanted to store tires.

The plans didn't materialize.

Then, a couple of artists moved in and rented studio space. The arrangement worked.

The Ellises advertised for more artists. Now they have 28 tenants - 24 of them artists - and have created an eclectic art community that has city leaders talking about it and a waiting list that stands at 60.

``It gives life to the building,'' said Bubba Ellis, who bought it in 1997 with his brother Jamie and sister Jenny Van Pelt, all of Tampa. Their father, Gray Ellis, works with them in the business, Ellis-Van Pelt Inc.

The building energizes artists with its history, large windows that let in brilliant sunlight, and cozy rooms with wood floors and high ceilings.

Fine arts photographer Maida Millan said the environment enhances her creativity.

She gets transported to bygone days walking into the building and hearing the doors and floors creak, she said.

``It smells like the tobacco workers are still here,'' said Millan, who lives in Lutz but grew up in West Tampa. ``It smells like wood and old cigars. It smells like time stood still.''

Millan stumbled onto the site when she was looking for a studio four years ago.

In her third-floor studio, she sits silently on her futon, listening to children on the street talking, dogs barking, neighbors yelling, sirens and traffic.

From time to time, she walks out to talk to other artists in the building about their work and where they're exhibiting, or to get an opinion on an idea.

``I don't think it would feel that way if this were a brand new building and we were all here,'' Millan said.

Tom Land's studio has a large window that lets his work be seen from the outside. Acrylic paintings hang on the walls. In his room he has a drum kit, a guitar and an amplifier - but no telephone.

``I'm cut off from everything, and it helps me to concentrate,'' Land said. ``When I'm painting, it's me and the music.''

The evolution of the cigar factory has caught the attention of city officials.

Paul Wilborn, creative industries manager for the city, said he brings up the subject any chance he gets.

There are speculators and landlords who are holding onto empty buildings instead of putting them to use by attracting artists or people in creative businesses, Wilborn said. Artists can help propel an area that is beginning a revitalization, such as West Tampa.

What the Ellises are doing is a model that can be replicated, Wilborn said.

``It shows there is economic muscle the arts can flex that is unrealized now,'' he said. ``The arts can have a positive effect on an area and bring other possible investors.''

Neon artist Mick Walton moved into the cigar building seven years ago, when the second and third floors were vacant.

``To see the building with so much history vacant just broke my heart,'' Walton said. ``At one time, this building was full of life. It was the center of attraction of the area.''

Walton works in a 2,300- square-foot studio, where he cranks up music while making neon art.

Walton is moved by the building and says it inspires him to work.

``If the people who worked here 50, 60 and 70 years ago were to walk in and see what has happened, I think they would be proud,'' Walton said. ``This building hasn't gone down to the demolition ball. It's full of life and creative people.''


Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7605.
http://tampatrib.com/News/MGB5UAC3H6E.html

http://sptimes.com/2005/03/21/Hillsborough...ith_high_.shtml


DT Tampa project map...
http://sptimes.com/2005/03/21/images/housing-map.jpg

What is the Plaza at Channelside? Same people that are doing the Plaza at Harbour Island? Did they buy the land from Newks?

No, different developers. That is supposed to be going up where Newk's is, but SFAIK, the land hasn't even been sold,nor has the project been approved.

I would have to go back into the archives, but I seem to remember that when that was announced, it was announced with teh crescent heights thing and one got approval that day. Can't remember which it was.

^oh, was it? In that case, I stand corrected. I didn't realize it had moved along so quickly.

Well, I don't know if I corercted you - I am not sure which one was approved - but they were announced the same time. (I am not that concerned actually - I want the first wave to really get moving before I worry about the second.)

The Tampa Global Communication Teleconvergence Center seems to be missing from the Times list of proposed projects. Does anyone know if this project is dead? I believe the developer had until the end of this month to get financing.

^That's not a condo.

And yeah, isn't their deadline like next week?

Another idiotic layer of bureaucracy - buy it and be done . . .

Tampa's Condo Plans, DOT Regulations Clash
By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: Mar 24, 2005




TAMPA - Greg Minder, a partner in a group developing a 380-unit high-rise condominium in downtown Tampa, says he was astonished recently when state transportation officials raised red flags about the project.
After all, Minder says, the city had praised the condo proposal as part of its overall plan to transform Tampa's sleepy downtown into a residential and commercial center.

But as Minder and a handful of other residential developers are finding, projects that border state roads must adhere to strict safety regulations. Florida Department of Transportation officials have raised objections about all five city projects it has reviewed. That has resulted in some developers having to rework floor plans, nix balconies and canopies and give up outdoor seating at planned restaurants.

``We can't create the environment we are selling to our buyers,'' said Minder, of Novare-Intown Tampa Development LLC, which is building SkyPoint Condominiums. ``[DOT] keeps pointing to the common good and public safety. But I don't think we want our downtown streets to look and function like the interstate.''

SkyPoint is bordered by Ashley Drive and Zack and Tampa streets. Because Tampa Street is a state road, DOT gets to review the plans.

SkyPoint is one of the first high-rise residential complexes prepping for construction in the central business district. DOT officials demanded it delete the two-story canopies and balconies it planned for Tampa Street. It also would not permit outdoor cafes on a state road.


City Considers Options


Mayor Pam Iorio, whose administration has put an emphasis on revitalizing downtown, has intervened to discuss possible solutions. She said she was concerned other developers will be deterred from building downtown. An April 22 meeting is planned to hammer out a compromise.

``Here we are, finally getting the residential development we have wanted for a long, long time, and these state regulations are strict and hurtful to these developers,'' Iorio said. ``What's wrong with balconies and cafes? Great cities have them.''

The state transportation department is all for a bustling downtown neighborhood, said Dwayne Kile, DOT's Tampa district design engineer. But some of the developers' plans violate DOT safety and liability laws.

For example, he said, balconies and sidewalk tables can't extend into the public right of way of a state road, and the sidewalk is considered part of that right of way. ``A public facility can't be used for private benefit,'' Kile said. ``It's like [developers] are getting property for free.''

Problems have arisen, Kile said, because developers haven't done their homework before they plan a project near a state road.

Most developers, Kile said, are used to building on city and county roadways, where the building guidelines aren't as strict and government agencies evaluate each proposal on a case-by case basis.

The state and city have different philosophies on downtown roads. The state's mission is to get traffic through downtown to the interstate quickly, while the city wants to slow traffic so that downtown becomes more of a destination.

The solution the city plans to pitch to state officials could be costly, although officials don't have estimates yet. The city is proposing taking over right of way responsibilities on state sidewalks, said Dave Parkinson, the city's deputy director for redevelopment. That way, he said, if someone were to get hurt on the sidewalk, the state wouldn't be liable.

The Tampa Downtown Partnership, which tracks residential plans, says 27 new housing developments are planned or proposed in and around downtown and the Channel District.

Five of those are adjacent to state-controlled roadways. The state has jurisdiction over four downtown streets - Jackson Street, Kennedy Boulevard, Florida Avenue and Nebraska Avenue - and part of Tampa Street and Ashley Drive.

Of the five projects the state must sign off on, all have had to adjust their plans to meet state transportation department demands. Some are still negotiating, officials said.

Ken Stoltenberg is the developer of Grand Central at Kennedy, a 14-story condo complex. Original plans called for some balconies to extend up to to 2 feet out from the building. But the state said they were too far in the public right of way. Instead of fighting DOT and delaying his construction schedule, Stoltenberg said, he chose to follow the agency's demands.

Minder, the SkyPoint developer, said to move the project forward on time he plans to abide by DOT's requirements, while hoping the mayor can negotiate some solutions.

In addition to balconies and cafes, Minder said, DOT doesn't like the blue plywood fence around the construction site. The developer wants to keep it because it's decorated with swanky advertising signs. But the state has cited safety concerns and wants it replaced with a concrete barricade, similar to ones found around construction on interstates.

Maria Castro, owner of the Spain Restaurant on Tampa Street, said her family has tried for a year to get DOT to approve plans for six loft apartments above the restaurant. Debate, Castro said, has centered on a fire escape that would hang over the sidewalk, which DOT considers part of its right of way.


Other Cities Have Faced Issue


Tampa isn't the only city to grapple with state transportation officials having a say in new development, but it is generally considered to have more state roads in the downtown area than most other Florida cities.

Orlando, for example, has just one state road downtown, Orange Avenue. About 20 years ago, the city assumed responsibility of maintenance on the road, relieving the state of liability.

The change has paid off, said Orlando City Planner Jason Burton. There are more than a dozen high-rise condominiums planned for Orlando's downtown and Orange Avenue is dotted with restaurants and cafes. DOT might have raised objections if it had to sign off on development plans.

``Traffic engineers aren't good urban planners for downtown,'' Burton said.

In 2000, the city of Lakeland decided to convert its two one- way downtown state roads to two-way, in an effort to slow traffic. DOT objected, and the city ended up taking over the maintenance of the roads. It spent $325,000 on the conversion, but merchants see more drop-in traffic now, said Rick Lilyquist, Lakeland's director of public works.

``Sometimes you have to do what is best for the city overall,'' Lilyquist said. ``Even if it means the city has to take on more responsibility.''


Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.

http://tampatrib.com/businessnews/MGBRQC9GO6E.html

The state needs to butt out. I know it's our state goverments sole mission in life to ensure that all Floridians live in a far flung suburb along the interstate, and drive a gas guzzling SUV 30 miles one way to work, but the that's clearly not what the people want.

Buy the sidewalks, take responsibility for them, buy the whole damn road... Whatever. Just get the state the hell out of our local decision making!

What this really is is the unreformed legacy of old planning - it exists on every level of regulation with silly setbacks and parking rules, etc . . .they need to adjust to a more urban Florida - it's coming . . . unfortunately bureaucrats and engineers are not the most forward looking oftentimes.

Yeah, this is pretty silly. The best thing is to just take over the maintenace of the streets and get DOT the hell out of downtown.

Why is the DOT so interested in getting involved with high rise building? It makes no sense. They deal with our transportation issues, not skyscrapers.

Scoop the Trib again:
Port tower signs luxury manager
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts signs a letter of intent with developers of a proposed project in Tampa.
By STEVE HUETTEL, Times Staff Writer
Published March 30, 2005

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


TAMPA - A leading high-end hotel company may come to Tampa to manage a proposed high-tech conference center, hotel and condo tower in the downtown's Channel District.

Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, which bills itself as the largest luxury hotel management company in North America, has signed a letter of intent with developers planning to build the $450-million Tampa International Technology Center.

Headquartered in Toronto, Fairmont manages 45 hotels in eight countries, including the Savoy in London. Two properties, Seattle's Fairmont Olympic Hotel and the Fairmont Scottsdale Princess Hotel in Arizona, are repeat winners of AAA's top rating.

"This will be as good a hotel as any they have in any city in the United States," said Murray Klauber, founder of the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort at Longboat Key and lead developer of the project.

The developers have a deal to lease waterfront land from the Tampa Port Authority. On Tuesday, they passed a milestone by providing the public agency a commitment letter from a merchant banking firm to finance 70 percent of the project.

That gives Tampa Bay Technology Center LLC one year to break ground. Klauber predicted construction will begin by the end of this year and be completed by early 2008.

The 45-story hotel and condo tower would be almost as tall as Tampa's biggest skyscrapers. Plans call for 400 hotel rooms and 182 condos, whose owners could use hotel amenities such as the spa and room service.

The conference center is designed to beam corporate meetings and training sessions around the globe via satellite, fiber-optic cable and wireless systems. It would include three amphitheaters seating from 100 to 250 people, an exhibition hall and meeting rooms.

Port commissioners gave the project a green light last fall despite objections that the port authority was displacing traditional maritime businesses.

The agreement with Klauber's group requires the port authority to fill in a slip called Metroport and not renew its lease on the property with International Ship Repair & Marine Services.

The project's success depends on reaching a deal with a major hotel operator. Fairmont confirmed the letter of intent Tuesday but declined comment before a management deal is signed.

Redwood Capital Advisors, the merchant banking firm, brought Fairmont into the project because the hotel company has lots of experience handling group business like conventions and meetings, said Stephen Goodman, managing director of Redwood.

And while Fairmont is a strong luxury brand, Goodman said, it doesn't charge as much as a five-star like a Ritz-Carlton or Four Seasons.

"Fairmont builds a very classy hotel," Goodman said. "But Tampa isn't going to command those rates just yet." He described Fairmont as "a 41/2-star hotel."

Redwood is putting together a syndicate of institutional investors to finance the project. The key to making the project work is selling the condos and using the money to pay down debt, Goodman said. He said the 400,000 square feet of condos should sell for $650 a square foot - or $260-million.

The hotel would likely attract about half its customers from corporate meetings and half from leisure travelers, Goodman said.

Port authority officials received the financing letter and other documents Tuesday. They will need several weeks to review them, spokeswoman Lori Musser said.

Steve Huettel can be reached at huettel@sptimes.com or 813 226-3384.

[Last modified March 30, 2005, 01:03:17]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/03/30/Business/Port_tower_signs_luxu.shtml

Am I the only one blown away by the asking price of $650 a square foot for the proposed condos??? That's about twice the current price in the Channel District. I realize it will be "high end" but isn't this higher than Trump Tower Tampa as well?

I'm sure the developers have a vision of this area that I'm not aware of at the moment. Currently, you have ugly silos, overgrown weeds, gritty shipyards, and an expressway under construction. Yah, the area is improving, and lots of residential projects are on the boards, but go look at the other Fairmont properties (www.fairmont.com). The up-and-coming Channelside area doesn't quite compare. Just my opinion, and I live there.

If this project does go through, and it's looking like it will, I think the district must be in for some fairly radical changes (new cruise terminal? demolition of current buildings? etc).

