You InVision Tampa Blog

Share your vision of Tampa with us! InVision Tampa will create a master plan for the city center of Tampa, Fla., spanning from downtown to Ybor City on the east, Armenia Avenue on the west, and north along historic Nebraska Avenue to Hillsborough Avenue. Working with the city, experts and scholars with worldwide experience and insight will walk, talk, photograph, map and — most importantly — listen to you about the nuances of your neighborhood as well as the things that matter to you and your families now and in our future.

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Julian B. Lane Riverfront Preliminary Concepts

On June 10, the Civitas Design Team unveiled three broad concepts for the redesign of Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.  More than 200 people attended the meeting, learned about the concepts and several commented on what they liked about each design.  Here are the three concepts that were presented that evening.

Concept #1:  Update and Enhance the Park

By removing the many mounds and berms that currently act as barriers to the park, this concept establishes a smooth connection between the many activities offered in the park. Centered on a passive great lawn on the riverfront, this concept organizes updated active spaces with a new boathouse and community picnic areas in order to make all programs easily accessible to park visitors. Additionally, this concept retains many of the existing trees on site while giving the park a much needed update in order to draw visitors from all over Tampa.

Concept #2:  Open the Park to the River

This concept proposes dropping Laurel Street to a 25mph design speed which allows the street to be shifted north to accommodate more park space. A new boathouse is also included amongst many other updated amenities such as the multi-use sports field, new basketball courts, and a children’s playground with a grand splash pad. This program establishes direct connections to the river that meander through active and passive programs that all members of the community can enjoy. An urban waterfront with open views of the downtown skyline creates a special place along the river for people to gather, interact, and relax.

Concept #3:  Build a River Center

This concept establishes a River Center that will act as an anchor for the park with a direct connection to the Hillsborough River. The River Center will be designed as a community hub, inclusive of a public boathouse on the lower floor with a public boat launch, a community center on the second floor, as well as a rental kiosk for people-powered boating, concessions, and public restrooms. Updated amenities allow for safe open spaces where community members and organizations from all over the region can take advantage of everything the park has to offer. 

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First Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park Community Meeting a Success

Thanks to everyone who made it out to our first public meeting for Riverfront Park on May 6th!  It was a great success, with over 200 residents attending.  We received a lot of great ideas from everyone and will be sorting through these over the next several weeks.  We also held a vote for favorite program ideas, giving each attendee (4) green dots for yes and a single red dot for their least favorite idea. For those who were not able to attend, this first meeting focused on programming ideas for the park.  We have not designed anything on the site yet, and will be using the ideas and discussions from this first meeting to begin laying out design options. 

Our next meeting is June 10, at 6 pm at Blake High School cafeteria.  We will be presenting several options for the park site.  We look forward to seeing you again! If you missed the first meeting, June 10 will give you an opportunity to add your voice to this important community project. .

The Design Team

Residents Sharing Ideas for Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park

One of the voting boards that was used to record the preliminary ideas for what residents preferred to see in Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park.

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A New Vision for Tampa’s West River Community

“What if instead of being limited by our greatest asset, we embraced it?” – Mayor Bob Buckhorn

Right now our downtown is shifting its center around the Hillsborough River, new points of interest are created along the waterfront, and a safer place to live, work and play exists for everyone.

With the draft West River Redevelopment Plan & Recommendations, we’ve outlined more actionable recommendations for the West River’s revitalization based on YOUR vision. Through meetings, workshops, surveys, briefings and more, we’ve listened to your thoughts and feedback to ensure Tampa’s future stays rooted in its historical and cultural foundation.

A few of our recommendations include:

Great Neighborhoods: New mixed-income, market-rate standard housing is delivered in diverse formats, connected by walkable streets and access to great parks, schools, community retail and support services.

Anchor Main Street Retail: Key intersections, such as at Rome Avenue and the historically important Main Street, hold commercial growth opportunities as more residential units and enhanced job training create diverse purchasing power to support local retail.

River to Bay: By relocating sports fields, an extension of Willow Avenue will allow a linkage across the community from the Hillsborough River to Tampa Bay, connecting a variety of neighborhoods, local businesses and activity areas to waterfront investments.

Waterfront Square: The spot where Willow Avenue meets the River can act as a neighborhood hub, creating a public open space for dining, recreation, performances, festivals and markets.

