The Tampa Monitor

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This Week 1-16-25

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by

Michael Bishop
in ,

Council sits as the CRA Board this week for the morning session with land use hearings in the evening.

An item that was discussed at last week’s Council meeting was the West River Network BUILD Project, now branded as the “West Riverwalk Project” and funding. There’s been a lot of discussion on this project so I’ve given it its own post. And for the sake of brevity for subscribers, I’ve written a separate Council wrap-up post for last week.

The project appears on this week’s CRA agenda (item 6) approving a $10 million contribution from the West Tampa CRA (over 3 years). What’s not clear is if this is intended to offset $10 million of the $26 million proposed to be funded with bonding or only $4 million of the bonding. There is a $6 million difference between the grant plus funding and the contract.

I think it helps to understand that regardless of what I or someone else may consider “West Tampa”, the boundaries of the West Tampa CRA are—Armenia Ave to the West, Columbus Blvd north, Hillsborough River to the east and Kennedy Blvd to the south with a jog around University of Tampa to Cass St at the River. Not to be confused with the West Tampa Overlay district which is Tampa Bay Boulevard and the Hillsborough River on the north, North A and North B streets on the south, Rome Avenue and North Boulevard on the east and Habana & MacDill Avenues on the west. The historic district (National, not locally designated so that it must adhere to Architectural Review Commission) is even smaller and further away from the river.

(note: if you are reading this via the newsletter, the captions are dropped for the images. In order: all 3 districts–historic, overlay, CRA; historic & CRA, historic & overlay, and final image is overlay and CRA.)

Map of Tampa generally west of river, north of Kennedy Blvd, east of Habana, south of Columbus. Districts are gray scaled
West Tampa historic district layered with the overlay district and CRA district. The darkest area is where the districts overlap. The lightest area is the CRA district.
Map of Tampa generally west of river, north of Kennedy Blvd, east of Habana, south of Columbus. Districts are gray scaled
The West Tampa historic district is the darker area, CRA the lighter area. The darkest area where the districts overlap.
Map of Tampa generally west of river, north of Kennedy Blvd, east of Habana, south of Columbus. Districts are gray scaled
West Tampa Historic District dark area, remaining area is overlay district.
Map of Tampa generally west of river, north of Kennedy Blvd, east of Habana, south of Columbus. Districts are gray scaled.
West Tampa overlay district is the darker area, CRA the lighter area, darkest area where the two districts overlap.

75% of the West River Build Project is within the CRA boundaries both on the river as well as the Rome Ave improvements. That’s where I think they will be able to justify the use of the funds. The devil is in the details.

The only other actions requiring a vote by the board are appointments to several CRA CAC boards.

However, perhaps the most important item on the agenda is number 3. The ongoing search for a new CRA Director. Cedric McCray has been interim Director since July stepping up from his role overseeing the East Tampa district. Hopefully there will be some resolution to this issue but it’s been contentious—the then interim Admin for Development & Economic Opportunity took on some of the preliminary interviewing/hiring steps and that didn’t sit well with several CRA Board members. The board is meant to be an independent body and the Director reports to them, not the mayor or any subordinate. Which is probably why we are now on the fourth director/interim director since 2022. And that’s not counting the person that was hired but never started. It seems to be an untenable situation to be in.

Additionally there will be a discussion about affordable housing and how the allocated funds for each district are being spent.

For the evening agenda Council will be hearing 9 rezoning applications. Read the abridged agenda for CRA and Land Use hearings including a map showing location of each rezoning. Also, reminder I have a City of Tampa Zoning Map that includes current and future designations.

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Comments

2 responses to “This Week 1-16-25”

  1. Stephanie Poynor Avatar
    Stephanie Poynor

    It is problematic that the CRA might vote to support this project which is in the Coastal High Hazard Area. The Comprehensive Plan does NOT allow public spending on vanity projects in the CHHA . It is only to spend public funds for hardening of infrastructure. THAT’s a problem that no one seems to want to talk about but me?

    Second issue: THE WORST SENTENCE ON EARTH from our state statute. NOTICE 3-B– if you can actually understand it. It says, if the City is going to do it without CRA funding, then CRA can’t pay for it.

    Title XI County Organization and Intergovernmental Relations
    Chapter 163 Intergovernmental Programs
    Section 370 Powers; Counties and Municipalities; community redevelopment agencies

    (3) The following projects may not be paid for or financed by increment revenues:
    (a) Construction or expansion of administrative buildings for public bodies or police and fire buildings, unless each taxing authority agrees to such method of financing for the construction or expansion, or unless the construction or expansion is contemplated as part of a community policing innovation.
    (b) Installation, construction, reconstruction, repair, or alteration of any publicly owned capital improvements or projects if such projects or improvements were scheduled to be installed, constructed, reconstructed, repaired, or altered within 3 years of the approval of the community redevelopment plan by the governing body pursuant to a previously approved public capital improvement or project schedule or plan of the governing body which approved the community redevelopment plan unless and until such projects or improvements have been removed from such schedule or plan of the governing body and 3 years have elapsed since such removal or such projects or improvements were identified in such schedule or plan to be funded, in whole or in part, with funds on deposit within the community redevelopment trust fund.

    Reply
    1. Michael Bishop Avatar
      Michael Bishop

      I think the proposed pedestrian/multi-modal improvements along Rome Ave away from the river are where they will justify the CRA funding.

      The 3 year stipulation is interesting, in that this project was originally approved in 2022 for $30 million. Jacking the contract up $26 million and then asking the CRA for funds might violate that clause. But it’s legalese and IANAL.

      Thank you for the added context.

      Reply

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