^Holy shitballs! I'm quite shocked that project has moved forward significantly. I thought it was the shakiest of all projects recently proposed, just by its very nature. of course, we shall see what time brings. Prices of $650 a sqft are quite insane for a Tampa project IMO. (btw, I think that price point is generally where Trump was priced)

No sure about the price but consider (jsut for the sake of argument, not that I agree):
-waterfront
-trolley stop
-between Ybor and Channelside
-Tall - I'm sure the condos will be way up there
-Probably unobstructed views in most direction for a long time if not forever.
-schmancy

Also, the Fairmount is a great hotel chain. Include the fact that your condo can use the hotels room service, concierge and maid service in most condo/residences of this type, although not certain in this proposal. I do not believe that Trump is going to clean your place or get you dinner reservations, although this might give that over hyped apprentice guy something to do. He seemed great at accomplishing such nominal tasks on the show.

^lol... Did we get an apprentice chick or guy? I can't remember, because I don't watch the show.

However, I do believe that TTT is featuring some fairly comprehensive concierge services.

Oh,a nd back to Fairmont... Getting a Savoy here would be super.

However, I'm still not sure I understand the allure of linking high-end condos and a high end hotel to a high tech conference center. Is there really that much of a market for foo foo trade shows and seminars? In DT Tampa?

And I wonder if this project will still feature a couple floors of colocation facilities and a primary node (direct access point to internet backbone), as it was supposed to origionally. Maybe SSC's new server array could be hosted there!

With everything Tampa has, is there really a huge demand for a new conference center? I'm sure the hotels will be full, but the center? Only time will tell.

Luxury Rooms, Humble Settings
By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: Mar 31, 2005




TAMPA - The most luxurious hotel to come to Tampa may open on waterfront property - at the port.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts, a leading high-end hotel company based in Toronto, said Wednesday it had signed a letter of intent to manage the hotel portion of the proposed $450 million Tampa International Technology Center. The complex calls for a high-tech conference center, hotel and condominium tower on the northern end of the Channel District.

The developer proposes a 55- story tower with 400 hotel units and 180 condominiums. Hotel rooms would cost about $250 a night, and the condos would sell at $650 a square foot. An average unit of 2,000 square feet would cost $1.3 million.

So, with such a plush development, who will be willing to pay top dollar to overlook shipyards and the Crosstown Expressway?

The hotel company and the firm financing the project think they know. Both point to other upscale development plans in the area as the main reason the project will succeed.

But for both, it took some convincing. Redwood Capital Advisers said developers had to persuade them the project was viable, said Stephen Goodman, managing director of the merchant banking firm.

Goodman said, though, that the firm now believes, largely because of other residential and commercial developments planned in and around downtown. It lured Fairmont, Goodman said, because it has experience with business conventions and technology.

``I do a lot of traveling, and I don't spend much time looking out the window,'' Goodman said. ``Some of the units are high enough up to offer a great view of the skyline.''

Goodman said he expected most condo units to sell to empty nesters and business people from South America looking for a second home or vacation place.

``It's my opinion that many of the owners will stay here for a month or so each year,'' he added.

The hotel, he said, will draw guests from business meetings at the conference center and from wealthy cruise ship passengers.

The project's lead developer is Murf Klauber, 78, the founder of the Colony Beach & Tennis Resort at Longboat Key. Klauber first approached the port with the project in 2000 and said he courted Fairmont for two years.

Anne White, spokeswoman for Fairmont, said the company bought into the plans because of downtown Tampa's potential.

``It's about looking for the right fit with the brand, more than just the location,'' White said.

Although Fairmont has resorts in places such as London and Cancun, White said it doesn't always choose prestigious sites. Fairmont has 45 hotels in eight countries, including one property in Florida, The Fairmont Turnberry Isle in Aventura.

The Port Authority gave the project preliminary approval last fall and must approve this agreement.

At Tampa's port, not everyone is happy.

Aaron Hendry, president of Gulf Marine Repair, which has leased port land for 40 years, says the port is too concerned with making money on development.

``I think there's a number of insecure port tenants observing what is happening at the port,'' Hendry said. ``The top priority of the port authority should be to nurture and grow the maritime industry and the port.''

Gulf Marine has negotiated with the port for more than a year about its lease, which expires early next year. The port is working with commercial property developer Trammell Crow Co. to allow the company to relocate.

Mark Huey, the city's economic development administrator, said the city recognized the concern but that there's plenty of room at the port for residential and commercial development, in addition to traditional maritime uses.


Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.
http://www.tampatrib.com/Business/MGB55AYAY6E.html

Commotion In The Heights Is A Prelude To Progress
By JOSE PATINO GIRONA jpatino@tampatrib.com
Published: Apr 5, 2005




TAMPA - Heavy machines, trucks and people are working on the land destined to be The Heights - the 40-acre, $500 million project that plans to bring condominiums, town houses, lofts, restaurants, a grocery store, a flurry of development and hip living near downtown.
Despite the activity, production remains a few years away, said Mary Beth Storts, senior vice president and equity manager for Bank of America Neighborhood Development in the state.

The site work is an environmental study, cleanup and surveying.

Employees from Waste Management are digging up contaminated soil and disposing of it. Creosote-treated timber, concrete chunks and metal pipes are buried there, Storts said, relics of previous construction.

Storts said there is no contamination problem with the land. The work started March 28 and should be completed in a few weeks.

Enercon Services of Oklahoma has been hired as the environmental consultant, and Heidt and Associates Inc. is doing the survey.

The investors are Bank of America and Heights of Tampa LLC.

The Heights project will cover North Boulevard, Ross Avenue, Tampa Street and the Hillsborough River. There are 1,600 to 2,100 units planned; 10 percent of the units will be set aside for affordable housing.

Developers would like to get assistance from the city to improve the riverwalk and parks. Storts anticipates meeting with city staff members soon to discuss a development agreement.

The area is designated as a community redevelopment area, qualifying it for incentives. Property tax revenue above a set rate will be returned to the area for infrastructure improvements for 30 years.

Storts hopes the city will approve the rezoning this summer. Construction is expected to start 18 months after that, she said.

In addition to Storts, board of directors of Heights of Tampa LLC are:

* Chairman Don Wallace, founder and chief operating officer of Lazy Days RV Center in Tampa.

* Vice Chairman Glenn Cross, president of Shimberg Cross, a real estate and investment company.

* Secretary William Bishop, president of Leslie Land Corp., a real estate development company.

* Bill Bahlke, president of Heidt & Associates Inc., a land development, engineering and surveying firm.

* Rob Scharar, president of FCA Corp., a financial planning firm based in Houston.


Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7605.
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGB77MD017E.html

Westin Checks In To Tampa
By RANDY DIAMOND rdiamond@tampatrib.com
Published: Apr 2, 2005




TAMPA - A Westin Hotel scheduled to open in Tampa in late 2006 will be the chain's first in the city and a new company prototype aimed at suburban markets.
The 12-story, 200-room waterfront hotel planned for Rocky Point off Courtney Campbell Parkway will be a scaled-down version of the Westins that cater to business travelers in larger cities such as New York, Chicago and Atlanta, said its developer Dilip Kanji.

The Tampa hotel will have fewer than half the rooms and fewer dining options than standard Westins.

``We're going to have one quality restaurant instead of the five you would find in a bigger city,'' Kanji said.

He hopes the Westin's reputation for quality will attract business and leisure travelers willing to pay rates starting at $160 a night.

White Plains, N.Y.- based Starwood Hotels & Resorts, which owns the Westin and Sheraton brands, first announced its new, smaller Westin prototype three years ago. In addition to Tampa, smaller Westin hotels are scheduled for Raleigh, N.C., Memphis, Tenn., Bellevue, Wash., and Ballston, Va., in the next 20 months.

The $32 million Tampa Westin will replace a Days Inn built about 50 years ago. The motel will be torn down next week, and construction on the Westin will start in June, Kanji said.


Reporter Randy Diamond can be reached at (813) 259-8144.
http://www.tampatrib.com/Business/MGB45T8517E.html

Mayor Pushes Development To DOT
By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: Apr 2, 2005




TAMPA - Mayor Pam Iorio, insistent on seeing downtown filled with high-rise condominiums and people sipping lattes at sidewalk cafes, pleaded her case Friday to state transportation officials standing in the way of her plan.
Citing safety concerns, the state Department of Transportation has rejected some condominium developers' plans to include balconies, canopies and outdoor seating at restaurants.

At the end of the two-hour meeting, the sides emerged with a compromise.

* Street cafes will be allowed, as long as there is a 4-foot clearance between tables and obstacles such as parking meters and trees.

* Canopies will be allowed, as long as they are fastened to the building from above and not anchored to the sidewalk.

* The DOT will establish a three-member committee to work with downtown residential developers on their projects on a case-by-case basis.

One issue not resolved is balconies. The city and developers want them on some units. Transportation officials object because they hang over state-managed sidewalks, although negotiations continue on this and other issues.

``I think it is going to work out,'' Iorio said after the meeting. DOT ``wants the same thing we do - the redevelopment of downtown.''

Twenty-seven residential complexes are planned or under construction in and around downtown.

Five of those are located next to state-controlled roadways. DOT has jurisdiction over four downtown streets - Jackson Street, Kennedy Boulevard, Florida Avenue and Nebraska Avenue - and part of Tampa Street and Ashley Drive.


Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804
http://tampatrib.com/businessnews/MGBJP27617E.html

If it qualifies for an existing plan, fine. IF they want something new and special - no . . .

Talk of the bay
Channel District project may seek financial help
By STEVE HUETTEL, Times Staff Writer
Published April 4, 2005

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

Developers delivered a detailed financing plan last week for their proposed $450-million high-tech conference center and hotel/condo tower in Tampa's Channel District.

One question was left unanswered: Will they ask the local or state government for financial help?

That possibility was raised by the head of the California merchant banking firm that's arranging financing. Stephen Goodman of Redwood Capital Advisors said the project might qualify for as much as $22-million in tax breaks, but was fuzzy on the details.

The attorney for Tampa Bay Technology Center LLC said developers hadn't approached government officials about financial incentives, but wouldn't rule it out.

They could apply to the state for tax rebates if a company moves workers to the facility from outside Florida, said Tampa lawyer Stephen Mitchell, and may talk with the city of Tampa and Hillsborough County. "We'll look at other potential (financing) sources," he said.

Mitchell worked on the deal that brought the Tampa Waterside Marriott to downtown. Marriott sought incentives worth $16.5-million from the city. Instead of giving the money up front, Tampa officials agreed to make 19 annual lease payments ranging from $1.45-million to $2.1-million a year - a total of nearly $32-million.

In return, the city received a lease for the plazas and sidewalks around the hotel and some of the second-floor terraces and lobby. Officials said the hotel would generate more than enough in taxes to cover the lease payments.

Those incentives were critical to make the hotel's finances work, Mitchell said. But the project slated on Tampa Port Authority land on Channelside Drive has sufficient financing without public dollars, he said.

"That doesn't make it or break it," Mitchell said.

[Last modified April 2, 2005, 21:30:04]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/04/Business/Channel_District_proj.shtml

^I don't mind some reasonable level of tax breaks, or perhaps nearby infrastructure improvements (like new traffic lights or sidewalks, or pedestrian skybridges) that may be needed as a result of the project... And if the state wants to cough up money for a company relocating to the project, that's ok too.

But I do not support the local government shelling out actual dollars, especially for a company moving here. We've gotten burned enough on other recent manipulations of the system by the likes of Capitol One (the scourge of the credit card industry) and such.

Like i said, if they are taking advantage of an existing program - like the tax breaks for companies that bring a certain number of high paying jobs - fine. IF they want something special, I think the govt should be very careful.

Kids' museum moving past hitch in plans
Children's Museum organizers are adjusting to repercussions of the art museum decision.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published April 7, 2005

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


TAMPA - Supporters of a new Children's Museum in downtown Tampa were moving along quickly with planning when they got the news that the proposed Tampa Museum of Art had fizzled.

Mayor Pam Iorio wanted to come up with a new plan that would incorporate the art and children's museums.

Last week's announcement didn't bring work on the Children's Museum to a screeching halt. But it did slow it down.

"Our next phase was to move into the architectural side. With this change we've got that on hold to see if there's going to be collaboration," said former state Rep. Sandra Murman, who with Heidi Shimberg is coordinating a campaign to raise money for the Children's Museum.

The Hillsborough County Commission committed $250,000 to the museum in 2003. In September, Iorio announced plans to give city-owned land between the Poe Parking Garage on Ashley Drive and the proposed Tampa Museum of Art to the Children's Museum, now on N Boulevard next to Lowry Park Zoo.

Since then, Children's Museum organizers have moved forward with planning and preconstruction work. They completed a feasibility study, held focus groups about exhibits, hired a capital campaign development director, assembled an exhibit design team from Memphis and Indianapolis, and hired Tampa architectural firm Gould Evans Associates to come up with a building design.

The museum had an April 30 deadline to submit an architectural plan to the city. The City Council is scheduled today to vote on extending that deadline because of changes to the art museum, Shimberg said.

Meanwhile, Iorio tapped Murman and Shimberg to serve on a committee that will develop a new plan for the Tampa Museum of Art. Iorio has said she wants the plan to take a "holistic" approach that encompasses other projects in the Cultural Arts District, including a redesign of Ashley Drive, Curtis Hixon Park, the river walk along the Hillsborough River and the Children's Museum.

Other committee members so far include: art museum board members Cornelia Corbett, Sandy MacKinnon and Don Wallace; developer Al Austin; Tampa philanthropist Frank Morsani; and city staff members.

"I do want a certain amount of autonomy for the Children's Museum," Murman said. "I would like for us to have an identity. But that doesn't mean we can't share other common areas with another facility. We should entertain the idea."

Sharing amenities such as a cafe and lecture halls would create more exhibit space and save money, she said. Murman isn't sure how the blended museums might look.

David Penn, president of the Children's Museum, cautioned against completely integrating the two facilities.

"Experiencing art is sometimes a quiet experience and working with children in a children's museum is not a quiet experience," he said. "I wouldn't want to share a lobby."

He also doesn't want the Children's Museum to be lost visually, he said.

The current Children's Museum has 5,000 square feet of exhibit space, most of it outdoors in a miniature village called Kid City, which includes a grocery store, fire station, city hall and library. The new museum will feature 15,000 square feet for permanent displays and 5,000 square feet for rotating exhibits and an education center with information for teachers and parents and free tutoring in math and reading.

The museum is expected to attract 100,000 visitors a year and open in three to five years.

Other than the $3-million land donation, Iorio has said the city will not give money to the Children's Museum.

Fundraising is in a "quiet phase," Shimberg said, and museum officials don't expect to go public with the capital campaign for another six to 12 months. An estimated $13-million is needed for construction and an endowment.

Even though changes with the art museum have stalled architectural drawings for the Children's Museum, work will continue on developing exhibits, which Murman said is the most complicated part of the planning.

"We're still moving forward. We're talking to donors, getting the master plan finalized," Murman said. "It's going to be great for Tampa that all these projects are working together."

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

[Last modified April 7, 2005, 01:22:13]http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/07/Hillsborough/Kids__museum_moving_p.shtml

They have tore down most of the Shopping center where "the Plaza" will be built.

Hopefully someone gets some cranes up soon!

The "Plaza" at Channelside or the "Plaza" on Harbour Island?

Also, I know the Heritage Park Complex has long been dead, but does anyone know if there are any plans for that land? It is a big chunk of land that could begin to connect the "Business District" with the "Channelside District."

Plaza Habour Island

Tell us more about plans for hotel, school asks
The owner of an Irish pub wants to add a hotel to the parking lot. A nearby school wants details on how it might be affected.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published April 8, 2005

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


When Colin Breen, owner of Four Green Fields, announced that he wanted to build a hotel on the parking lot of his popular Irish pub, no one complained.

But several months later, the plans are raising a yellow flag for St. John's Episcopal Middle School, next to the parking lot at Platt Street and Plant Avenue.

A public hearing on a request to rezone the site for a boutique hotel has been rescheduled twice.

The City Council was supposed to consider the issue in January but postponed it so that details about landscaping and traffic could be worked out. Then last week, the hearing was delayed again after representatives of St. John's said they wanted more time to review the plans.

The hearing is now set for May 19 at 10 a.m. at City Hall, 315 E Kennedy Blvd.

Breen's plans call for a four-story hotel on top of a four-story parking garage. The garage would have free parking for hotel guests and employees, patrons of Four Green Fields and some faculty at St. John's school, said Stephen Michelini, a land-use consultant representing Breen.

The school has worked closely with Four Green Fields over the years, said headmaster David Frothingham. Faculty and staff use the pub's parking lot during the day, and the school closes on St. Patrick's Day, one of the bar's busiest days of the year.

But as last week's public hearing approached, school officials said they didn't know enough about what was planned for the lot and had no assurances about the project in writing.

"None of the things that we had discussed with the developer had been dealt with formally in any way at all. We just want to make sure our interests are protected," Frothingham said. "Our position of not opposing the project still stands. As we face these changes, we just want to make sure that everything is very clearly spelled out."

Parking guarantees are the biggest issue, he said. But school officials also want to know how construction will affect use of a shared alley, and they want details on the site plan, which has shown 111 to 148 rooms. Plans now call for 115 rooms, Michelini said.

"There's some uncertainty to the site plan," said Brad Douglas, a School Board member whose children attend St. John's. "We want to make sure we understand what's being built next door."

Michelini said the site plan changed to accommodate the city's transportation and landscaping requests.

"We're working toward answering and addressing all (of the school's) issues," Michelini said. "There's been a continued spirit of cooperation."

Douglas and Frothingham emphasized they are not opposing the hotel plans.

"We just want to make sure we have a clear understanding of how we're going to work together with these guys as good neighbors," Douglas said.

If approved, construction on the hotel would begin in about six months and last for about a year.

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

[Last modified April 7, 2005, 08:55:10]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/08/Citytimes/Tell_us_more_about_pl.shtml

Does anyone know whats going on with "Box Factory Lofts"? I thought they were supposed to start renovating last month. I have yet to see anything going on there.

I don't know anything at all about that project. Is that in Ybor?

Yea, Box Factory is at Adamo and 21st street.

Heres the link!

http://www.boxfactorylofts.com/

^I just checked the website. It now says Construction in April. I swear I checked that site just a week ago and it said March.

I am pretty sure it's a conspiracy to make me look stupid!

Ventana?

Bid Date: May 2005 Est. Start Date: Summer 2005

Description:
New construction and site work for an apartment complex in Tampa. Working plans call for a multi-story building to hold 84 multi-family units. The complex will also include a lobby and swimming pool.

The general contractor will be accepting subcontractor bids in the coming months. Interested parties may contact the general contractor.
http://www.bidclerk.com/projects/projectDetail.jsp?projectID=c999fb56-df21-4389-8a2b-a014d2b4a8eb

I hear the talk, but I don't see any action...

Has anyone heard of "The Quarter at Ybor". Sounds like a larger project. The website is http://www.thequarteratybor.com/

I registered and recieved this E-mail.

Thank for expressing interest in The Quarter at Ybor, Tampa's hippest, most fashionable address. Now that you're registered, you've secured your position to purchase your very own über-cool urban pad, just steps away from all the action of Ybor City.

These spectacular condominiums feature modern, open floorplans with nine-foot ceilings, built-in bookshelves, walk-in bedroom closets, and large utility rooms with full-size washers and dryers. Kitchens feature wood laminate floors and above-stove microwaves.

Tall 36-inch countertops paired with voluminous garden tubs grace the spacious bathrooms. Other amenities include a huge second-story fitness center overlooking the sun-soaked pool area, business center, recreation room with billiards, bar, and movie theater. Add to that one of the most desirable locations in Tampa, and you have all the necessities for urban living at its finest—Anything less just wouldn't cut it.

You will be contacted within the next few weeks by one of our friendly sales associates. They'll give you the 4-1-1 on everything you need to know to start calling The Quarter at Ybor home. As a registered buyer, you'll receive VIP status at our Grand Opening Sales Event, coming up soon. Keep checking your e-mail for exciting updates and new information! Things are going to move fast, and you're going to want to keep up. Become a trendsetter and claim your piece of Ybor City before anyone else!



Only thing I can think of is maybe this is the Kimmins site

I believe the Quarter at Ybor is the Camden Apartments, from what I've heard. Sounds right based on their product description. $149k doesn't seem like that much compared to what condos are going for in Channelside....

^Condos in Channelside also aren't bordered by the noisy strip, I-4, and the ghetto hordes to the north of it.

Besides, that's still in the $200 per sqft range, which isn't much different from what DT projects are fetching.

Hey Dudeintampa, your suspicions are confirmed in this morning's Trib - "The Quarter at Ybor" is the Camden apartments.

http://www.tampatribune.com/MGB6X2OTG7E.html

Several condo projects in Ybor coming along nicely - 5th Ave Villas look ready for move-ins, and Citilofts on 5th are making progress. Las Ybor townhomes (on 4th) and Lofts on 5th are still in early construction.

Maybe these new home owners can help steer Ybor away from the image of a weekend bar scene for only 20-somethings. Can anything help Centro Ybor's string of closings?

Reviews Mixed On New Port Tampa Bay Project
By MICHAEL H. SAMUELS msamuels@tampatrib.com
Published: Apr 14, 2005




SUN BAY SOUTH - Hoping to garner support for a residential, commercial and retail project, a South Tampa developer this week unveiled his plans to the local civic group.
The reaction was mixed.

EcoGroup Inc. plans to redevelop 53 acres of industrial property between Gandy Boulevard and Tyson Avenue west of West Shore Boulevard. The company's New Port Tampa Bay community would have 1,750 residences, more than 200,000 square feet of commercial and retail space, a 250- slip public marina and parks.

New Port Tampa Bay would incorporate the 17-acre Imperial Yacht Basin property, where St. Petersburg developer Grady Pridgen plans to build 750 residences, and 95,000 square feet of commercial and retail space.

EcoGroup bought 36 acres stretching south of the yacht basin to Tyson. Company President Ed Oelschlaeger said he hopes to rezone that land to build 1,000 residences and 145,000 square feet of commercial space.

``It will have cafes, Starbucks,'' Oelschlaeger said. ``We want to provide services for the community at large.''

About 25 people attended the civic group meeting Monday night. Some members said the development would be a boon to the neighborhood, but they also raised their continuing concerns about traffic and infrastructure.

Ralph Lambert, who lives on Ballast Point Boulevard east of West Shore, said infrastructure must be in place before development, not the other way around.

``It's bad now,'' Lambert said. ``It's only going to get worse. It's not going to get better.''

Oelschlaeger said New Port Tampa Bay would bring solutions to neighborhood problems, including extending Bridge Street from Gandy to Tyson to alleviate West Shore traffic. He also said the project would not send stormwater runoff into the surrounding neighborhood.

Oelschlaeger said the residences would be two stories to 16 stories tall. He said housing prices would be competitive with the neighboring Westshore Yacht Club, a 74- acre, 539-home residential complex being built by WCI Communities. Prices at Westshore Yacht Club will be $400,000 to more than $3 million.

A tentative rezoning hearing for New Port Tampa Bay is set for June 9 before Tampa City Council. Oelschlaeger said pending city approval he expects to begin infrastructure improvements in the fall and construction in early to mid- 2006.

``It's a phased project,'' Oelschlaeger said. ``All the infrastructure, road improvements will be done at the same time.''


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

http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGBV9WX3I7E.html

Deleted by ChuckscraperMiami#1, sorry, wrong thread. :)

^This thread is about development news in Tampa, not Miami's population growth.

Jason :) , sorry, wrong thread, all deleted.

Ok, I know this doesn't really seem like news but it is- sort of:

I was told by a friend who knows someone over there that Trump Tower has set a ground breaking date but hasn't announced it yet - which is news for two reasons: 1) it is set, so they know they are going and 2) it probably won't be until at least mid May - though they could just go fast.

A friend of mine proposed an interesting theory. Perhaps TRUMP is going to offer TTT as one of the projects from which the Apprentice winner selects. Hence the delay in the groundbreaking, given the show finale hasn't aired.

GO TANA!!!

HE should sit on the lot until the market changes rather than waste it on this stuff:
Developer Revises Kennedy Plans
By JOSH POLTILOVE jpoltilove@tampatrib.com
Published: Apr 16, 2005




SOUTH TAMPA - A developer is re-envisioning his planned facelift for one of Tampa's busiest intersections.
Instead of a 100,000-square- foot, five-story, mixed-use building on Kennedy Boulevard just east of Dale Mabry Highway, Jim Mikes now plans to build 33 town houses.

Twelve would face Kennedy and serve as combination home-offices. The others would be just south of those units, between Dale Mabry and Sterling Avenue.

Mikes expects to file plans for The City Homes at Midtown project by May 5, allowing his rezoning petition to be considered by the city council in July. Work on the 88,000- square-foot site would begin in February, he said.

City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena, a proponent of revitalizing Kennedy, supports the town house concept.

``You really need residential to create life in an area, so I'm very pleased with his proposal,'' she said. ``It's a very exciting project, and I'm so pleased that [Mikes] determined that the market was there for residential.''

Mikes said the $11 million City Homes project would be more neighborhood friendly. He said residents opposed his previous plan, which would have cost more than $20 million and included 10 town houses, restaurants, businesses, offices and a parking structure.

The new plans call for three- story town houses ranging from 3,800 square feet for a home-office to 2,800 for a residential unit. Each town house would have an elevator and rooftop terrace.

``This project will be on the upper end of neighborhood [property] values, which will enhance the values of everyone else,'' he said.

Mikes owns the properties earmarked for development, including the Faith Cafe, which serves free food to the needy. He said the cafe will move by February, but a location hasn't been chosen.

The property at 3710 W. Kennedy Blvd., home to a fabric store, also is part of the City Homes project.

Mikes' other projects include plans to build 113 town houses at the southeast corner of Lois Avenue and Spruce Street.

Wilson Stair, urban planner for the city, said Mikes appears to be sensitive to neighborhood concerns. He said building town houses and home-offices along Kennedy could set ``a good precedent and become a benchmark for other development.''


Reporter Josh Poltilove can be reached at (813) 835-2105.
http://www.tampatrib.com/News/MGBL6O4YK7E.html

FYI - the old apartment buildings on Kennedy directly across from UT have been demolished. Everyone that reads the papers knows that they saved the tree. New dorms are scheduled to go up in that lot.

This has to do with the Teleconvergence thingy - I think

Port Tackles Lease

Published: Apr 19, 2005




The Tampa Port Authority today will consider amending a lease to require longtime tenant Gulf Marine Repair Corp. to vacate land it has been using beyond its lease premises by May 15, and collect $100,000 back rent for the use of the land. The lease will be modified to remove 0.69 acres of land east of the current premises, and add 3.7 acres to the south, with Gulf Marine paying $2,000 monthly rent for about a year. The authority also will pay about $220,000 in improvements.
http://tampatrib.com/businessnews/MGBF4LFJP7E.html

is this denholt project?
Bid Date: Est. Start Date:
ASAP May 2005

Description:
New construction and site work for a mixed-use development in Tampa. Working plans are calling for 392 studios, one- and two-bedroom condominiums ranging from 620 to 2,169 square feet. The project will also include 55,000 square feet of office space, 125,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and service business space, a 2,000-square-foot art gallery, and a 4,500-square-foot community theater.