Educational and Civic Campus: New partnerships among city, county, school board and the various community service providers can help create walkable and bikeable streets, transit services, a new community center and a completed Riverwalk ‘Loop’ that connects the future west waterfront trail to the nearly completed east bank Riverwalk.

At last night’s community open house, more than 300 people attended and shared feedback on this draft plan.

Now, it’s your turn. Let us know what you think.

[email protected]

Facebook.com/InVisionTampa

Twitter.com/InVisionTampa

  Download the draft plan here.

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Voice Your Support for the Center City Plan!

Since unveiling the Center City Plan one year ago, we have received a great deal of support from Tampa's residents and business owners. It is evident that there is a strong passion for smart urban growth in Tampa.

From more pedestrian friendly streets to centering downtown on our waterfront, this is truly YOUR vision for Tampa's future.

Now, it's time to voice your support to City Council! On Dec. 19, the Tampa City Council will hold a public hearing to approve or reject the InVision Tampa Center City Plan.

Please join us for the hearing to encourage City Council to approve the Center City Plan:

Thursday, Dec. 19, 2013 at 10 a.m. City Hall, 3rd Floor 315 East Kennedy Boulevard Tampa FL, 33602

If you're unable to make the hearing, please write to City Council and tell them to approve the Center City Plan.

And, as always, share your ideas on Facebook and Twitter!

Thank you, InVision Tampa Team

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Breaking Down the Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor

At the May 2 Community Design Workshop, our planning team presented a vision for the Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor. The first element of the vision involves defining and changing the character of the corridor to give it a sense of place. Rather than creating three miles of the same character, the vision seeks to build upon the unique qualities within the corridor. The corridor of the future is seen as a series of main streets separated by activity centers focused at key intersections.

This design incorporates and builds upon the heritage of the corridor, the historic pattern of buildings, the range of building types (residential, commercial, and workplace), and the relationship to the adjacent and abutting residential areas. Our planning team identified five distinct planning areas that comprise the Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor.

Hillsborough Community Boulevard: This segment is seen as a grand boulevard, continually evolving into a retail and service destination, while still serving as an important east-west transportation connection.

Nebraska Main Street: The section of Nebraska generally north of MLK has beginnings of a traditional “Main Street” with a mix of retail and service uses, which can be amplified with public realm improvements such as on-street parking and streetscapes.

Nebraska Workshop District: This district, with a wider variety of building types, from residential homes to retail to workplace, can be situated to become the neighborhood’s “working main street” with commercial uses situated to support a larger amount of employment in this portion of the corridor.

Nebraska South Main Street: This portion of the corridor is the linkage and gateway between historic Ybor City and Tampa Heights, serving an important connection between these two neighborhoods and the cultural and commercial amenities they include.

Downtown Core: Moving into downtown, the corridor takes on a more urban character, with larger blocks and parcels that can accommodate more intense development and are more highly connected to the region via transit, representing an ideal location for office, residential, and the uses that support them. 

Which of these areas have you visited already and what has been your impression?

Join us on September 24 at 6:30 PM at The Children’s Board to learn more about the five character areas and much more as the our planning team presents the plan for the Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor.

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The Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor Plan

Over the past several months, the InVision Tampa planning team has studied the Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor in depth.  Building on the work of the Center City Plan, in December 2012, the team conducted four corridor charrettes with residents to share ideas about the future of the corridor.  The planning team also met with some local business owners along the corridor to better understand the opportunities and challenges to starting and running a business.  Our team reached out to a wider community through our I-Town Virtual Town Hall for additional ideas and insights.  We also dug into the corridor’s past to uncover secrets to made Nebraska and Hillsborough Avenues special and how that important past can be used to shape a new future.

What we learned is that corridor is home to a variety of businesses and opportunities.  Residents genuinely care about Nebraska and Hillsborough Avenues and they want to shop and do business along these corridors, close to where they live.  There are areas that in need of attention and challenges, but there are also many bright spots and several unpolished gems waiting to be discovered and nurtured.

Over the coming weeks, through our blog and on-line forums, we’ll be unveiling some of the ideas for the future of Nebraska and Hillsborough Avenues.  As always, we invite your comments and feedback as we continue to strive to build a more livable and desirable community.

Join us on September 24 at 6:30 PM at The Children’s Board (1002 E. Palm Avenue) for the public presentation of the Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor Master Plan.

