Tampa | St. Pete | Clearwater Projects

[spenser1058]

Duh Cows have decided between two firms for their OCS - Populous and Barton Malow. Only problem is it may take more than a year to raise funds for the design phase.

Given USF has been talking about a stadium since I was born, it’s probably best not to hold your breath:

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/bulls/2022/09/06/usf-eyes-barton-malow-and-populous-for-on-campus-stadium/

From The Tampa Bay Times 
 

[spenser1058]

USF St Pete has secured $15m to build a new ocean science center that will house a program to research impacts of flooding on the state:

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/555252-usf-st-petersburg-secures-15m-for-florida-flood-hub-research-site/

From Florida Politics 

 

Edited September 11, 2022 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Water Street Tampa’s Edition Hotel will soft-open shortly and it has aspirations to be Tampa’s first five-star resort:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2022/09/14/water-street-tampas-edition-hotel-restaurants-opening-next-week/

From The Tampa Bay Times 

If successful, they will pass us by on that score (Orlando’s current five-star is The Four Seasons, but, rather than downtown, it’s at Disney).

 

Edited September 14, 2022 by spenser1058

[prahaboheme]

1 hour ago, spenser1058 said:

Water Street Tampa will soft-open shortly and it has aspirations to be Tampa’s first five-star resort:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2022/09/14/water-street-tampas-edition-hotel-restaurants-opening-next-week/

From The Tampa Bay Times 

If successful, they will pass us by on that score (Orlando’s current five-star is The Four Seasons, but, rather than downtown, it’s at Disney).

 

Believe the Conrad has 5-star aspirations — yet, also Disney adjacent.

[AmIReal]

Is the Waldorf not 5 star?

[spenser1058]

There’s enough heming and hawing in this story to fill up a donkey rodeo:

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/bulls/2022/09/20/usf-football-stadium-bulls-ocs-populous-barton-malow/

From The Tampa Bay Times

There’s really not enough solid info to make one think Duh Cows are any more likely to have an OCS completed by 2026 than there have been in any of the plans going back to 1957.

 

[spenser1058]

Great feature about Tampa’s Straz Center and Judy Lisi, the woman who has made it thrive for thirty years, its  role in the renaissance of the city’s downtown and an upcoming $100 million expansion that will, among other things, turn the lobby westward toward the river:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2022/10/06/spark-that-tampa-needed-how-judy-lisis-straz-center-changed-city/

From The Tampa Bay Times 

Did you know that, even before the upcoming expansion, the Straz has six (!) theaters?
 

Edited October 7, 2022 by spenser1058

[prahaboheme]

15 hours ago, spenser1058 said:

Great feature about Tampa’s Straz Center and Judy Lisi, the woman who has made it thrive for thirty years, its  role in the renaissance of the city’s downtown and an upcoming $100 million expansion that will, among other things, turn the lobby westward toward the river:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2022/10/06/spark-that-tampa-needed-how-judy-lisis-straz-center-changed-city/

From The Tampa Bay Times 

Did you know that, even before the upcoming expansion, the Straz has six (!) theaters?
 

Fond memories at the Straz Center in the 90s when I was a budding thespian. 
While my high school, Osceola High, had a fantastic theater arts program, it was always baked in that the performing arts schools in Palm Beach and Jacksonville would take away all the annual awards (warranted or not — especially considering that a few of my cast mates went on to Rent! and the BSBs)

[spenser1058]

17 minutes ago, prahaboheme said:

Fond memories at the Straz Center in the 90s when I was a budding thespian. 
While my high school, Osceola High, had a fantastic theater arts program, it was always baked in that the performing arts schools in Palm Beach and Jacksonville would take away all the annual awards (warranted or not — especially considering that a few of my cast mates went on to Rent! and the BSBs)

In jhs, I signed up for drama classes for kids they had at Rollins in the old Fred Stone Theater (it was in bad shape even then). 

I had skipped grades and was thus about two years younger than the other junior high kids. Nevertheless, I was quite voluble so the instructor took a shine to me and announced I would be the lead. Only problem was, I would have to kiss a GIRL . I was traumatized. The classes weren’t cheap so I didn’t tell my parents I was skipping out and had to hide around Rollins each week until the end of the course.

Needless to say, that was the end of drama for me and so I switched to extemp/debate when I got to Evans.
 

Edited October 8, 2022 by spenser1058

[prahaboheme]

11 minutes ago, spenser1058 said:

In jhs, I signed up for drama classes for kids they had at Rollins in the old Fred Stone Theater (it was in bad shape even then). 

I had skipped grades and was thus about two years younger than the other junior high kids. Nevertheless, I was quite voluble so the instructor took a shine to me and announced I would be the lead. Only problem was, I would have to kiss a GIRL I was traumatized. The classes weren’t cheap so I didn’t tell my parents I was skipping out and had to hide around Rollins until the end of the course.

Needless to say, that was the end of drama for me and so I switched to extemp/debate when I got to Evans.
 

The Osceola School for the Arts has climbed, arguably, as the most competitive performing arts high school in Florida. 

There is a lot of talent in central Florida. It just needs a platform. Tupperware (a local Osceola company) helped that along tremendously.

[dcluley98]

The Straz Center and new renovation/addition to the Tampa Museum of Art with a cantilevered expansion section over the Riverwalk and Hillsborough River are going to be great projects for DT Tampa, adding onto the revitalization of DT with the Riverwalk and refurbing Hixon Park.   Downtown Tampa has been pretty dead for a while, but it is really coming back with the latest developments and projects. 