Construction is expected to begin in May 2005 and the general contractor is currently accepting subcontractor bids for all trades.

is this denholt project?
Bid Date: Est. Start Date:
ASAP May 2005

Description:
New construction and site work for a mixed-use development in Tampa. Working plans are calling for 392 studios, one- and two-bedroom condominiums ranging from 620 to 2,169 square feet. The project will also include 55,000 square feet of office space, 125,000 square feet of restaurant, retail, and service business space, a 2,000-square-foot art gallery, and a 4,500-square-foot community theater.

Construction is expected to begin in May 2005 and the general contractor is currently accepting subcontractor bids for all trades.

I think this is Grand Central at Kennedy...

^Definitely.

This should help the proposed projects in the area....

Tampa okays area to be tax district
By Times Staff Writer
Published April 22, 2005

TAMPA - The City Council on Thursday approved the creation of a tax increment financing district for a roughly 60-acre area north of downtown that includes the Stetson University satellite campus.

City officials are anticipating development proposals for the area to move forward in coming years.

Creating the district would enable the city to spend increased tax proceeds that development would generate directly in that area to help pay for infrastructure and other costs.

Hillsborough County commissioners have previously approved creating the tax district in an interlocal agreement with Tampa.

Tampa officials now must work on deciding what percentage of new tax proceeds would be spent in the area, how money will be spent and what concessions they may seek from developers in return.
[Last modified April 22, 2005, 00:43:11]

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/22/Hillsborough/Tampa_okays_area_to_b.shtml

I know this has been mentioned before. Apparently they have broken ground.


Creative development: UT's $15.6M hall employs unusual teamwork

A consortium of financial, business and University interests is expected to deliver a new 182-bed, residence hall to The University of Tampa campus in July 2006.

Ground was broken Monday during a ceremony for Kennedy Place, an 11-story building to be located on the southwest corner of Hyde Park Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, just across from the University entrance. The arrangement includes the developer, Andrew L. Arena of the Anthony Development Group Inc.; the Beck Group, which will construct the building; the Collegiate Housing Foundation, as lessor; and the University, as lessee.

The Collegiate Housing Foundation will lease the $15.6 million building to the University for 30 years, then hand over ownership to the University. The building is expected to have a useful life of 70 or more years. Financing is being arranged by Northmarq Capital and funded by Legg Mason Wood Walker.

Kreher had some unusual design challenges in developing the plan for the new building. The building footprint is located on the former site of the Witledge Inn, an aging wooden structure that was demolished in mid-April to make room for the new building. In addition, a large "grand oak" tree sits on the edge of the property bordering Kennedy Boulevard, and had to be protected.

Kennedy Place will include 122 single apartments and 30 double units, each studio apartment with private bedroom, dedicated kitchen and bathroom.

Though the facility will be privately owned, the University will be responsible for facility and housing management. Structural work is to begin no later than May 30, and the facility will be ready for occupancy in August 2006, in time for fall classes.

© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/04/25/daily22.html

^There was no action as of Saturday.

I am driving by the site in about an hour though, so I'll check it out again.

^ Well the groundbreaking could have just been a shovel in the dirt with all the "important" people standing around and the real work to come later.

That's fine. All these project seem to be breaking ground then waiting a month. That's ok by me as long as they get it done and make Kennedy more like it should be.

http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/27/images/xlarge/BIZ_1_1dwestin_213081_0427.jpg
The 12-story, 200-room Westin Airport Tampa Bay hotel, left, is to open in December 2006. Next to it will be the 14-story, 108-unit Oasis Rocky Point Island condos.
Hotel, condo towers to rise on Rocky Point
The upscale buildings will replace the 150-room Days Inn Rocky Point, which will come down starting next week.
By STEVE HUETTEL, Times Staff Writer
Published April 27, 2005
TAMPA - The beach bar and jet ski scene on Rocky Point is going upscale.

Bulldozers are scheduled to start demolishing the Days Inn Rocky Point next week to make room for an upscale hotel and condo tower overlooking Old Tampa Bay.

Hotel developer and owner Impact Properties plans to break ground in July or August on the 12-story, 200-room Westin Airport Tampa Bay on the Courtney Campbell Parkway.

The hotel, expected to open in December 2006, will capitalize on companies moving into new space in the West Shore office market, the success of International Plaza and continued growth of Tampa International Airport, said Impact president Dilip Kanji.

With a private beach, fine dining restaurant and views of the bay, he said, the hotel will compete for high-end business and leisure travelers with Tampa's two AAA four-diamond hotels, the Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay and Renaissance Tampa Hotel International Plaza. Rates will run from $160 to $190 per night.

Next to the hotel, Impact will build a 14-story, 108-unit condo tower called the Oasis Rocky Point Island. Buyers have reserved nearly all the condos, which range from two-bedroom residences for $350,000 to $2-million penthouses, Kanji said.

Starting business in Tampa in 1979, Impact built or bought 12 hotels in the Southeast under the Days Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hilton Garden Inn and Hampton Inn nameplates.

The company sold nine properties, including the Hilton Garden Inn in Ybor City, in recent years as hotel prices peaked, Kanji said. Besides the Westin, Impact is developing Country Inn & Suites hotels in Brandon and Tallahassee and a 110-unit TownePlace Suites extended stay hotel in Brandon.

Days Inn Rocky Point was Impact's most high-profile property. Jet skiers taking off from the small beach were a familiar sight to motorists whizzing by on the Courtney Campbell Parkway between Tampa and Clearwater.

Half the hotel was built 50 years ago, the rest 15 years later. It didn't make sense to keep operating the 150-room Days Inn on such valuable real estate, Kanji said. The hotel closed this month, and Tampa firefighters are using it for training exercises until it is demolished.

[Last modified April 27, 2005, 00:47:14]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/04/27/Business/Hotel__condo_towers_t.shtml

It is typical of the stupidity of the developers around here to want to "redevelop" occupied, useful buildings instead of filling in the empty spaces all over downtown - I would not be surprised if they tore these buildings down - especailly because there are offices, restaruants and a drug store in them - we need to get rid of those for sure.

3 Downtown Buildings Purchased
By MICHAEL SASSO msasso@tampatrib.com
Published: Apr 28, 2005




TAMPA - Three downtown buildings, which are in an area being redeveloped with new condominium projects, have been bought by a Largo-based company for almost $5 million.
It's unclear what the new owner, Westwind Development V LLC, will do with the buildings, at 200 and 220 E. Madison St. and 510 N. Franklin St. The Franklin Street building is around the corner from the Madison Street buildings.

Jeffrey A. Chadwick, who has a business address in Largo, is listed as the manager of Westwind Development V. Chadwick did not return two calls from the Tribune this week.

However, with a number of new condominium projects slated for downtown, including one just blocks away, nearby business owners say they are concerned that yet more condo projects may be on the horizon.

``I hope they don't pull the whole corner down and have another big condominium planned,'' said Ellen Brown, co-owner of Old Tampa Book Company, at 507 N. Tampa St.

Mark Huey, the city's economic development administrator, said Wednesday he was not aware the buildings had been bought.

However, he said he wouldn't be surprised if the new buyer or a future buyer proposes a condo project there. Several condo projects are slated nearby, including the Residences at Franklin Street, a seven-story project, and Skypoint, a 32-story building.

In the past, Outback Steakhouse Inc. co-founder Bob Basham has been a partner of Chadwick in other business entities using the Westwind Development name, Florida corporation records show.

Basham did not respond to an inquiry from the Tribune this week, and it was unclear from public records whether he is involved in the recent deal for the three buildings.

According to Hillsborough County Circuit Court records, Westwind Development V bought the three properties earlier this month for $4.8 million. The largest of the properties, the 220 E. Madison St. building, is 12 stories high and houses a CVS drugstore and various law and other professional offices.

The other buildings are two- to-three stories high and house small shops and restaurants, including the Au Rendez-Vous Restaurant.

Three years ago, a company named Chesapeake Atlantic Holdings, which owned three city blocks downtown, announced that it planned to raze at least one of the buildings involved the recent sale - the 220 E. Madison St. property - and replace it with a $60 million tower across from Lykes Gaslight Park.

However, the project never materialized and the buildings at 200 and 220 E. Madison St. and 510 N. Franklin St. were foreclosed on in recent months by Intervest Bank.

David LeGault, an executive of a real estate services firm, was appointed receiver over the three buildings during the foreclosure case. LeGault said he does not know what will happen to the buildings now that they have been bought.


Reporter Michael Sasso can be reached at (813) 259-7865.

http://www.tampatrib.com/MGBEZK8C28E.html

^Same sentiment here.

Hopefully, the city will pressure the developer to keep a similar retail mix if they do redevelop the property. That's one of the few areas in the DT core where there is some useful "nieghborhood" type retail, and it would be insane to knock it down when trying to build a nieghborhood.

Does anyone have any pics of the three buildings purchased?

I have several, but I can't upload anything right now. Jan's working on the server.

I was hoping this article would go a different direction, but I guess it's business as usual for Con Agra.

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/05/02/story4.html

ConAgra building on track to be last one standing among condos
Carl Cronan
Senior Staff Writer
TAMPA -- A large supplier of flour to Tampa Bay area bakeries is content to let encroaching condo projects rise up around it.

ConAgra Foods Inc. is one of the last holdouts within the Channel District's ongoing redevelopment and could eventually be surrounded by high-end condominium homes.

ConAgra, which operates in a 67-year-old industrial building along South Nebraska Avenue just north of the St. Pete Times Forum, still mills the key ingredient to the loaves commonly found in local supermarkets, and isn't all that concerned about scoring some bread of its own.

Despite years of pressure by city officials and real estate developers to sell the prized 3-acre site, it's business as usual at the 40-employee operation.

"There have been redevelopment ideas floated in the past involving our property, but at this time we're not in discussions with anyone about that," said Bob McKeon Jr., a spokesman at ConAgra's headquarters in Omaha, Neb.

The answer is still "no"
Tampa leaders had approached ConAgra regarding relocation in past years as the Channel District has converted from largely industrial and warehouse use to retail and entertainment. They had also talked with CSX about moving rail lines that serve the plant yet cut off access to parts of the area, making traffic and access difficult for motorists.

As is the case now, ConAgra's answer has always been no.

"We are very profitable, this is a growing area, and the population center here will continue to grow," Bart Hahlweg, plant manager in 1997, told the Tampa Bay Business Journal then. "We want very much to stay a part of the Florida business cycle."

The cost of convincing ConAgra to move has risen almost as quickly as yeast in recent years, with the taxable value of the Tampa mill now listed at nearly $1.8 million in Hillsborough County property records. Based on recent prices paid for downtown Tampa land, the site could go for as much as $17 million, according to real estate brokers' estimates.

Whoever eventually bids for the ConAgra property would have to pony up several million dollars more for the company's moving costs or even for building a new mill at another site, also an expensive proposition given increasing costs for construction materials.

ConAgra (NYSE: CAG) declined to say what it would cost to replace its mill but in 1997, it told the Business Journal the price tag would be somewhere between $25 million and $40 million.

"This is not an asset we are just going to walk away from," said Hahlweg.

Commercial real estate observers say no decision would be the best decision for ConAgra, the only remaining active industrial plant in downtown Tampa.

"ConAgra is sitting in a very good position as to everything going on around them," said Brian Rettig, VP with CB Richard Ellis Inc. who specializes in industrial properties. The company might be motivated to move later on, depending on the success of surrounding condo projects, Rettig said.

Economic development leaders suggest ConAgra's flour mill might be better suited in a location more accessible to the bakeries it serves, namely Butterkrust Bakery in Lakeland, the Bay area's largest commercial bread maker.

Butterkrust recently completed a $17-million expansion for increased production of buns and rolls. The 40,000-square-foot addition to its current 200,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in early May.

McKeon said the ConAgra mill supplies flour to numerous Bay area bakeries but declined to disclose any of its current customers for proprietary reasons.

The ConAgra plant was built in 1938 by then-owner Dixie Lilly and is recognized as the largest flour mill in Florida. It produces 1.4 million pounds of flour each day, McKeon said.

The area surrounding the plant has been cleaned up over the years through redevelopment, including demolition of dilapidated warehouses. Amid those changes, ConAgra appears to have no problems operating within its current confines.

ccronan@bizjournals.com | 813.342.2468

Once again, lack of planning . . if they had used eminenet domain ten years ago - this problem would have been sovled relatively cheaply.

The cost of convincing ConAgra to move has risen almost as quickly as yeast in recent years, with the taxable value of the Tampa mill now listed at nearly $1.8 million in Hillsborough County property records. Based on recent prices paid for downtown Tampa land, the site could go for as much as $17 million, according to real estate brokers' estimates.

This is part of the problem right there... Only paying taxes on an assessment of $1.8m, when the property is worth nearly ten times that.

I think the mill adds to the diversity and big city feel of the area. For now, just build around them, there's plenty of land left in the downtown area for redevelopment. When the time comes they'll eventually move on.

Anyone heard anything on Denholtz Residential Towers? It is #6 on the Downtown potential development.

thanks

Zilch.

Thanks for the response. What is the latest and greatest coming up? I am in line for skypointe but so are 4500 other people. (May 6th is the drawing) Visited Seaboard square this past weekend, but may be too far down in line, and by the time they call, prices may be too high. Any thoughts on upcoming projects??

DT Channelside, whenever they get that going, will be swarmed for sure. The triplet tower project across the street from the Forum should also be interesting, as will the project slated to get built on the Kress block of Franklin St.

Any info on Plaza at Channelside, developer, timeline,...? Can't find anything about this project other than the location and 30 store building.

I just moved to Tampa a month ago, and I'm very excited about the growth the area is experiencing. I have heard about Trump Tower and I'm ready to see it started. I work in 400 North Ashley Plaza and have a view of the area where it will be built. I can also see cleared land across from Univ. of Tampa where the new dorms are to be built. I have enjoyed reading this forum for the past couple of weeks and figured I may as well go ahead and post.

^hey, welcome to the forum... Sounds like you've got a decent view. You should take some pics and post them some time.

My office overlooks Kennedy so I can see the Convention Center and the future site of Trump Tower Tampa. I have a great view of the river and the bay. We've seen dolphins and a manatee in the past few weeks going by in the river. (That's a big deal to someone who just moved here from NC.) I love Tampa, and I can't wait to watch it grow. My only complaint is that there aren't more people my age here. I came from Raleigh NC, and with an abundance of colleges it seemed like many people were my age. Oh well, I can live.

You came to Tampa at Boom time Michael. Welcome to the area.

Welcome to Tampa Michael. I just moved back from the Triangle myself. I am not sure why TTT, Towers at Channelside, or o2 have not broken ground yet.

My guess is that the sales people are not entirely honest with what they have actually sold. From watching this market for a while (Not nearly as long as some of these other guys) I have noticed a trend. First they start with some outrageous claim like the property is 80% sold before they have even opened their sales office. Then it takes some time for reality to catch up with their sales pitch. I think they are ALWAYS 1 month away from breaking ground but thats a sales pitch too. No one wants to hear, "We will start construction when we sell our units.. and that will be whenever that will be!"

This market is definately hot. But in my opinion, there is a bit of B.S. and hype associated with it.

Nevertheless, all the proposals are exciting. I'm with you and wish one of these big condos would break ground already and not just push dirt around the lot.

TTT had to do the archeology thing. T@C, I read, only recently obtained financing and, reportedly will begin soon. And O2 is right on schedule, by most accounts.

While it would be nice to be navigating a forest of cranes already - a month of two here or there makes no difference to me. I've waited decades, I can wait a little longer.

Well I don't think the archeological thing is holding up TTT. It's more of an environmental issue. That land around the river is basically all fill, and contaminated ground water is leaching into the river not necessarily from that site but they are the ones who have to deal with it.

We've noticed some type of white chemical that is in the river on some days. Someone in my office called the EPA about it and they are investigating it. They say they don't believe it is anything harmful though.

Does any one think TTT will be one of the projects offered to the winner of the apprentice.

No.

Why would anyone on the Apprentice want to spend their time in Tampa on this building? Great building but if you had to choose Chicago, Miami, LA, NYC, Las Vegas, or Tampa where would you go? I would choose a big city over our "province town" as I'm sure Trump knows the contestans would do too.

There appears to be a bulldozer out at the site today. I haven't seen it moved but its parked there. I wonder if the groundbreaking is coming soon. Is the parking lot going to be torn up? It seems like they'd be starting on that. There are still cars parked out there today.

I hate to put an end to this extrememly interesting series of thoughts, but the last Apprentice winner, Kelly or whatever his name is, (who grew up in Sarasota) was assigned the Tampa building - I have no idea what he is doing for it but that was his gig.

Oh, and another thing, I talked to someone down there and he said that they had set the groundbreaking but they had not announced the date yet (and I have no idea when it is) - so they may be getting ready to do some site work.

It looks like they are getting ready to do some work down there. The parking lot that was there has now been ripped up. I saw a few people out there earlier today walking around the site.

Thanks for all the reports guys.

4 Hotels Planned South Of Airport

By RANDY DIAMOND rdiamond@tampatrib.com
Published: May 14, 2005


TAMPA - A hotel development corporation proposes a 19-acre complex south of Tampa International Airport that includes up to four hotels with a total of more than 500 rooms, an 11-story office building, four free-standing restaurants and retail shops.
The proposal is in plans filed this month with the city by the McKibbon Hotel Group, which has one of its headquarters in Tampa.

McKibbon owns or manages more than 40 hotels in the Southeast, including seven Marriott properties in Tampa.

Company representatives did not return phone calls, but plans show the project would have 1.2 million square feet and be built on the south side of Spruce Street, bordered by O'Brien and Laurel streets in the West Shore area. Plans did not state the cost.

The biggest of the four hotels would be seven stories and contain 160 rooms.

The Tampa area has been experiencing a hotel boom. An Embassy Suites hotel is under construction downtown, and six other hotels are planned for the area. A Westin Hotel is replacing the Days Inn on Courtney Campbell Parkway.

McKibbon specializes in building limited-service hotels that cater to business travelers. Generally, such hotels are among the most profitable in the hotel industry because they charge moderately high rates but manage low overhead by offering limited restaurant service.

The planned development is on the former site of Alamo Rental Car and airport parking. The project requires city approval. A hearing is scheduled for July 21 at city hall.

Where is the Embassy Suites in downtown? How many stories will it be? All this growth has to be a good thing.

The Embassy Suites dt is directly across the street from the TCC...It's also across the street from the Marriott. It shares the same block as the trolley terminus. Renderings and stats can be found in the initial post of this thread in the development list.

A lot of fluff in this TB Biz Journal article about the disappearing watering holes in South Tampa. However, I did find the bit about Post Properties buying the Whiskey Park building on South Howard interesting. There's speculation that they'd put up "vertical housing" with retail / restaurants in the ground floor.

Maybe some announcements are forthcoming...

http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/05/16/story2.html

^That site would definitely be a nice place for a 4-6 story mixed-use project. And if a buyer spends a whopping $12 million for 4 acres, you can bet your bottom dollar that the parcel will be developed to its absolute maximum tolerable use.

Tampa simply cannot be all single family homes and townhouses if residents ever expect to be able to afford to live here on the salaries available in this market.

Agreed. I'm sure Post will do it up right.

Can anyone tell me what type of business is located at the industrial site on the block in between Whiskey Park and the old Macs / Tuscan Oven on South Howard? It seems so out-of-place amidst Starbucks, restaurants and planned brownstones.

I don't remember the exact business but I think it is a holdover - white building with a bunch of trucks/equipment parked in the "back" - which actually faces Howard. It is inevitable that it would be removed.

Central Park draws big names
Some nationally and locally recognized developers have applied to rebuild the rundown neighborhood.
By JANET ZINK, Times Staff Writer
Published May 18, 2005

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


TAMPA - Henry Cisneros, Kiran Patel, Bill Bishop and Don Wallace.

Those are some of the nationally and locally recognized names that appear on applications from developers who hope to get the job of rebuilding the Tampa Housing Authority's rundown Central Park Village.

Cisneros served as secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Bill Clinton. In 2000, Cisneros created American City Vista, a real estate firm that specializes in large-scale urban redevelopment. American City Vista is listed as the primary partner of Chicago's Kimball Hill Urban Centers, one of the six contenders in the Central Park bid.

Kimball Hill also is partnering with New Vision for Tampa, a local company established to work on the Central Park project.

New Vision's chief executive is Fassil Gabremariam, a former GTE executive who served as a commissioner for the Tampa Port Authority.

Kimball Hill is redeveloping a portion of Cabrini Green, an infamously failed public housing project in Chicago.

The team led by Bishop and Wallace, called A Better Place Group, played up its historical connection to Central Park in an application.

Bishop and Wallace were key players in Civitas, the for-profit developer that in 2003 made a failed attempt to build a 157-acre master planned community in place of the complex.

The team is "not starting from scratch in thinking about how to approach this," the application states.

It emphasizes that the organization's principals own land around Central Park and are contract purchasers on the 20-acre Tampa Park Apartments east of Central Park, stating, "This allows us to bring a great deal to the table in terms of being able to execute a larger vision."

The Bank of America Community Development Corporation is partnering with A Better Place.

Creative Choice Homes, based in Palm Beach Gardens, lists Patel as its finance partner. Patel gave $5-million to the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center's new arts school in 2002.

Creative Choice has built public housing complexes throughout Florida, including St. Petersburg. The company is partnering with Reliable Group architects, which provided design services for the Tampa Housing Authority's 2004 HOPE VI grant application.

The Housing Authority didn't get the grant, but the design work done by Reliable received the highest marks possible from HUD.

Other applicants include Flaherty and Collins, which redeveloped public housing in Muncie, Ind., and Michaels Development, the New Jersey company that is building Belmont Heights Estates in place of Tampa's College Hill project.

The final competitor is McCormack Baron Salazar, who in 1996 piloted HUD's first mixed-income public housing complex in St. Louis, Mo.

The Housing Authority has required that proposals include homes that will appeal to a mix of income levels, including public housing users.

The 28-acre Central Park is strategically located between Ybor City and the north end of downtown Tampa, which is in the midst of a residential and commercial redevelopment boom.

City leaders want to see Central Park redeveloped to blend into the surrounding neighborhood.

A committee made up of representatives from the city, county and Housing Authority will decide next week which of the applicants will be asked to prepare a detailed proposal for the property.

[Last modified May 18, 2005, 00:49:11]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/18/Hillsborough/Central_Park_draws_bi.shtml

LATEST NEWS
April 21, 2005
Batson-Cook to build The Towers of Channelside
Ken Salgat

Batson-Cook Construction has been selected to build the Towers of Channelside.

The $85-million condominium complex at 1103 Cumberland Ave., Tampa, will house 257 units in two 30-story towers when completed in 22 to 24 months. Units are priced from $275,000 to $755,000, with the penthouses going for more than $1.5 million.

The project began construction in January with the demolition of existing structures on the property. Mike McGuinness, one of the principals of the Towers of Channelside LLC, said a foundation permit request has been filed with the city and he expects approval within the next two weeks.

Batson-Cook Construction is based West Point, Ga.


© 2005 American City Business Journals Inc.
http://tampabay.bizjournals.com/tampabay/stories/2005/04/18/daily60.html

Does anybody know anything about the status of the Christiansted condos planned for Bayshore Blvd. near the Davis Island bridge? I saw some posts a while back but nothing recently...

I drove by the Christiansted site recently, and they've definitely started on these. There was a lot of Earth being moved around by some big equipment.

Btw, the Embassy Suites is finally getting moving, as they are about 1/2 done with the 4th floor now. The garage is also progressing quickly now. The GC has two crews out there, basically as if it was two side-by-side projects, each with thier own staging and crane. (the city was gracious enough to allow two lanes of Fla Ave to be closed to allow this a few weeks ago)

Anybody know the latest on the proposed pedestrian bridge from the Embassy Suites to the convention center? Last I heard the hotel was trying to get a variance or something to build it...

Was just downtown and Trump tower looks liek they are getting ready to go with little wooden stakes marking out all sort of things on the lot.

Jason, show we start putting progress reports on Trump Tower in teh TTT thread?

They are ready to go. They even have an outhouse. I'll enjoy my view over the next couple of years as they build this thing.

Random - don't forget to take a camera to work one fo these days just to humor and humble fellow message board posters ;)

City Council to reconsider Bayshore condo proposal
By JANET ZINK and ANNE ARSENAULT
Published May 20, 2005

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

HYDE PARK NORTH - The City Council on Thursday is scheduled to reconsider a controversial proposal to build a condominium tower on Bayshore Boulevard at the Davis Islands bridge.

The hearing is set for 6 p.m. at City Hall, 315 E Kennedy Blvd.

The issue was set to go to the council March 10, but the developer asked to postpone the public hearing because only five of seven council members were present. The developer's attorney, Truett Gardner, said they wanted the full council at the meeting because approval requires four votes.

Crescent Resources of North Carolina wants to rezone 1.8 acres at 319 Bayshore Blvd., now home to a 72-unit apartment complex.

In January, the council shot down a plan by Crescent to build a 20-story, 168-unit building that bridged a narrow street that divides the property. After neighbors objected to increasing traffic in the area, the council directed the developer to come back with a downsized plan.

The company now has a new proposal, which calls for 149 units in two buildings - one with eight stories and another with 24.
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/20/Citytimes/City_Council_to_recon.shtml

I put this here because it is more a question of development than actual transportation - it is basically neighborhood city scaping - but a good idea - and they did not tear down the state office building like some had oddly proposed.

City ready to begin extension of street
Reconnecting N Franklin Street will link the north part of downtown to Tampa Heights.
By SAUNDRA AMRHEIN, Times Staff Writer
Published May 20, 2005

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


Tampa Heights could soon open to more residential and commercial development after the city reconnects N Franklin Street.

Work on the Franklin extension was set to begin this week after a kickoff ceremony Wednesday with Mayor Pam Iorio and business and community leaders.

The city expects that the nearly $1-million project will take about five months. Once completed, the extension will link the north part of downtown to Tampa Heights.

The extension will jog around the Park Trammell building, known as the State of Florida office building, opening two blocks of Franklin from Fortune to Scott streets. The project also will remove concrete barriers blocking the intersection of Royal Street and Franklin.

Franklin once ran uninterrupted like Florida and Nebraska avenues until it was divided in the 1970s to make room for the office building, city and community leaders say.

Reopening Franklin is expected to benefit projects planned for the area, including the former Arlington Hotel at Franklin and Fortune.

"(The extension) means a lot to our building," said Stephanie Ferrell, who is rehabilitating the Arlington for residential and office use.

Ferrell says her group lobbied the city for three years for the extension, which she hopes will bring more traffic to local businesses. She also envisions a neighborhood block that's friendly to pedestrians.

"I think (the extension) will provide a more residential-friendly area, and it will be easier for residents to get to places without getting on Florida Avenue or Tampa Street."

Several weeks ago, the city finally got state approval to go around the office building with the road extension, said Steve Daignault, the city's administrator of public works and utility services.

"When you have this disconnection, you lose the continuity of the commercial tie with downtown, so it feels separate," he said. "And I think there are a lot of people who would like to be connected with downtown."

[Last modified May 19, 2005, 08:41:13]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/20/Citytimes/City_ready_to_begin_e.shtml

I wonder if we'll ever see high rises built on the north side there. particularly in that 8 or 10 block commercial corridor there.

It would be very cool to be taking 275, with high rises on both sides, instead of high rises just to the south.

I woulda put that in the Franklin St thread.

I wonder if we'll ever see high rises built on the north side there. particularly in that 8 or 10 block commercial corridor there.

It would be very cool to be taking 275, with high rises on both sides, instead of high rises just to the south.