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West River Community Briefing

The InVision Tampa team needs community input on creating a thoughtful, connective plan for Tampa's West River area, which includes the western bank of the Hillsborough River and its neighborhoods.

The public is invited to join us for a community briefing on Thursday, July 18 at Blake High School from 6 to 8 p.m.

This meeting will discuss the current community feedback from various sessions, meetings, surveys and research, as well as present preliminary concepts, ideas and strategies for additional feedback from stakeholders.

RSVP by emailing [email protected].

West River Community Briefing Thursday, July 18 at 6 p.m. Blake High School - 1701 N Blvd. Tampa, FL 33607

For more information on the West River study, go to InVisionTampa.com.

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Residences at the Riverwalk

Our Riverwalk is rapidly becoming a vibrant mix of business, entertainment and culture. It is thriving, not just by connecting important community assets from the Florida Aquarium to the Straz Performing Arts Center, but by creating a sense of place that energizes the entire downtown area, emerging as a destination in and of itself, and attracting economic investment.

Right now, there is another important forward move under consideration – more residential in the Center City. The project is called “Residences at the Riverwalk”-- and we’d love to hear what you think!

What is the Residences at the Riverwalk?

The Residences is a high rise apartment building that would be constructed just west of the public library and south of the Performing Arts Center, about an acre away from the waterfront itself. This site could be a wonderful compliment to the Riverwalk, the Straz Center and the library.

What are the benefits of the project?

The Residences is aligned with the Center City Plan recommendations, bringing coveted downtown residential, ground floor retail and enhanced access to the waterfront.  And, as importantly, it has also accommodated requests from the Straz Center and library including

reconstruction of the cross bridge;

additional parking;

improvement of the street grid around both institutions; and

construction of a new access and arrival pavilion for the Straz Center based on its own specifications.

Further, the Residences on the Riverwalk will donate $1 million dollars to the Straz Center to use as they see fit for other needs they have.

What do you think?

PLEASE EMAIL City Council and Mayor Buckhorn and let them know what you think about the Residences on the Riverwalk. 

Mayor: [email protected]

City Council: [email protected]

Thank you!

The InVision Tampa Team

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Nebraska South – “The Workshop District”

At the May 2 Community Presentation on the Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor Plan, the area between MLK Blvd and I-4 was introduced as “The Workshop District.” The name reflects the corridor’s heritage as a working corridor, hailing back to a time when Vincent Martinez Ybor established Ybor City and sprouted many large workspaces along Nebraska Avenue. Today, this portion of the corridor offers a variety of jobs and economic opportunity ranging from the commercial/industrial to service/retail and restaurant/specialty shops.

The corridor has a range of existing historic buildings that can be retrofitted. Large buildings can be subdivided for start-up and co-op spaces, mid-sized ones are great for hardware stores, salons, bodegas, and the houses, for restaurants and boutiques. The corridor also has the potential of attracting restaurants and specialty retail to support the nearby residential areas or the businesses along the corridor. Gathering places can be created giving the corridor a sense of place and providing a true work-live-play environment.

For more information/ideas, check out the May 2 Community Workshop Presentation here. Additionally, below is a quick look at the current state vs. the potential future for this area. 

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Packed House at West River Charrette

Last week, nearly 150 residents and community stakeholders met at Blake High School to discuss the future of Tampa’s West River area – a 128-acre section west of the Hillsborough River that includes the river bank and its neighborhoods. Their passion and concern for the community generated great energy and ideas for revitalizing an important piece of Tampa’s urban core.

Mayor Buckhorn opened the meeting, excited to officially start executing the Center City Plan with the West River.

“This has the capacity to change historic West Tampa as we know it - in a positive way,” the Mayor said.

Throughout the evening, speakers such as Sandy Moore of Urban Strategies, a new group of experts joining the InVision Team, reinforced the important role community leadership would play in the redevelopment of West River. The support of the community and residents taking active roles in making their neighborhoods a better place are two critical factors for success.

"This is as much about people as it is about place," Moore said.

The meeting closed with residents identifying and presenting their perspectives on the area’s strengths, opportunities, weaknesses and threats. All of this feedback will be condensed into a set of core values for the community and initial design plan to be presented at the July 18 community briefing at Blake High School.

For more information on upcoming events, go to InVisionTampa.com.