 

[spenser1058]

212’ Sky St Pete project receives final approval from the City:

https://stpeterising.com/

From St Pete Rising
 

[AmIReal]

Judge strikes down All for Transportation referendum

"The All for Transportation referendum proposes a 30-year, 1% sales tax in Hillsborough County to fund sweeping transportation and transit improvements throughout the county.
A Hillsborough County judge has struck down the All for Transportation referendum, which was supposed to be on the county’s November General Election ballot. Now... Hillsborough County residents may not be able to cast a vote on the transportation proposal. "

https://floridapolitics.com/archives/562996-judge-strikes-down-all-for-transportation-referendum/

[spenser1058]

Alexan 1700 also approved for Central Ave in St Pete. It’s 7 stories and 267 units.

https://stpeterising.com/home/2022/10/6/267-unit-apartment-building-alexan-1700-approved-for-1700-central-avenue

From St Pete Rising

[spenser1058]

The St Pete version of a rooftop bar at their new AC Hotel by Marriott :

https://stpeterising.com/home/2022/10/17/downtown-st-petes-newest-rooftop-bar-cane-barrel-to-open-in-2023

From St Pete Rising
 

Also in Downtown St Pete, the design for the Second District Court of Appeals has been released:

https://stpeterising.com/home/2022/10/18/design-revealed-for-new-second-district-court-of-appeal-courthouse-in-downtown-st-pete

From St Pete Rising
 

Edited October 18, 2022 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Tampa’s streetcar celebrates 20 years as one of the country’s most successful:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/2022/10/20/after-20-years-tampas-streetcar-is-front-row-seat-downtowns-rebirth/

From The Tampa Bay Times

A planned extension into Tampa Heights is stalled while the locals try to fund a match from FDOT. Part of the solution was supposed to be Hillsborough County’s transportation tax that was just torpedoed (as was an earlier version) by a local judge.
 

[spenser1058]

23-story condo project starts construction in Downtown St Pete:

https://stpeterising.com/home/2022/10/18/construction-begins-on-the-nolen-a-23-story-condo-tower-in-downtown-st-pete 

From St Pete Rising 
 

[spenser1058]

There they go again - even though it’s pretty much agreed that there’s no way to fund a stadium in Hillsborough County (unless the owners want to pay for it themselves), and it seemed somewhat settled that the Trop site worked best for a number of reasons, the Rays are throwing yet another Hail Mary pass, this time for a waterfront site between Ybor and Downtown Tampa.

http://www.tampabay.com/sports/rays/2022/10/21/rays-stadium-tampa-waterfront-darryl-shaw-matt-silverman/

From The Tampa Bay Times 
 

 

Edited October 22, 2022 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Tampa’s new Edition hotel wants to be something totally different for the city:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/2022/10/22/five-star-luxury-hits-tampa-edition-hotel-makes-splashy-debut/

From The Tampa Bay Times 
 

[spenser1058]

13-story boutique hotel proposed for St Pete’s EDGE District:

 

https://stpeterising.com/home/2022/10/31/13-story-boutique-hotel-with-significant-food-and-beverage-focus-revealed-for-the-edge-district

From St Pete Rising

 

 

[spenser1058]

22-story Residential Tower Approved for Downtown St Pete:
https://stpeterising.com/home/2022/12/8/22-story-residential-building-approved-for-3rd-avenue-south-in-downtown-st-pete

From St Pete Rising 

[spenser1058]

One of the biggest and most important roadway projects in Tampa is proceeding and the costs are rising apace:

http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/2022/12/14/west-shore-interchange-land-costs-jump-71-million/

From The Tampa Bay Times 

Rebuilding the West Shore interchange involves Interstate 275, SR60 and the Veterans Expressway, all just a stone’s throw from TPA. Complex is an understatement and traffic there has long been a mess.

 

[spenser1058]

A 21-story mixed use tower is proposed for the Mirror Lake district in downtown St Pete:

https://stpeterising.com/home/2022/12/14/21-story-apartment-tower-proposed-south-of-mirror-lake-in-downtown-st-pete

From St Pete Rising

Also: a new toy store kiosk on the St Pete Pier may lead to more retail for the city’s downtown

https://stpeterising.com/home/2022/12/14/downtown-st-petes-first-toy-shop-runrun-kids-store-debuts-on-the-st-pete-pier

Edited December 15, 2022 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Tampa’s City Council shoots down the proposed AC Marriott hotel tower on Harbour Island again:

http://wwww.tampabay.com/news/tampa/2022/12/16/tampa-city-council-nixes-harbour-island-hotel-second-time/

From The Tampa Bay Times

Hopefully, our proposed hotel and convention center project in South Eola has disappeared. If not, I anticipate a similar reaction from those residents.

Just because a here today, gone tomorrow developer made a bad choice of location doesn’t mean citizens have to accept it. Sense of place is everything. It’s good to see the Tampa City Council using the backbone Orlando’s old-timers lost years ago.

‘“The hotel would have created desperately needed jobs in our community, built tourism, and boosted the local economy…”’

It’s odd given Florida’s 2.7% unemployment rate to bring that tired old trope up again, especially given hospitality workers are perpetually underpaid in the state and tend to overuse what few local services the state offers. In any event, another location would create those same mediocre jobs. Let’s update our tired old excuses, shall we?

 

Edited December 19, 2022 by spenser1058

[spenser1058]

Suddenly, there are plenty of expensive proposals for new Rays stadiums 
https://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/os-sp-tampa-bay-rays-stadium-john-romano-column-20221219-2dcmetkyqvclpd2ntpdpp2wgli-story.html

From The Tampa Bay Times