I think there will eventually be a few in the 10-25 floor range... And thankfully, there is already that one residential tower and the upcoming BofA riverfront project, to help set the precedent.

damn...sorry for the multi posts...


Did anyone hear if Crescent's Bayshore plan (for the 8 and 24 story towers) was heard and got approved at last night's council hearing?

I hope it did, so that the developer can get on with it.

On Tamapsdowntown.com under the office section it talks about a planned office tower called Hillsborough River Tower. Does anybody have any news on this? I haven't heard anything about it since I've moved here.

Random - that is a long dormant tower that was supposed to be built in the late 1990's....

The Tampa Office market is dry because of all the Suburban office parks that have opened up... So we lack the strong central business district. The Hillsborough River Tower was supposed to go up next door to the "Media Center" -- the WFLA / Tampa Tribune building on the Hillborough River. Media General was attached to the project in some way at one point in time.

The project remains on most "proposed" lists and / or sites, but seeing the HRT lacks one key tennant to start things off, there is no movement to have the building errected.

It seems like companies would want to be located in downtown. I figured something must have happened with this project because I'm sure I would have heard about it if it were really going to happen. With all of this residential development downtown, I'm hoping more offices will want to locate in the area. Maybe they will, maybe they won't. Who knows!

Well, it comes down to costs in some way Random and they are getting sweetheart deals from office parks located outside the central business districts... Maybe tax breaks to go along with low costs for floorspace.

I'm someoen who wants a strong central downtown and instead you have something like five, six or seven little-shit business districts throught the bay area that helps add to the regional sprawl. Westshore, Downtown Tampa, Gateway, Racetrack Road (new business developements up that way), St.Petersburg, Downtown Clearwater, etc.....

Everyone wants in on the action and doesn't think there shoudl be one center to benefit everyone. Thus is the life in Tampa / St. Petersburg... AKA Tampa Bay

To keep our cities the center of activity, we need some kind of law that should limit office space in the suburbs. Pretty soon with all of the new sprawl and cheap land prices, companies will find it to be more economical to set up shop outside the cities.

^it's called zoning... You can thank moron planners and ignorant and/or corrupt lawmakers of years past for the mess we have today.

Builders Chosen To Vie For Central Park Vision
By SEAN LENGELL slengell@tampatrib.com
Published: May 25, 2005




TAMPA - Longtime Central Park Village resident Elizabeth Lee has seen plenty of plans to redevelop the aging public housing complex fizzle.
Organizers of Tampa's bid to land the 2012 Summer Olympic Games eyed the development's 28 acres north of downtown along Nebraska Avenue. So, too, did the Civitas development group.

When neither came to fruition, the Tampa Housing Authority came up with its own $56 million plan to redevelop the complex. Those plans were scrapped late last year when Mayor Pam Iorio asked that the city and county become involved.

So residents naturally have become skeptical when housing officials speak of grand plans surrounding the 484- unit complex.

``It's just words - residents aren't waiting'' for something to happen, Lee said.

But on Tuesday the housing authority rekindled its effort to redevelop Central Park by inviting three private developers to submit detailed plans to raze the 50-year-old apartment complex and rebuild it.

This time, housing officials say, they have a strategy for success.

A committee initiated by Iorio chose the developers from a list of six candidates who had expressed interest in the project.

The finalists include a pair of developers with national experience and a team of high profile local investors associated with the Civitas project.

What becomes of Central Park won't be known for months. The developers' proposals are due July 27. Housing authority commissioners aren't expected to declare a winner until at least August.

The housing agency has asked that each proposal to include plans for replacing Central Park's rows of imposing barrack-style concrete buildings with architecturally pleasing housing of varying styles.

The new complex also is expected to feature space for residents of varying income levels - a further departure from traditional public housing.


The Finalists

Michaels Development Company of Marlton, N.J., which received the committee's highest ranking, is familiar with Tampa. The company is redeveloping the former College Hill complex and adjacent Ponce DeLeon apartments in east Tampa for the housing authority.

The first units of the new development, called Belmont Heights Estates, opened about two years ago. The final apartments are under construction.

The 860-unit complex, like the Central Park proposal, has residents of varying income levels by offering subsidized apartments, market-rate town houses and owner-occupied houses.

Michaels Development is one of the nation's largest private sector developers of affordable housing, with developments in almost 20 states, Washington, D.C., and the Virgin Islands.

Creative Choice Homes of Palm Beach Gardens, ranked second, is backed by local philanthropist Kiran Patel.

Patel and his wife, Pallavi, have donated millions of dollars locally, including a recent $18.5 million gift to establish the Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions at the University of South Florida.

The Patels also gave the Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center $5 million in 2002 for the Dr. Pallavi Patel Performing Arts Conservatory.

The committee's third- ranked company is a venture between Bank of America and a local entity called A Better Place Group.

A Better Place partners include developer Bill Bishop, involved in planning such landmark communities as Westchase in northwest Hillsborough and FishHawk Ranch near Lithia, and Don Wallace, founder and chief executive officer of Lazy Days RV Center.

This isn't Wallace and Bishop's first crack at rebuilding Central Park. The two were volved with the Civitas project, which proposed to redevelop a large swath of land between downtown and Ybor City, including Central Park.

The proposal died last year after the county commission balked at the project's details.

Central Park residents have mixed opinions regarding what should be done.

``I think they should tear it down quick, fast and in a hurry,'' said Elaine Forbes, 24, who lives there with her 4- year-old daughter.

Forbes said she does not know where she would go if forced to move. She has heard rumors that residents may be offered federal ``Section 8'' vouchers to find housing elsewhere, but is skeptical.

She added that many older residents are frightened about having to relocate.

``If we had somewhere to go, we wouldn't be here in the first place,'' Forbes said.

But Lee, 45, who lived at Central Park as a child and returned eight years ago, said the complex should be renovated, not bulldozed.

``The only major problem is the plumbing,'' she said. ``This is almost the safest place you can be for a hurricane.''

Generations of families live at Central Park, she said, and would be torn apart if forced to move. ``It's like a small town,'' she said.


Problems Cited

Still, Lee is considering a move. Conditions at Central Park have worsened in recent years, and police and housing officials increasingly are uncooperative with residents, she complained.

Lee's mother, Nancy Williams, 66, who moved to Central Park in 1967, said she doesn't care what happens to the complex.

``I don't have a problem with what they want to do,'' she said. ``I just want to live somewhere in peace.''

Clarence Jones, 16, who moved to Central Park in 1996, said the complex should remain standing.

Jones said housing officials often overlook Central Park in favor of other public housing apartments such as North Boulevard Homes, which recently was repainted.


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

http://www.tampatrib.com/MGBYBZ6159E.html

Citivest Buys Prime Bayshore Real Estate

One of the last pieces of undeveloped land along Bayshore Boulevard has been snapped up by a construction company.

Tampa Tribune
Published: May 26, 2005
by Shannon Behnken

Citivest Construction Corp. purchased the property Friday from Nale Developments. It paid $3.8 million for the land, at the southwest corner of Bayshore and Bay-to-Bay Boulevard. The site is now a parking lot.

Citivest has been trying for two years to build a 31-story condominium nearby at Bayshore and DeSoto Avenue but has met opposition from residents and the city's Architectural Review Commission.

Citivest officials could not be reached for comment.

Ron Weaver, the seller's land-use attorney, said he does not know what is planned for the property.

Thank goodness this super Wal-Mart won't get built. I hope the developer of the land can move quickly and bring a nice mixed use urban development with the combined style of Ybor and Channelside. Hopefully our city and county leaders won't get in the way of a real opportunity to change an aging industrial area.

Wal-Mart Loses Bid War For Site Near Ybor City

By SHANNON BEHNKEN sbehnken@tampatrib.com
Published: May 26, 2005

TAMPA - Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer and a company not used to being on the losing end of a deal, has been trumped by a little- known California company in an intense bidding war for prime property near Ybor City.
Wednesday morning, Wal- Mart said it was in negotiations for the 30-acre site where it intended to build a Supercenter.

But by late afternoon, an executive with Panattoni Development LLC of Sacramento said his company had signed a contract to purchase the International Center at the southeast corner of Adamo Drive and 22nd Street. Financial terms were not disclosed.

``I know Wal-Mart is hot on the property,'' said Moses Salcido, Panattoni's senior development manager. ``But it has more potential than just putting a Wal-Mart store there.''

The company says it's looking into several development options for the land.

Wal-Mart officials said they were shocked at the sudden collapse of their plans.

``Wow,'' said Wal-Mart Spokesman Eric Brewer, who paused to collect his thoughts. ``If they have a contract, they have a contract. We certainly feel Tampa is an underserved market, and we'll keep evaluating where we can go in the area.''

Some in the real estate field were surprised that Wal-Mart, given its active negotiating, didn't succeed.

``How did they let it get out of control?'' asked Bill Eshenbaugh, president of Eshenbaugh Land Co., a well-known Tampa real estate broker.


Location A Big Allure


The scuffle over the site suggests how desirable the property has become. Several large retailers and developers covet its proximity to high-income shoppers from Hyde Park and the ongoing residential development of the Channel District and downtown. Brandon commuters pass it on their way to work downtown, and nearby improvements to Interstate 4 will only bring more traffic.

Panattoni's proposal includes a mix of light industry, retail and residential. The company expects to close on the property in late June, Salcido said, noting that it will take up to three years to change zoning. Tampa International Center, a 565,000-square-foot industrial building, occupies the site and will continue to be leased until it is eventually demolished, he said. The Tampa Tribune, which leases space for its packaging, distribution and preprint operations, is one of its largest tenants.

Marketing a piece of the property to a big-box company is not out of the question, Salcido said, but a chain the size of Wal-Mart, which typically requires at least 22 acres for a Supercenter, would take up too much of the prime real estate.

Selling the entire parcel to Wal-Mart is unlikely, Salcido said, because the company ``couldn't afford our premium.''

The property is owned by America's Capital Partners, a Miami-based investment group. It is the same company that recently bought 400 North Ashley Plaza, the downtown Tampa office tower known for its cylindrical shape. Company officials didn't return phone calls seeking comment.

Panattoni Development has offices in California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Nevada, New Jersey, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas, and Washington. It is currently developing its only Florida property - Panattoni Business Park, a 230,000-square-foot business park in Pompano Beach. The company has $500 million in sales.

Wal-Mart had $288 billion in sales last year and operates 20 stores in the Tampa area, according to its Web site.

Salcido, who is new to Panattoni but worked for another development company for three years in Tampa, said he is pursuing five other Tampa Bay properties.

The Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart chain had been negotiating for the property since February. When news of its interest hit the streets, however, other companies took note and several offered their own bids.


A `Natural' For Big Boxes


Vince Pardo, president of the Ybor City Development Corp., said Publix and some other grocery store chains inquired about the property. Real estate sources close to the deal say a half-dozen ``big box'' companies also were clamoring for the property.

``I've seen it over the years as one of the most attractive sites in Florida,'' said Ron Weaver, a Tampa land-use attorney. ``It's a natural location for a big box. I've worked on it two or three different times over the past 25 years. Everything around it has gotten better and better over the years.''

According to the most recent census data available, there are 17,081 people who live nearby. The median family income for the 33605 ZIP code is $25,482. A retailer's potential market would be much larger, though, because thousands of motorists pass through the Adamo corridor during their daily commute to and from Brandon. Also, numerous residential projects are planned within a few miles of the site.

Although the area along Adamo Drive is industrial and has no residences, condominiums are slated for three industrial properties there. More than 30 condominium developments are either under construction or planned for Channelside and downtown.

In Ybor City alone, there are more than a dozen residential complexes under construction or proposed, including an existing 454-unit apartment complex that is being sold as condominiums.

The 30-acre property is currently zoned for industrial use and needs approval from the Tampa City Council to change the zoning.

No mater what kind of development takes over the property, traffic would likely be affected. Because the site connects to a state roadway (State Road 60 is Adamo Drive), new owners would have to conduct a traffic impact study and pay for any improvements the department needs to make to Adamo Drive. For example, the median may need to be widened and traffic signals added.

Pardo, the president of the Ybor City Development Corp, had been behind Wal-Mart's plans for a Supercenter but said he's hopeful Panattoni's development would fit in with the neighborhood.

``The need for the community is still for a large grocery store,'' Pardo said. ``I'm just hoping that they have plans for something of that nature. The foot print for that kind of development is really scarce for the area.''

``It sounds like [Panattoni's] plans aren't set in stone. We would be happy to work with them to help them make a grocery store part of their project.''


Reporter Shannon Behnken can be reached at (813) 259-7804.

Source: http://news.tbo.com/news/MGB0T9OE69E.html

LOL -- Eric Brewer has got to be as great a spin doctor as Ari Feischer...

"We feel Tampa is underserved as a market"

How many Wal-Marts are there in the Bay area? How many are Wal Mart attempting to build at current but facing legal challenges? Give me a friggin' break...

LOL -- Eric Brewer has got to be as great a spin doctor as Ari Feischer...

"We feel Tampa is underserved as a market"

How many Wal-Marts are there in the Bay area? How many are Wal Mart attempting to build at current but facing legal challenges? Give me a friggin' break...

They could close every Wal-Mart in town and I wouldn't care. I've actually never stepped foot inside a Wal-Mart in all my life. I don't think I've missed much.

^Wal-Mart has like 39 locations in this metro.

Oh, and I want to give this Salcido guy a hug. Pretty much anything his company builds HAS to be better than a Wal-Mart. Yaaaayyyy!!!!!!!!!

