The Riverwalk and Tampa's Future

With great fanfare the City of Tampa launched the Tampa Riverwalk project for downtown. Lots of area residents have griped about what they call a misplaced emphasis on the downtown area. We think they are just not quite getting what this is all about. It is about YOUR neighborhood.

When you live in Carrollwood or SOG (South of Gandy) or Brandon that seems like a lot of b.s. doesn't it ? Well it is not.

Look around. The demand for housing is continuing to soar. The past few years appreciation proves that. More and more people are moving to the Tampa area. They are jamming our roads and schools and our water/sewage lines.

Why downtown ? Because the infrastructure is already in place. The roads are there, the property is there. The same for Old West Tampa and East Tampa. The appreciation in these areas has been outrageous as well. You can see renovations and tear downs already happening in these areas that have stood idle for so long.

As Mayor Iorio says "downtown is everybody's neighborhood." When we have a nationally televised event in Tampa what is shown ? The downtown skyline.

We do not always agree with the Mayor. The sound ordinance in Ybor is too restrictive, (we wish she would stand on 7th Avenue and hear where the db levels are currently set), the failure to effectively monitor some of the development is concerning (like allowing 4 townhouses to be built on what was a single family lot and allowing the townhouses to have entrances on an alley, her failure to designate Kiley Park as a historic landmark (even though National Historic groups have requested it), and the sometimes slip ups in the administration in dealing with the elected city council. However, on Riverwalk, she has shown a vision for Tampa that will last a lot longer than you and I. An elected official with vision - what a great idea.

The idea of The Riverwalk is not very complex. It is a waterfront, open to the public park designed to provide thought about Tampa's past, our environment, and our community. But most importantly it is designed to connect all of downtown together.

With the majority of the infrastructure already in place, the residential renaissance in downtown will generate buckets of cash through tax dollars for City and County coffers. And it will create an attractive and welcoming environment for all of Tampa's residents and visitors. Our only complaint is: we wish it was complete now.