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Hyde Park Village's Prospects Unclear

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By MICHAEL H. SAMUELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 15, 2007

Updated: 12/15/2007 02:16 am

TAMPA - The future of Hyde Park Village might be cloudier than ever.

A day after Tampa City Council members failed to vote conclusively after 6 1/2 hours of debate about plans to revitalize the 20-year-old shopping area, it still was unclear what would happen next.

The council's 3-2 tally favoring redevelopment was a single vote short of approval. The members will address the matter again Thursday. If the plans do not pass, village owner Wasserman Realty Capital might abandon or sell the village.

"I have lots of options," company principal David Wasserman said. "I don't know what I'm going to do."

About 200 Hyde Park residents attended Thursday night's hearing, which spilled into Friday morning. They were almost evenly split for or against the proposals.

Council members Tom Scott, Gwen Miller and Joseph Caetano voted to approve the plans to add 163 residences spread over two condominium towers; Councilwomen Linda Saul-Sena and Mary Mulhern opposed the $100 million village makeover.

Councilman Charlie Miranda was absent for the vote and Councilman John Dingfelder abstained, recusing himself because he is a former tenant of the village and only last month moved his law offices three doors away.

On Friday, Dingfelder said he stayed up until 1:30 a.m. watching the hearing at home.

He said he would have tried to find a compromise between the developer's plans and the neighborhood's desire for shorter buildings with fewer residences.

"I think they could have reduced the total height of both buildings," Dingfelder said. "At the end of the day, listening to all the evidence, listening to the community, my community, I think they could have not just reduced the top, but pull an entire floor of condos off of that project. I could have been comfortable with that."

The plans call for the former Sunrise Cinema building on Swann Avenue to be replaced with a 90-foot tower with 85 residences, 46,501 square feet of office and retail space, including a grocery, and 348 parking spaces.

The former Brooks Bros. building would become an 80-foot tower with 78 residences, 43,530 square feet of retail and office space, and 263 parking spaces.

In addition to the two towers, Wasserman wants to build offices and a gourmet grocery.

Many Hyde Park residents, however, have opposed the project since its unveiling almost two years ago. The city's Architectural Review Commission has rejected the plans three times, most recently in November when it found the latest version of the project out of character with the historical neighborhood.

Mulhern said it was the commission's denial, along with her views of the city code, that led her to oppose the project.

"Why do we have historic guidelines if the staff is not going to abide by them?" Mulhern said.

Saul-Sena, who made a motion to approve the project and later recanted, said she was conflicted on the project to the point of feeling ill.

She said she liked the design of the project, but ultimately sided with Mulhern because the plans were so much taller than any nearby buildings and were out of context with the neighborhood.

"It is our job to interpret the code," she said. "This is so hard. It is absolutely the hardest case."

Scott said he voted for the project because it complied with city and historic district guidelines, according to reports by city staff, the Hillsborough Planning Commission and Architectural Review Commission staff.

Caetano, who made his feelings about the project known early during the hearing, said the city needed to approve the project.

"If we don't have this revitalization, the village will not be successful," he said. "Tampa will never be the next great city if we vote no to a project like yours."

Miranda said Friday that he has not had a chance to review the tape and did not watch the council hearing on television.

More than 30 years ago, Miranda was on the council and voted to approve the original Hyde Park Village plans.

Back then he was on the opposite side of the fence than Saul-Sena, who was an urban planner opposing the project.

"Hyde Park is one of the most wonderful places in the city to live," Miranda said.

Reporter Michael H. Samuels can be reached at (813) 835-2109 or msamuels@tampatrib.com.

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