IT would have been nice is someone had let us know this last month:
THE PLAZA HARBOUR ISLAND CELEBRATES
RECORD SALES AT GROUNDBREAKING



Tampa, Fla. (April 14, 2005) – Future residents, realtors, city officials and officers of developer Patrinely Group gathered the evening of April 13th for a sumptuous, private groundbreaking party celebrating record sales at the 20-story high-rise condominium tower, The Plaza Harbour Island. More than 80 percent of the 118 tower residences in the first phase of what Patrinely Group Managing Partner C. Dean Patrinely said would eventually be a three phase, 600,000-square-foot urban lifestyle village, are sold. These residences range from the 1,350-square-foot one–bedroom model to the eight 4,300-square-foot penthouses called sky residences, and are priced from the $400,000’s to more than $3 million. He said that the first phase, which is expected to be ready for occupancy in Spring 2007, will also include seven town homes at street level and 17 Mediterranean-style villas or casitas on the Palm Court pool deck level.

“Interest and enthusiasm in this unique project has continued to steadily grow ever since our initial announcement last July,” said Patrinely. “We are pleased that so many people have realized that this project truly stands alone here in Tampa. The Plaza represents the feel and texture of the most sophisticated condominium buildings in Miami, Naples and Southern California, and combines true urban living with a resort-style environment.” Patrinely said that he did not see anything comparable on the horizon, and that based on the velocity of sales, he expected to be announcing plans for the second phase soon. He added that even with the strong sales to date, “an outstanding selection of virtually all model types still remains.”

Mayor Pam Iorio was on hand to offer congratulations, and said The Plaza is exactly “how people want to live.” She said the 80 percent sales figure spoke to both the quality of the project and Tampa’s move toward true urban living.

When complete, The Plaza will include about 300 luxury residences as well as retail spaces, and feature services and amenities such as valet parking, a full-time concierge, and the Palm Court surrounding a pool and spa, with spa treatment rooms and sauna inside along with a fitness center, meeting and social rooms, and resident business center.

Florida native Patrinely assembled a world-class team to create the elegant “Palm Beach” Mediterranean-style architecture and sophisticated design features found in ocean front South Florida luxury high-rise residences. Interior architect Howard Design Group, Inc., architect Nichols Brosch Sandoval & Associates, Inc., general contractor GC Hardin Construction Company and Tampa partner Carl Lindell make up The Plaza Harbour Island team. Local brokers The Toni Everett Company and Smith & Associates are working with Patrinely Group’s seven-person sales team. For more information, including site plans and views, visit http://www.plazaharbourisland.com or call the Sales Office at 813-229-6200.

Over the last 20 years, the Patrinely Group has specialized in creating world-class corporate headquarters with state-of-the-art systems and technologies. The company has successfully developed more than $2 billion in mid and high-rise properties throughout the nation, and is currently active in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, New Jersey, Texas and Virginia. Several years ago, the firm began transferring that national expertise and reputation for high-rise excellence to the luxury residential market.

http://www.plazaharbourisland.com/updates/05_05_groudbreaking/index.html

^Hmm, nice sales pitch... I wonder how much of the pruported sales figures are true?

I did drive by this weekend, and the site looked basically the same...some contractor trailers sitting where the 2nd tower will be, and the land cleared and fenced for the first phase.

Looking to put deposit down but seems to be in waiting pattern for most of these projects. Am I correct, anything avail now?

Depends on what you're looking for and what you're willing to spend. I'm sure there are resales available for Victory Lofts, One Bayshore and Art Center Lofts (all of which are less than six months old). The Meridian will be finished in a few months, and I know there are units available there.

In Ybor - the Quarter and 5th Ave Villas should be available now or very soon.

Its probably best to buy something now, before sellout with the real estate market we have in our area. Prices for a finished building will skyrocket once completed.

Council grants rezoning for hotel, garage near pub
By SHERRI DAY, JANET ZINK
Published May 27, 2005

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

HYDE PARK NORTH - The City Council approved on May 19 a rezoning request to allow a hotel and parking garage at Platt Street and Plant Avenue.

Colin Breen owns the property, located two doors from Breen's thatched roof Irish pub, Four Green Fields, 205 W Platt St. The hotel may have an Irish theme, Breen said.

The parking garage will be robotic, the first of its kind in the Tampa area.

Breen originally planned to build a conventional parking garage. But while researching robotic garages on the Internet, he discovered one of the world's leading manufacturers was in Clearwater. The new plan allows Breen to fit more cars on less land. The traditional garage would have had a footprint of more than 32,000 square feet. The new one takes up 6,000 square feet.

That means Breen was able to design more green space into his hotel project and preserve some surface parking.

Breen's garage will blend into the design of his hotel and provide parking for hotel guests and Four Green Fields patrons. He also will offer parking to St. John's Episcopal Middle School either in the garage or on the ground.
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/05/27/Citytimes/Council_grants_rezoni.shtml

^That's great... I think whole area from Armenia to the river along Platt to Kennedy could be and should be redeveloped with mixed-uses in the 4-20 story range.

FLhawk....not for resales, something that may be just selling. The quarter may be an option, 5th ave villas..will look into that.

Good or bad??????

Busy Corner May Get Arty Elevated Walkway
By ELLEN GEDALIUS egedalius@tampatrib.com
Published: Jun 1, 2005

TAMPA - An elevated walkway linking the Tampa Convention Center to the new Embassy Suites hotel promises to bring a piece of public art to the city.

It promises to ease pedestrian traffic congestion on Channelside Drive and Franklin Street, much to the delight of Harbour Island motorists who find themselves dodging pedestrians.

It also promises to help the Tampa Convention Center land big events, offering a quick jaunt from point A to point B.

In some ways, though, the open-air walkway, which will be the first of its kind downtown, does not mesh with the city's goal of bringing people to the streets of downtown Tampa. From a skywalk, people won't be lured into shops and cafes.

``If we're trying to get street activity downtown, then planners say the worst thing you can do is put them [people] in gerbil tunnels,'' Councilman John Dingfelder said. ``It's a balancing act between the safety issue.''

Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio has said she wants people walking on downtown's streets. She envisions a city with sidewalk cafes, shops, restaurants and a cultural arts district.

With the large number of tourists unfamiliar with traffic patterns, however, Iorio is comfortable with the project.

``You have to be careful how much you do with skyways,'' Iorio said. ``That's a tough intersection right there. It's smart'' to have a skyway.

Planners see advantages and disadvantages to pedestrian bridges. On one hand, they move people quickly from one place to another - a plus for busy businesspeople attending conventions. On the other hand, skywalks could hurt shops and restaurants in the vicinity.

``The negative is that if you have a lot of street activity down below where you want to feed some economic activity, you've created a bypass,'' said Jim Schwab, senior research associate of the American Planning Association. ``If you've got a strong street life down below, you don't want to kill it. If you're trying to develop that street life, you'd probably undermine your own efforts.''

Ray Chiaramonte and Tony Garcia, planners with the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission, said they generally try to steer away from pedestrian bridges.

``The lifeblood of a city is the vibrancy of its sidewalks,'' said Garcia, a principal planner. ``If you're coming from someplace and you see all this activity, you know it's a happening place. It's the best kind of advertising its downtown core could have.''

Yet in some cases, Chiaramonte and Garcia said, elevated walkways are OK, especially if there is a clear purpose such as quickly moving people from a hotel to a convention center.

The proposed skywalk between the hotel and convention center is an exception to the city's typical position, partly because pedestrian safety was a concern, said Wilson Stair, urban design manager.

``When you have conventions and you have thousands of people attending, that's why we considered putting a skywalk there,'' Stair said. ``This is a case where it's probably warranted.''

Harbour Island residents welcome the elevated walkway, said Joyce Schauer, of the Harbour Island Community Service Association.

Residents often complain about the pedestrian traffic near the convention center, she said. The bridge would ease foot traffic.

``They just dart in front of you,'' Schauer said of pedestrians. ``It's no wonder there haven't been more problems.''

Schauer said she hopes the bridge has street access so people not using the hotel or convention center can use the skywalk.

Stairways will lead up to the bridge so people can access it from outside, too, said developer Richard Parks, vice president of merrillville, Ind.-based WPM Construction LLC.

The skywalk, with the adjacent 360 suites in the new 23- story hotel, could become a selling point for the Tampa Convention Center.

Groups booking conventions don't want to fight traffic.

``It's the ease of being able to get from their hotel into the convention center,'' said John Moors, administrator of convention facilities and tourism. ``That's really what our clients are looking for: How easy is it to get from the meetings to where we're staying? Given the location and the volume of traffic we see down here, it is a good thing to get people up and into the hotel.''

Public Art?

Councilwoman Linda Saul- Sena, an urban planner who usually opposes pedestrian bridges, said she supports this one because the intersection of Franklin Street and Channelside Drive is particularly hectic. She also said she backs the project because Moors does; the city owns the convention center.

Plus, Saul-Sena said, ``I heard it's going to be attractive, but I heard it hasn't yet passed muster.''

The elevated open-air walkway could qualify as public art.

Public Art Administrator Robin Nigh describes public art as an ``enhancement to the environment.''

Examples of public art include fountains and sculptures and, in some cases, bike racks and benches.

Tampa's public art includes the painted steel structure - commonly referred to as the exploding chicken - at Kennedy Boulevard and Ashley Drive, and the ``Wave,'' a sculpture on Bayshore Boulevard that resembles a Slinky.

The city requires developers in the central business district - bordered by Scott Street, Garrison Channel, Meridian Avenue and the Hillsborough River - to spend 0.75 percent of the total project cost on public art, up to $200,000.

Developers can opt to contribute 0.5 percent to the city's public art fund, which pays for art in parks and community centers.

``In terms of visibility, I don't think there's a much more visible part of our project than what's over Franklin,'' Parks said. ``It's just an incredible, opportunistic spot.''

`It Needs To Blend'

The skywalk is to be designed by New Orleans artist Mimi Moncier. Colored resin disks will be embedded in the walls and floor of the bridge. Sunlight would penetrate the disks, casting color on people as they walk through. Moncier, embarking on her first public art project, said the concept is to mimic sunspots.

Moncier is working with city officials to ensure the project complements the convention center and hotel, slated to open in spring 2006.

In an April 29 memo, Nigh outlined some concerns she, Stair and Moors had about the project: Will the material scruff, scratch or be slippery? Does the bridge visually complement the hotel and convention center? If a canopy later is required or desired for the bridge, would that interfere with the artist's design?

``It needs to blend with the architecture in some way,'' Stair said. ``It needs to be an accent. You want it to be compatible and in harmony with the setting it's in.''

The skywalk would be Tampa's first bridge considered public art.

http://www.tampatrib.com/FloridaMetro/MGBM1XFZE9E.html

^ I think this is one location where an elevated walkway makes good sense...if hotel visitors want to go directly to the convention center, they'll use the bridge. If they want to wander downtown, they'll use the sidewalks.

Besides, there aren't any shops and restaurants in the area to suffer anyways. All of them are blocks to the north, or are within the hotels or TCC.

That's what I was thinking as I read this article too, Jason. Where are the shops and restaurants close to the Convention Center? You've got to walk down a few blocks on Channelside Drive or up a few blocks on Franklin for any true options.

I was hoping that someone would have redeveloped the old Club XS across the street into something more useful and attractive to the hotel/convention crowd. Looks like we got more (Diesel) of the same, however. Ahem.

Actually, there is retail space built into the facade of the convention center itself on Franklin, but there has never been any reason why someone would want to use it.

Nonetheless, I think the skywalk is fine - if people want to stroll about, they will. If it is pouring rain or really hot, let them go over the street.

^Isn't that space vacant?


and btw, now that we have more details, the skywalk sounds incredibly asinine... It seems as though it will initially be built to be an uncovered, open air design... No protection from the heat or rain...

why even bother? :ohno:

Yes- that space is vacant (and thus can be filled).

IF the skywalk is uncovered, someone should be shot. ("open air" can work over a shrot distance, but uncovered is absolutely idiotic.)

In an April 29 memo, Nigh outlined some concerns she, Stair and Moors had about the project: Will the material scruff, scratch or be slippery? Does the bridge visually complement the hotel and convention center? If a canopy later is required or desired for the bridge, would that interfere with the artist's design?


I would assume if they are wondering if the design is compatible with a canopy covering the bridge later on, then it has no canopy now. Plus, the entire point of the design is apparently to have colored disks, which the sun shines through, making "sunspots" below... Oh boy, now this is going to be a real winner. :ohno:



If this really is going to be uncovered, they better wise up and create a pedestrian crossing under it, because that's where people will cross (since it will be shaded). Then they will go up the stairs and into the hotel.

I am wondering what kind of shadow will the hotel create. If that shadow is big enough, will it work then? ......On second thought, that would only work for half of the day.

...It seems as though it will initially be built to be an uncovered, open air design... No protection from the heat or rain...

why even bother? :ohno:

To get people off the street. Why keep everyone indoors at all times? We don't live on Mars.

not indoors per se, but covered from rain and sun in the summer - necessary

It looks like they may have started on the 11 story dorm at Univ. of Tampa. I can see a large crane is there now. I can't see much of what's going on though because of the building next door to it, but it should be a nice project when its done. I've seen the site and I can't imagine an 11 story building there with the large tree they are keeping and the other small buildings around it.

They have started. Unfortunately, there despite all the building that has gone on at UT there still is not much a collegy atmosphere around the place. Hopefully they will hit a critical mass of student residents soon and stuff will pop up - and bleed over to downtown, which is actually really close.

I was reading in this morning's St Pete Times that the Crescent Heights project on Bayshore was approved by city council WITH the condition that the taller of the two towers lose 6 floors to top out at 18 stories (the smaller tower will be eight) in response to the protests of 345 Bayshore residents.

John Dingleberry's quote was "what's good for the goose is good for the gander." ??? I guess this means that no one will be allowed to go over 18 stories on North Bayshore?

Nonetheless, I think Crescent Heights did a nice job on One Bayshore, and the little area surrounding it, and I'm eager to see what these project will look like.

^ Just to clarify, this project on Bayshore (next to One Bayshore) is being developed by "Crescent Resources" out of North Carolina, not Crescent Heights, which is another project over in Channelside.

