Where do you see “Downtown” Seminole Heights?
For years, we always called the corner of Hanna and Central Ave, Downtown Seminole Heights. But over the years, we are seeing more development along our major thoroughfares. With the revitalization of Nebraska Ave, we see the corner of Osborne and Nebraska become more appealing as a major hub. Or, from Osborne and Florida all the way up to Hillsborough could make for a large commercial district. Here, you have the movie theater and many cool commercial buildings. The biggest hurdle we will face as a neighborhood is how do we get the support of the city and the business owners to make this transition happen? What are your thoughts?
(PS. I apologize for the late post, but with Fay hitting the state, travel called.)
Posted by in 20:31:39
I think you will find it much easier to transform Nebraska vs Florida. However, Florida has greater future potential as most of their structures would be tear downs.
What is up with the Beautiful at Osborne and Florida? The building for what it is, actually looked decent. However, the antique store down by the gym painte their portion Pink and torquise. It looks hideous. I know what they were hoping to do, but it did not work.
The form-based zoning workshops placed the community center at Hanna and Nebraska.
The biggest problem we have in the area are the small commercial lots and the city’s suburban-sized code requirements.
On the other hand, do you really want to bring the parking issues of SoHo into the Heights?
The parking issues in SOHO are a bit exagerated. The
code requirements, however, are the problem. If the
form based zoning is approved, the code requirements
should not be as big of a problem. To really become
exposed to serious parking issues, Seminole Heights
would have to experience an explosion of commercial
growth that frankly is not going to happen in this
economy. The example of SOHO and its expansion is an anamoly of that small window of unprecedented realty
growth of the late 90s and early 00’s.
On a Friday or Saturday night, driving down to SoHo to eat at SoHo sushi (our fave sushi joint) became so frustrating we ended up avoiding the area entirely.
We would have to drive up and down residential streets two to three blocks in looking for a spot in front of someone’s home. Imagine Idlewild avenue, cars parked up the street from Nebraska to 12, solid. Orange Blossom and Flora Vista would be similarly impacted. The lake would be enclosed in cars. That is the equivalent of what the SoHo residents deal with Thursday through Saturday night.
Maybe Seminole Heights wouldn’t get it that bad, but we as a neighborhood need to address parking issues before they become one.
Will form based zoning help take care of the some of the ugly existing businesses or will they get grandfathered in? I am all for better zoning rules but am worried it won’t make that much of a difference if the auto repair places, hubcap shops and car dealers don’t have to comply.
Does anyone know who the Chairperson for the association(s) would be for the form based zoning?
#6 - It will have zero impact on existing businesses. Even historic district zoning would have zero impact. Zoning only comes into play when you want to make exterior changes. So if a new business buys an ugly building, they will have to meet zoning to modify the building.
However, with form-based zoning, it is more likely they’ll be able to do more with a given lot than under current zoning. Form-based is less proscriptive.
If a few businesses take advantage of this in the central shopping area, it’ll increase the value of that property and eventually lead to turnover and improvement.
#7 - for OSHNA it is the Land Use committee chairperson. Their contact information is on the website.
The form based zoning will never work and here is why. Currently, there are codes and zoning rules pertaining to land use and change of business. Once a building is sold and new occupants change the orignal use, they should at that time be required to bring the building up to code. I.e handicapped accessible, parking, etc. However, for years, we have seen building that were restaurants turn into churches, warehouses turn to day cares, garages turn into funeral homes. Most slap a coat of paint and open over night. All without a care or second glance from the city. Look at SHIP. They take a warehouse and have done nothing to better the lot. With it changing, they should have been required to hard surface the parking lot. Instead they park on the grass, it looks like crap and the city does nothing. Who will enforce these new form based zoning codes. The city, a committee? I don’t see it working unless the city will back it up.
You are confusing several things as “zoning”.
There is a list of acceptable uses for certain kinds of zoning. There’s R-60, which is a residential zoning. Much of Seminole Heights commercial is “CI” which is “commercial intensive” (the most generous and industrial sort of commercial zoning.)
Zoning is an attempt to make rational choices about where certain kinds of commercial, residential, and mixed uses can go. It does not directly address parking lot materials or other types of building materials, ramps, or electrical standards.
If a new property owner goes to the city to change use under form-based zoning (or any other kind of zoning), the city will require certain forms and possibly hearings and variances from them for it.
I guess the point would be– If the city can’t police the current code issues such as the parking, handicap, etc. How are they going to police the additional zoning? The City does not employee the brightest and most energetic bunch of employees.
form based zoning does not place importance on USE.
Take for instance, Cappy’s; they would not have had to
pay an obsence amount of money to petition the city and
rezone to a PD. They could have maintained as a
commercial building.
The problems with Soho have been building for over 15 years.
Believe it or not, parking is a good problem to have. It
means that your neighborhood businesses and active, you
as a resident can walk to dinner or shopping and your property values have skyrocketed.
Soho has ZERO public parking except for on neighborhood
streets. The best thing the City of Tampa can do to help
revitalize Sem Hi is to allow parrellel parking on Florida,
south of Hills during the evenings and weekends. This would
help; Cappy’s, Bistro, and the Florida Osborne building.
As for the center of Sem Hi. Florida Avenue is primed and
ready.
The city has no voice in the use of Florida Ave….it is an FDOT road and will comply with their way of thinking - IE: NO on-street parking…..unless the city were to take ownership and upkeep expense then there may be some valid conversations about on-street parking.
#9
The use for the SHIP building - essentially office and storage of materials and equipment (warehouse) would only require X number of parking spots which I am sure the current paved parking covers. the fact that they have service vans parked in their side fenced lot has no impact on the parking requirements/hardscape as it relates to use. Now as to the looks….that’s another conversation.
#8
As someone who took part in the form based meetings held at the garden center I can specifically say that the local historic district zoning/guidelines will take precedent over any new form based zoning that may be coming down the pike.
There is no way the SHIp building parking should have passed unless if there were only 6-8 employees. For the hard surface, there is only 6-8 spots max. That would not allow for any guest at all. Their employees are parking on the dirt and grass, which in turn makes for an ugly site that will constantly hold that corner back. They have been terrible neighbors from the get go. While they serve a good purpose, I hope they end up going out of business, or stepping up to make their part of the neighborhood more pleasant. Sorry to be so harsh, but I am sick and tired of all of us working our asses off to have some commercial business set us back 5-10 years. If the city would step up, grow a pair, thing would improve. Yes, they may catch hell for a while, but before long, it would become the norm.