TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Redevelopment Addressed

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOYCE McKENZIE, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 3, 2007

TEMPLE TERRACE - Momentum is building as the city's longtime dream to revitalize its downtown core moves closer to reality.

The Temple Terrace City Council held a special meeting Sept. 26 to determine two key elements of its plan to transform a rundown, 38-acre site south of Bullard Parkway and east of 56th Street into a live-work-play community.

Most council meetings are slated for the first and third Tuesday of the month, but council members decided to come together in an effort to speed up contract negotiations with master developer Pinnacle/Ram.

'This whole thing is driven by the fact we don't want the developer to stop,' said Councilman Ron Govin, who has represented the council in discussions with the developer.

In its mid-August letter of intent to Pinnacle/Ram, the city outlined the general terms and conditions it desires from the developer. Among them is a $16.9 million purchase price for the 23-acre site of the project's first of three phases and the right to retain ownership of a 21,067-square-foot building at the northern end of Sweetbay Supermarket for the site of an arts education building. The building is occupied by American Middle Eastern Trading Co.

As a result, the developer requested a $3.4 million reduction in the property's overall sale price of $16.9 million, an amount city leaders determined was cost-prohibitive in that renovations would have to be made to the building and an additional parking garage installed.

'I'm not in favor of shelling out $3.4 million,' Councilman Ken Halloway said.

Instead, council members unanimously approved a motion to locate the arts education center on city-owned property at North River Plaza, just south of Chicago Avenue. It possibly could be housed in the Just Brakes facility that operates on a month-to-month lease agreement or the adjacent Dollar General store after the tenant's lease expires Oct. 1, 2009.

According to Govin, it would cost the city about $2.5 million to renovate either facility for the multipurpose theater/arts center.

Council members also discussed the potential of relocating city hall and the Greater Temple Terrace Chamber of Commerce office to the site. In Govin's estimation, there is ample parking.

When Councilman Frank Chillura and Councilwoman Alison Fernandez expressed their concern about where the $2.5 million would come from, Mayor Joe Affronti suggested there could be a fundraiser for that purpose.

'We have a wonderful recreation center and senior center, but we don't have an arts center,' Affronti said. 'We just need to move forward with this so we can offer our citizens a whole gamut of worthwhile amenities in our community.'

The council also approved the master downtown redevelopment transportation plan, presented by Volkert & Associates consultants Angelo Rao and Christopher Brimo. It also is considered to be a key element of the redevelopment program.

The plan, intended to improve the safety and ease of mobility for drivers and pedestrians, calls for a landscaped median on 56th Street south of Bullard Parkway.

It also calls for new traffic signals at 56th Street and Grove Hill Road; Busch Boulevard and Overlook Drive; and Bullard Parkway and Ridgedale Road. Chicago Avenue would be closed at 56th Street.

Signals will be equipped with pedestrian countdown mechanisms, and existing signals on Busch Boulevard, Bullard Parkway and 56th Street will be converted from overhead span-wire to mast-arm structures. In addition, all crosswalks will be in color and textured.

All changes meet the Metropolitan Planning Organization's concurrency standards.

'A lot of work still has to be done in terms of the other organizations that own most of these roads,' Rao said.

Chillura expressed concern that businesses on the west side of 56th Street across from the redevelopment area could be negatively affected by a lack of direct access to their site because of the median.

'We'll have to work with them,' said Ralph Bosek, the city's community services director.

Reporter Joyce McKenzie can be reached at (813) 865-4849 or jmckenzie@tampatrib.com.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT