Amid all things political, we would be remiss to not note the importance–symbolic, societal and economic–of the announcement that the city is inviting developers to submit proposals for a mixed-used development on N. Florida Avenue across from City Hall. Finally.
For those of us who have been around a while, downtown Tampa could be a depressant if you allowed all those surface parking lots to get to you. But over time we have been seeing the evolution of downtown and an actual skyline develop and mature. Much more, as we know, is planned–even if a significant portion doesn’t have a name yet.
But still, how do you keep countenancing a surface lot right across from City Hall? It’s been nearly two decades since the Cold Storage Cafe was razed, and the city bought the land for $1.3 million. That land should have been a magnet to developers. Instead it was an embarrassing anomaly for a city touting its up-and-coming real estate potential.
Now this. And this is not wishful spec. This is a bottom-line opportunity where new urbanism meets downtown revival and marketplace recovery. Proposals are due early next month. It bespeaks of vision–as well as market realities.
Call it another rite of passage for downtown. And call it about time.