FloridaFuture
May 16th, 2007, 12:09 PM
City Doesn't Want Rowdy Friends At Channelside
By TED JACKOVICS The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 16, 2007
TAMPA - Mayor Pam Iorio said Tuesday she is concerned that reports of excessive drinking among some patrons at Channelside Bay Plaza are at odds with the family-style ambience she said the city wants for the waterside retail and entertainment complex.
"We don't want Channelside to become involved with some of the problems Ybor City has had," Iorio said after Tuesday's port authority meeting, referring to recent police reports at Channelside.
Iorio and the four other commissioners attending the monthly meeting of the port authority, which leases the Channelside site to the New York owner of the downtown complex, requested the port staff make clear its expectations for operations at Channelside's bars.
She drew attention to anecdotal reports she had been told by Channelside visitors and tenants regarding some patrons of McGraw's, a country western bar owned by Ohio businessman Mike Dennis that opened last month.
Dennis had not responded by early Tuesday evening to questions by the Tribune about Iorio's comments. Calls and e-mail placed to a representative of Channelside owner Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., senior vice president of leasing Barry Lustig, were not returned.
Iorio's comments were made in reference to a request by Channelside Bay Mall LLC, which is controlled by Ashkenazy, for an amendment to allow a sublease of 8,778 square feet for office space for the LandDesign Inc. planning and engineering firm.
The port's lease permits only retail, restaurant and movie theaters as Channelside tenants. The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce relocated its headquarters to Channelside in a move to add some vitality to the retail and entertainment area that has struggled to become a major downtown focal point.
The board chose to postpone consideration of the office space amendment in order to work out details with Channelside Bay Plaza over the operations of its tenants.
"I have no problem with office space at Channelside, although we want it to be a first-class entertainment area," Iorio said.
Port authority attorney Charles Klug acknowledged that the port was taken by surprise that McGraw's was opened without the Channelside owner contacting port staff for approval of the sublease.
The ground lease between the Authority and Channelside Bay Mall LLC states that the authority has approval rights of subtenant leases and requires the plaza to submit certain documents to the authority for review and approval.
"The authority has not received the documents required to approve the subleases for McGraw's or another restaurant Dennis owns at Channelside - Sling Shots, which opened in January 2006 - in accordance with the ground lease and, consequently, has not approved either sublease." Klug said.
He said that Channelside Bay Plaza's lease payments were up to date and payments that had fallen into arrears for as much as $60,000 for a parking lot have been reconciled.
Klug said the port authority was aware of the mayor's longstanding concerns over the atmosphere and ambience at Channelside, but Iorio's statements on Tuesday made public some frustrations that have simmered among tenants and some Channelside visitors in recent weeks.
The Tampa Police Department investigated 22 cases at Channelside from March 3 through May 13, resulting in 10 arrests for offenses ranging from simple battery to disorderly intoxication. The police reports tally only the overall entertainment and retail complex address of 615 Channelside Drive and not individual businesses within the complex.
The Channelside usage issues have simmered since last summer, when news accounts reported plans of McGraw's opening were opposed by other Channelside tenants.
In addition, certain other port tenants became entangled in differences over an increase in rent that Ashkenazy sought last year.
Iorio said at July's port authority meeting that she thought the port should work aggressively to maintain Channelside as a family venue.
In other business, the port authority approved a 28-acre lease at Port Redwing with Andino Cements USA, a U.S. division of a Dominican Republic construction company.
The plant will employ 45 to 60 workers when it goes into operation within 24 months.
Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 and tjackovics@tampatrib.com
http://www.tbo.com/news/money/MGBI22Q2R1F.html
By TED JACKOVICS The Tampa Tribune
Published: May 16, 2007
TAMPA - Mayor Pam Iorio said Tuesday she is concerned that reports of excessive drinking among some patrons at Channelside Bay Plaza are at odds with the family-style ambience she said the city wants for the waterside retail and entertainment complex.
"We don't want Channelside to become involved with some of the problems Ybor City has had," Iorio said after Tuesday's port authority meeting, referring to recent police reports at Channelside.
Iorio and the four other commissioners attending the monthly meeting of the port authority, which leases the Channelside site to the New York owner of the downtown complex, requested the port staff make clear its expectations for operations at Channelside's bars.
She drew attention to anecdotal reports she had been told by Channelside visitors and tenants regarding some patrons of McGraw's, a country western bar owned by Ohio businessman Mike Dennis that opened last month.
Dennis had not responded by early Tuesday evening to questions by the Tribune about Iorio's comments. Calls and e-mail placed to a representative of Channelside owner Ashkenazy Acquisition Corp., senior vice president of leasing Barry Lustig, were not returned.
Iorio's comments were made in reference to a request by Channelside Bay Mall LLC, which is controlled by Ashkenazy, for an amendment to allow a sublease of 8,778 square feet for office space for the LandDesign Inc. planning and engineering firm.
The port's lease permits only retail, restaurant and movie theaters as Channelside tenants. The Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce relocated its headquarters to Channelside in a move to add some vitality to the retail and entertainment area that has struggled to become a major downtown focal point.
The board chose to postpone consideration of the office space amendment in order to work out details with Channelside Bay Plaza over the operations of its tenants.
"I have no problem with office space at Channelside, although we want it to be a first-class entertainment area," Iorio said.
Port authority attorney Charles Klug acknowledged that the port was taken by surprise that McGraw's was opened without the Channelside owner contacting port staff for approval of the sublease.
The ground lease between the Authority and Channelside Bay Mall LLC states that the authority has approval rights of subtenant leases and requires the plaza to submit certain documents to the authority for review and approval.
"The authority has not received the documents required to approve the subleases for McGraw's or another restaurant Dennis owns at Channelside - Sling Shots, which opened in January 2006 - in accordance with the ground lease and, consequently, has not approved either sublease." Klug said.
He said that Channelside Bay Plaza's lease payments were up to date and payments that had fallen into arrears for as much as $60,000 for a parking lot have been reconciled.
Klug said the port authority was aware of the mayor's longstanding concerns over the atmosphere and ambience at Channelside, but Iorio's statements on Tuesday made public some frustrations that have simmered among tenants and some Channelside visitors in recent weeks.
The Tampa Police Department investigated 22 cases at Channelside from March 3 through May 13, resulting in 10 arrests for offenses ranging from simple battery to disorderly intoxication. The police reports tally only the overall entertainment and retail complex address of 615 Channelside Drive and not individual businesses within the complex.
The Channelside usage issues have simmered since last summer, when news accounts reported plans of McGraw's opening were opposed by other Channelside tenants.
In addition, certain other port tenants became entangled in differences over an increase in rent that Ashkenazy sought last year.
Iorio said at July's port authority meeting that she thought the port should work aggressively to maintain Channelside as a family venue.
In other business, the port authority approved a 28-acre lease at Port Redwing with Andino Cements USA, a U.S. division of a Dominican Republic construction company.
The plant will employ 45 to 60 workers when it goes into operation within 24 months.
Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at (813) 259-7817 and tjackovics@tampatrib.com
http://www.tbo.com/news/money/MGBI22Q2R1F.html