Dingleberry's "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" comment was in response to Saul-Sena and another councilwoman who wanted the project to be a four story structure and an eight story structure. They feel there is already too many high rises on Bayshore, and they wanted a smaller scale project. Dingleberry said the area already has two eighteen story (or so) structures, so what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and the taller of the two buildings should be approved for atleast eighteen stories.

Dingleberry's "what's good for the goose is good for the gander" comment was in response to Saul-Sena and another councilwoman who wanted the project to be a four story structure and an eight story structure. They feel there is already too many high rises on Bayshore, and they wanted a smaller scale project. Dingleberry said the area already has two eighteen story (or so) structures, so what's good for the goose is good for the gander, and the taller of the two buildings should be approved for atleast eighteen stories.

I don't understand why the city council seems so afraid of height. I could understand they wouldn't want a tower in the middle of a neighborhood with 1 or 2 story buildings, but Bayshore already has several tall buildings.

Rezoning approval paves way for new condo tower
HYDE PARK NORTH - The City Council has approved a controversial rezoning request that will pave the way for a new 18-story condominium tower on Bayshore Boulevard at the Davis Islands bridge.

But in getting the approval May 26, developer Crescent Resources of North Carolina had to shave six stories off its planned building at 319 Bayshore Blvd., now home to a 72-unit apartment complex.

In January, the council shot down Crescent's request to build a 20-story, 168-unit building that bridged a narrow street that divides the property. After condo owners at 345 Bayshore next door objected to increasing traffic in the area, the council directed the developer to come back with a downsized plan.

The company came back with a new proposal that called for 149 units in two buildings - one with eight stories and another with 24.

The council granted the rezoning last week after Crescent Resources agreed to reduce the 24-story building to 18 stories, the same height as 345 Bayshore.

"What's good for the goose is good for the gander," said council member John Dingfelder, who presented the compromise idea.

[Last modified June 2, 2005, 08:00:13]
http://www.sptimes.com/2005/06/03/Citytimes/City_decides_not_to_l.shtml

I have a couple of things to say about this - first, at the hearing one of the 345 people said that their building was 18 stories - it is not. It is 21 or 22 depending on how you count it and its profile blocks all sorts of views and casts huge shadows (which I don't reallycare about per se, but they bitch too much)- the fact that no one in city government seems to know this is quite embarrassing.
http://www.waterfronttampa.com/images2/condos23.jpg http://www.highriseliving.com/listings/tampa/hl_001a.gif
or
http://www.schifinolee.com/pdf_files/camp_345_bill.pdf
(not the best pic, but you can still count)

Second, Crescent already has approval for a 26 story building right there - which I think they are actually going to build though they never talk about it - you will note they have not cleaned up the lot like they have the others around One Bayshore)

third, the original paln for the lot in question was awful, but smushing everything all the time is not necessarily the answer.

Fourth, if not there, where? There is little to no residential right behind there. There are no houses on Bayshore to annoy . . .

On the other hand, the fewer units there, the more in real downtown - so ok.

I saw the replay of that council meeting the other night (but didn't stick around to see the end), but I wanted to jump through the screen, back through time, and smack them all for not bringing up 345's real hieght.


I still cannot understand how there is a difference between 18, 24 or even 30 stories. So far as I'm concerned, once any structure is over like 7-12 stories, it's already hopelessly out of scale with the street, and it's hieght is generally immaterial... yeah, the build may throw a bigger shadow... That's almost relevant, until you see that there is so much tree canopy coverage in the area that I doubt anyone's property is getting much direct sunlight anyways (and besides, shadows drive down your cooling costs)....

But what is most egregious, is knocking the hieght of this building down to appease NIMBYs who live in another highrise! As I said long ago, if the residents of 345 Bayshore want thier views protected, then they should have gotten a fund going, and bought up every parcel of land around them. They should have absolutely NO RIGHT to dictate what another property owner can do with his land, and if this had any bearing on the council's decisionmaking, then they should all be ashamed, and hopefully sued.

^ Amen, brother. I can't take anyone seriously who lives in a hi-rise (345 Bayshore) and bitches about another proposed hi-rise next door "adding to traffic congestion, blah blah blah." What they really mean is "my hi-rise is okay, but yours is not." Yeah, that makes sense.

It's classic selfish NIMBYism. The real objection is to the hit thier wallets take when thier property values don't rise as fast, because thier view is compromised some, and because the condo supply goes up. They're no longer living in one of the best condos in Tampa. Now, they're becoming just another face in the crowd. boo-hoo.

^ Amen, brother. I can't take anyone seriously who lives in a hi-rise (345 Bayshore) and bitches about another proposed hi-rise next door "adding to traffic congestion, blah blah blah." What they really mean is "my hi-rise is okay, but yours is not." Yeah, that makes sense.

I live in 345 Bayshore, and if you had the awesome view that some of the units have, you'd be complaining too. Every morning when I wake up, the first thing I see is this (http://www.bayciti.net/ppo/downtown_thru_ventana.jpg).

Of course, i'm all for the high rise next door, it's gonna be awesome. Then i'm going to move into it to keep my view.

Cheers
Justin

^Now see, that's the right attitude. Don't piss and moan and try to manipulate government to your benefit. Just go with the flow and make the best of it. besides, these peopel weren't even bitching for the correct solution.

I don't see how knocking down the hieght of this building will help. It's still basically as tall as 345 Bayshore, meaning that the vast majority of 345's NE facing units will still have compromised views. And more importantly, if the number of units wasn't also significantly reduced, then that means a shorter, but wider building is likely, which means it will probably block even more fo the view.... In all honesty, If I was a 345 Bayshore NIMBY, I would have been demanding a very tall, very thin tower placed as far back from Bayshore as possible, which would block less of the view corridor. The shorter, but wider building they're going to build will block much more. (think 345 compared to say a taller version of the Stovall. The 345 blocks much more view)

So I was driving by the Skypoint lot today and, for some unknown reason, they were moving around the big plywood barriers so you could look in as you drove by - and I noticed that, not only are they taking nice big soil samples - but there is a big square (at least it looked sqaure - could be a rectangle) hole in the middle of the lot. At first I thought it may be what was left when they took the foundation of the garage out (and it may be) but it seemed to centered for that. Interesting, if nothing else.

So I was driving by the Skypoint lot today and, for some unknown reason, they were moving around the big plywood barriers so you could look in as you drove by - and I noticed that, not only are they taking nice big soil samples - but there is a big square (at least it looked sqaure - could be a rectangle) hole in the middle of the lot. At first I thought it may be what was left when they took the foundation of the garage out (and it may be) but it seemed to centered for that. Interesting, if nothing else.

I just walked around to the other side of my building for a look. There is a large square right in the middle. From here it looks to be either metal or concrete...although its hard to tell. It is strange. I haven't seen much activity at the site yet.

^I drive by there today, and saw a trackhoe digging... I couldn't tell what was being dug though, since I was in my car, and the digging was behind the barrier.

There is also plenty of dirt pushing going on at TTT.

Franklin Residences and UT dorm are both underway.

The Embassy Suites continues, now on the 5th floor.

At Grand Central, caisson placement continues, with load bearing steel being installed on the first caissons. I wouldn't quite say this project is going "vertical" yet, but it sure won't be long at the rate they're going.

1000 Channelside is up to the 3rd floor.

Meridian is long since topped out, and they're well underway with the facade.

Other key projects looked as if nothing has changed... O2, T@C, The Plaza on HI, etc, etc...

Also on Bayshore, the Alagon and Bellamy continue, with the Alagon looking as if it's topped out, and now getting some of the finish put on its facade. The Bellamy is up to like the 14th floor..

Now I'm beginning to wonder about T@C.

Well, we need someone who can go down to their office and ask. Last we heard, they had hired a GC, so it seems ok. Just very slow.

And don't forget tehy are playing with dirt at Ventana - all of asudden, Kennedy is going to come alive down there.

^Ventana didn't look any different than last time I saw it, which was a week or so ago.

Drove by Sky Point Tonight, around 9:15. There was a small crane on the site . that is the first time I have seen it there.

Well, I talked to the Skypoint folks and got a bird's eye look at the sight and:

They have started, though no officially. Official groundbreaking is June 14, but they have moved a lot ofdirt already. (see Channelside thread for Tower news)

Only a week away from official groundbreaking! I am glad to see that skypoint has been moving along so swiftly. I wish some of the other tower projects moved as quickly.

Drove by the Trump Tower site today. There's a LOT of action going on down there: Dozers, big shovels, the works... It looked like they were pulling up some big roots and pushing away a lot of dirt. I think we'll see a foundation laid pretty soon!

Also went by where the first section of riverwalk is going (in between TTT and the Convention Center) and there is hardly any progress being made there. There was one guy in the site sawing something, but nobody else. This project is going so SLOW! For all Iorio is saying about it, it doesn't seem like the city's pushing hard to get it done...

^There is also a section of the riverwalk going in north of TTT, between that small office building and the hotel. It's been coming along very nicely. I think that perhaps the contractor is doing that piece of the riverwalk, and will then go do the other piece, which is south of Brorien. The TTT will of course offer its own piece of the riverwalk.

Has anyone noticed the little pond they dug at the park site next to the Convention center. Very odd. I guess we will see homeless guys bathing with the dolphins next year.

^No, I didn't see that...Yikes...

Speaking of the homeless:

They need to do something about the park beside my building (400 N Ashley). I've been out there before and counted as many as 20 homeless people at one time, some of them not clothed and some drunk. Does Tampa not have any homeless shelters? The park should be re-done, or in my opinion, the art museum and parking deck should be torn down and replaced with a residential project.

here are some photos taken with the microsoft smartphone(haha...crashes daily)....here they are.....

skypoint...small crane
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_002.jpg

i think this is the trump tower site or the park, it was early....
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_003.jpg

embassy suites convention center hotel
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_004.jpg

O2 Condo site....nothing new of course
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_007.jpg

Meridian "gateway" Crosstown....seems to be open to limited traffic...so far looks nothing like what they had planned? did they have to cutback on this?
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_008.jpg

T@C site....not much
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_009.jpg

12th street pics...
victory lofts
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_010.jpg

http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_011.jpg

Meridian
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_012.jpg

Ventana and Grand Central site work
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_013.jpg

http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_015.jpg

1000 Channelside
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_016.jpg

I am going to take the sony cam out sometime here in downtown st. pete and tampa soon....on foot to get closer to these projects...oh, and last thing while driving back from this work in downtown to my regular job in palm harbor, downtown oldsmar has a totally different face
http://www.vancetax.com/update06/IMAGE_026.jpg
its pretty much those type of shops everywhere and 4 hotels including the hilton under construction behind those shops and also across the street they are knocking down those old warehouses and building a mixed use residential/commercial that looks similar to 1010 Central to me from the brief look I had of the sign

:redx:

Awesome pics, you really hit all the sites. Thanx Jvance. I had no idea how big that crane was at grand central. It looks huge.

it was nice driving from home(st. pete) to tampa this morning, i could see tons of cranes in the westshore district, TIA, and you could see some as far as bayshore blvd all on the howard franklin bridge...what is the building going up on the shore near the outback in westshore?

Speaking of the homeless:

They need to do something about the park beside my building (400 N Ashley). The park should be re-done, or in my opinion, the art museum and parking deck should be torn down and replaced with a residential project.

I kind of agree...

I think they should tear down the museum and garage and the garden/park... and then build a long narrow garage/ tower combo very near to 400 N Ashley (perpendicular to Ashley), and use the rest of the land to expand the park.

The garage/tower could provide parking for 400 N Ashley during business hours, and parking at night for either condos or preferably hotel rooms... The tower would be deep and narrow (likely with corridors on the south, and units facing north)... On the ground floor of the garage would be some retail type stuff, with perhaps a restaurant in the back, facing the riverwalk/river/UT. The tower could be just a few floors stacked on top of the garage, or be 20-30-40 stories in all. Whatever.

Of course, I also think they should do something similar at the other end, and tear down the Poe garage (which is in poor shape anyways, and is always dropping pieces of itself on people's cars). The land where Poe is, south of the RR tracks would be reverted back to parkland, with a new garage and tower built perpendicular to Ashley, between the RR tracks and Cass st. I would close Gasparille Pl... The garage/tower would have basically the same program as the tower at the other end...Retail base, and hotel or condo above, only this one could be larger and taller, since it has a bigger lot to be built on... And then the city can simply build a garage to serve the TBPAC and Fed Courts on a nearby surface lot (again, with a tower above it).

What all of this is about is I am of the opinion that either Curtis Hixon park should be enlarged, to make it more useful (especially considering the influx of resident DT will see, they are going to need a big park), or the city should totally develop the park, and create a new park elsewhere in DT. I'm quite certain that developers would be drooling to make a deal with the city to get development rights to any parcel of land fronting the river, so pretty much whatever the City would do, they're not going to have a problem getting big money from development rights to help fund the project (or totally fund).

It just drives me batty to see the city constantly doing things half assed, in the most pussyfooted, dumbass way possible, without an ounce of vision or foresight, and then wonder aloud why Tampa always seems on the cusp of being 'great', but can never seem to get there. Wake up Tampa! A city is defined by what it is, not what it could be.

Awesome pics, you really hit all the sites. Thanx Jvance. I had no idea how big that crane was at grand central. It looks huge.


That is a big crane for being a portable... That wasn't up on Monday afternoon when I drove by. I guess they put it up Tuesday, or I was in la-la land, trying not to miss my turn at Twiggs.

What about a park in the center of Downtown. I saw an aerial view of the Channel District, and all of the proposed developments are East of 11th st. (I believe). There is a lot of land between 11th and the Meridian Gateway from Seaboard Square to Kennedy. Get rid of all of the empty warehouses and plant a park. It would be a great veiw for those driving in on the Meridian Gateway and leave plenty of space for all of the people moving into the Channel District.

^That would pretty much defeat the purpose of building Meridian, which was to create an urban "gateway", lined with trees and shops and such.