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Share Your Ideas for the West River Area's Future

The InVision Tampa team needs your help creating a thoughtful, connective plan on Tampa's West River area, which includes the western bank of the Hillsborough River and its neighborhoods.

"The West River area is a critical component to revitalizing our downtown and re-centering the city around our waterfront," said Mayor Bob Buckhorn. "As with past InVision Tampa studies on the urban core and Nebraska Corridor, the public's involvement and feedback will be instrumental to ensuring that we can make it happen."

Previously, with your help, we created the Center City Plan as a blueprint for redevelopment, improved quality of life and economic prosperity in downtown Tampa, its adjacent communities and the transportation corridor along Nebraska Avenue. Now, our expanded team of global experts, including the Tampa Housing Authority, will complete additional outreach to move forward on the next key element of the Center City Plan.

The team will host one-on-one stakeholder meetings and a neighborhood charrette to allow YOUR voice to be heard during master planning. The process will culminate with a community meeting at Blake High School.

Get involved by attending the events below. RSVP by emailing [email protected].

West River Charrette June 11 at 6 p.m. Blake High School - 1701 N Blvd. Tampa, FL 33607

West River Community Meeting July 18 at 6 p.m. Blake High School - 1701 N Blvd. Tampa, FL 33607

For more information on the West River study, go to InVisionTampa.com.

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Letter to Mayor Buckhorn from InVision Participant

Dear Mayor Buckhorn, I attended the Invision Tampa meeting last evening at the Children's Board. I am so impressed with the program and very proud of all the improvements you and your staff have implemented. Your vision for Tampa is really inspiring, and we are fortunate that the City solicits the input of its residents and business owners. As you mentioned at the meeting, I have been involved in the Seminole Heights community for many years. I was born in Seminole Heights, so my roots go deep and I love my community. We have seen a real surge in the revitalization movement in our four neighborhoods with in Greater Seminole Heights:Southeast Seminole Heights, South Seminole Heights, Old Seminole Heights, and Hampton Terrace. Now, with the plans to improve and beautify the Nebraska Corridor, it will only become a better neighborhood, where our residents will enjoy an even better quality of life. The entire City will be dramatically improved, as the City Core is changed for the better. It is an exciting time to be living in Tampa! We are so blessed to have you at the "helm of our ship". You are a man of great vision, with the determination and positive attitude to achieve your goals for Tampa. I look forward to seeing the Invision Tampa project unfold, as residents work together to continue making positive change in Tampa. As you continue moving forward for a better City, just know that you have my wholehearted support. Respectfully, Beverly A. Morrow, Trustee Southeast Seminole Heights Civic Association

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Community Design Workshop Recap

During the corridor design workshops, we heard several common themes. First, we heard that there are a variety of existing businesses and services along the corridor that provide jobs and great value to the community. Secondly, there are several examples of new investment in the corridor. Lastly, there are a few areas for opportunity including easing some of the constraints to new investments and investing strategically into the appearance of the corridor.

Additionally, we learned that the corridor is diverse and comprised of five major character areas:

Community Boulevard along Hillsborough

Main Street on Nebraska from MLK Boulevard to Hillsborough Avenue

Workshop District on Nebraska between MLK and Columbus Avenue

The “Link” – a critical connection between the interstate and Columbus Avenue

South Main Street leading into downtown

These character areas require different strategies in responding to existing and future demands to create a vibrant, prosperous commercial/residential corridor. The InVision Tampa consulting team will be exploring these strategies in the coming weeks and will have a preliminary draft plan by the end of June. 

In the meantime, take a look at the presentations from the Community Design Workshop and let us know your thoughts on the future of the Nebraska – Hillsborough Corridor.

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Guest Blog Entry Two: Middleton High School Student

My name is Youssef Mohamed and I am 14 years old. I am currently a freshman at Middleton High School. I am in the Engineering project Lead the Way and The Biomedical/Science Project lead the way magnet programs.  After school I have HOSA and FTC, a great robotics club.

When I first heard of this program I saw an opportunity to help with the community so I immediately signed up and waited excitedly for the first day. At first I thought this would be a great way to help with the community and something good for my resume, but then I realized that there was much more to be learned.

InVision Tampa is a project where we are putting together everything we have learned in the past year to make a layout of part of our city. With the help of our entors Mr. Sechler and Mr. Drury we made a plan expressing our ideas of what we saw was needed to complete the community and make it whole.

