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The City of Tampa announced on Tuesday the selection of a design and planning firm to develop the master plan for downtown and the surrounding neighborhoods.
AECOM, a global consulting company, will be tasked to study the “Downtown Area”, which is considered to be the area within two miles of the center of downtown. They will also study the area between Nebraska Avenue and 22nd Street from downtown Tampa to Hillsborough Avenue. This area offers an opportunity for a “primary transit corridor” according to the City.
As significant as this study will be, it is important to know that AECOM’s work will build off the Urban Land Institute study that was completed in October.
"The completion of this plan will give us a blueprint for the development of our downtown and the adjoining neighborhoods for the next 20 years," said Mayor Bob Buckhorn in a statement. "Together, with the recent Urban Land Institute panel and the active input of all of the neighborhood stakeholders, this is a process that will be built from the ground up."
Much of the study’s budget is from a $1.18 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Originally, the money was set aside to plan for Tampa’s high-speed rail station. Following Gov. Rick Scott’s rejection of the federal money committed to a high-speed rail line from Tampa to Orlando, the City of Tampa was able to retain the grant for a corridor master plan.
The AECOM study picks up nearly all of the central city neighborhoods targeted by the ULI study. While the ULI study provided a vision and advice for future plans and land-use patterns, AECOM will provide a more detailed analysis of what is possible. Think of it as the difference between a 300-page playbook and a ten-page game plan. Ultimately, the City of Tampa will have a set of priorities for economic development in areas like the Channel District, East Tampa and Southeast Seminole Heights. Mayor Buckhorn told Tampa Bay On Track earlier this month that the City is moving forward on some of these priorities.
AECOM is expected to begin their study in 2012, with a timeline of 18-24 months for the study. It could be several years before the suggestions of AECOM and ULI are executed, but the City deserves credit for focusing on long term success in the face of state political opposition and short term interests.
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