Construction next to Vintage Lofts at West End

[Reilly08]

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone knows what is being built next to the Vintage Lofts at West End? The fenced in area has been surveyed (between W. Lemon and Cypress st. on N. Oregon Ave.) and the residents have been emailed that the land has been sold and construction will start at the end of the year. I have not been able to find any info on it.

Thanks

[Casey]

I read somewhere recently that a new phase of apartment construction next to West End was moving forward. Not sure if that's what you're referring to tho.

[koopalicious]

The new project I know of is south of West End. In total it is 300+ units spread out over several three-story buildings and one four-story building.

I'm not sure what's happening on the aforementioned site to the east, however?

[Jasonhouse]

No idea here. I only heard something about the apts Koop just mentioned.

[TampaMike]

This is the travesty you are looking for. No retail, parking lot, and the park can only be expected to be a let down. Allow ULI to come to town and tell you how to properly build an urban city, but then you approve sh!t like this Tampa?

http://www2.tbo.com/news/community-n...-pa-ar-406244/

[jonknee]

Originally Posted by TampaMike

This is the travesty you are looking for. No retail, parking lot, and the park can only be expected to be a let down. Allow ULI to come to town and tell you how to properly build an urban city, but then you approve sh!t like this Tampa?

http://www2.tbo.com/news/community-n...-pa-ar-406244/

Do you know where the parking lot is going? Lots of street parking is a small plus and West End has a garage at least. It's a decent bit out of downtown with nothing tall around, anything over 5-6 would stick out quite a bit. Not as bad as those apartments going up in Channelside, which are already a sore thumb. As for retail, that sucks but it's also a matter of the neighborhood. Other than West End there's not much around besides warehouses.

[koopalicious]

Sorry about the quality.

[smiley]

sweet.

[smiley]

Originally Posted by TampaMike

Allow ULI to come to town and tell you how to properly build an urban city, but then you approve sh!t like this Tampa?

Because ULI is just an organization politicians can hide behind. What makes you think ULI can present any special ideas that you cannot easily come up with? They are a time wasting tool because the politicians don't have the guts/desire to do what needs to be done.

[Jasonhouse]

Originally Posted by smiley

sweet.

Not really.

Gray St is closed strictly so the developer acquire a bunch of free land. Developer claims that neither he nor anyone else will be able to develop these parcels without handing over Gray St free and clear too. (yeah, BULLSHIT)

The developer is proposing zero retail, intends to fence/gate the development, and intends to use surface parking throughout the project. The problem there being the way the surface lots would be arranged precludes future redevelopment without knocking down structures too.

This is yet another SUBURBAN solution being plopped down in an URBAN location.

And sadly, it's getting built as-is. The developer recently closed on the land.
http://www.review.net/section/detail...rtment-project

[koopalicious]

Originally Posted by Jasonhouse

The developer is proposing zero retail, intends to fence/gate the development, and intends to use surface parking throughout the project. The problem there being the way the surface lots would be arranged precludes future redevelopment without knocking down structures too.

Where do you see this?

This isn't a five-star project by any means, but the parking is mostly interior and it is adding a significant number of units to the area at a density similar to what was proposed in the original West End vision.

Bottom line: Combined with what was finished of the West End project, we're looking at over 500 residential units where there was basically nothing before. I'll take it.

[smiley]

I was being sarcastic. It sucks.

[Jasonhouse]

^lol! I love you man, rhetorically speaking.

Originally Posted by koopalicious

Bottom line: Combined with what was finished of the West End project, we're looking at over 500 residential units where there was basically nothing before. I'll take it.

Bottom line, that's why Tampa is the way it is.

[TampaMike]

Originally Posted by koopalicious

Where do you see this?

This isn't a five-star project by any means, but the parking is mostly interior and it is adding a significant number of units to the area at a density similar to what was proposed in the original West End vision.

Bottom line: Combined with what was finished of the West End project, we're looking at over 500 residential units where there was basically nothing before. I'll take it.

Parking is mostly interior? Look at the render you posted, a good size of the project here is covered in a parking lot. They removed a part of Gray St., for parking. This project represents nothing of urban living. Deserted of any retail to accommodate potentially 400+ residents that move in here and the surrounding community. Parking lot instead of using less land by building a parking garage and wrapping it around with residential units. Heck, it doesn't even connect sidewalks around the damn project because there is parcels of land they still don't own. That green patch on the northeast side isn't the whole park, because they don't own that!

As someone that has hoped the city would turn over a new leaf, spend money on ideas how to improve, and hopefully do what ULI suggests to them; no, I won't take it.

And smiley, that's the problem. I know that many of the suggestions that came from ULI is pretty much everything we have ranted on before and do so now. But it's one thing to take the criticism of any of us and ignore it, it's another to ignore the suggestions of professionals that you paid for on how to become more urban. If our planning department can't get it done and we ignore the suggestions of a national urban planning firm, why is the city wasting hundreds of thousands in dollars anyways? Just give up! Build more parking spaces, allow concrete walls to ride up alone the 4 ft. wide sidewalks, don't even construct sidewalks at all, enforce no retail where retail should be located, approve eyesore parking garages with no retail. Just give up Tampa.

[Jasonhouse]

wrong thread.

[Jasonhouse]

Originally Posted by TampaMike

And smiley, that's the problem. I know that many of the suggestions that came from ULI is pretty much everything we have ranted on before and do so now. But it's one thing to take the criticism of any of us and ignore it, it's another to ignore the suggestions of professionals that you paid for on how to become more urban. If our planning department can't get it done and we ignore the suggestions of a national urban planning firm, why is the city wasting hundreds of thousands in dollars anyways? Just give up! Build more parking spaces, allow concrete walls to ride up alone the 4 ft. wide sidewalks, don't even construct sidewalks at all, enforce no retail where retail should be located, approve eyesore parking garages with no retail. Just give up Tampa.

I wasn't aware that Tampa is trying.

For those who didn't realize it before, Tampa is generally a place where the quitters from up north move when they can't cope anymore with people who actually give a shit. The bay area gets the fuck ups who couldn't hack in their own hometown. People don't come here for 'opportunity' or to 'make it', they move here because they flamed out somewhere else.

[koopalicious]

Originally Posted by TampaMike

Parking is mostly interior? Look at the render you posted, a good size of the project here is covered in a parking lot. They removed a part of Gray St., for parking.

The surface parking isn't fronting any major streets. That's what I meant by interior. You don't see it from Fig, Oregon, Rome, or Cass. If it was a courtyard with a pool would you feel better? Like I said before, the density is almost unchanged from the original West End vision. I'm not going to have an aneurism because a few residents look out their window to a parking lot.

You can say no to the project and have the land sit vacant forever, or you can say yes and increase the neighborhood's property values and population, so that for future projects, garages and retail can be justified.

[Jasonhouse]

^No, the built density is less than half what the city approved.

You can say no to the project and have the land sit vacant forever, or you can say yes and increase the neighborhood's property values and population, so that for future projects, garages and retail can be justified.

FAIL

[smiley]

Just because you dont build crap now does not mean it will be empty forever - especially if the area is targeted for wholesale changes.

[ATampaArnold]

Major fail and poor vision yet again