Our mentors taught us how to understand spatial concepts and put them to work organizing a block in Tampa.  We got to use our imagination and work as a team to try and get the best design layout. After our plan was finished we got to make a 3-D model and visualize our work.

As we got closer the end of the program we put all the work together on a poster as the real world workers do and presented it to our audience, who consisted of the other teams and our mentors. This helped us practice our public speaking skills which we know is a major part of being successful.

Everyone had a great time working together and getting past obstacles that kept popping up on our path to success. We were all able to come up with different ideas and share them to each other. This was a great experience for all of us.

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Guest Blog Entry: Middleton Magnet School Student

My name is Surya Balaji. I am 14 years old and a freshman at Middleton Magnet High School; where I am a part of the Engineering Project Lead the Way Magnet programs. I am an avid member of the school’s extremely successful robotics club, and Vice President of FBLA. I hope to go to Georgia Tech to pursue engineering.

When I first heard about this program and its affiliation with the City of Tampa revitalization project, I knew that this was going to be a great exposure to the professional world of engineering. I was excited to participate when I was told what the project was about, and how this would be a real world application of my knowledge.

This project has taught me how to think about the surrounding community, environment and understand spatial concepts. Mr. Sechler and Mr. Drury, the mentors of this program have been instrumental in helping us learn about the design process, development, and how to present my ideas to others.

I think that the vital aspect of this whole project is keeping the community in mind. One interesting idea that would benefit the community was to create an overhead walkway over Hillsborough Avenue, and to have a MetroRapid Future Transit Station. 

In my group, I worked as the 3D and Visual modeler designed the 3D layout of the site. Using Trimble/ Google SketchUp, I was able to create a very detailed model of what my group had envisioned for the site.

Throughout the project, we went through difficulties relating to spatial planning, design, ideas, and the overall concept of the site. By working with my group, and through the guidance of Mr. Sechler and Mr. Drury, I was able to make my ideas clean and concise.

Despite the difficulties and new concepts, I had a lot of fun being a part of this program, as it involved working as a team. I was able to expand my creativity to come up with a solution to this interesting challenge.

I see Tampa as a leader in trade, commerce, infrastructure, and many more aspects. I feel that this experience has taught me many concepts of engineering and how keeping the community in mind is a key in strengthening and developing this great city.

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InVision Tampa Teams Up with Middleton High School

Today, the InVision Tampa team will launch a project with students at Middleton High School in Seminole Heights. This unique initiative will engage students in a collaborative discussion on the Nebraska-Hillsborough Corridor master planning process.

During the assignment, students will explore civil engineering, architecture, landscape and site planning options. This includes an analysis of the street, transit, stormwater, parks and green networks, and cultural frameworks. The group will meet with InVision Tampa’s global urban planners and engineers from the City of Tampa as they explore options for a one-block section on Hillsborough Ave (see photo).

The project will require students to analyze the condition of the site and provide recommendations for improving the block and the surrounding areas. Students will then create their own “master plan” for the block.

Students will present and display their work at the Nebraska Corridor Design Workshop on April 30. This workshop will be open to the public and held at the Children’s Board of Hillsborough County at 5:30 p.m. RSVP to this event at [email protected].

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Share Your Ideas!

We need your input as we add the Nebraska-Hillsborough Corridor to the Center City Plan. As a main connector to our downtown, this area is vital to our urban core’s future success. This corridor also has the opportunity to build upon its rich history and strengthen the culture of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Here’s what residents are already sharing:

“Build up around new Metro Rapid bus stops – i.e. 15th and Nebraska ... there is a lot of ugly open and unused space on both sides of Nebraska here.” –Marc B.

“Bus Rapid Transit would help move people to major points: like the Fairgrounds out east, North-South Corridors on Nebraska and Florida Ave's, Al Lopez Park and Raymond James Stadium, then the Airport and beyond. Second, a bike and running trail along the same corridor would further encourage alternate means of travel.” –Brandon B.

“I would like to see more green down Hillsborough. It is a sea of gray asphalt. Placing street trees next to a more inviting sidewalk would be a big change.” –Sam S.

What do you see for the future of the Nebraska Corridor? Answer these questions and more on our MindMixer site:

If you had a magic wand and could change anything you wanted about Nebraska Avenue, what would that be?

Where do you go when you use Hillsborough Avenue?

What most needs attention along Nebraska Avenue?

Thank you for your support!