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Not Another Club, Ybor Leaders Say

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By CHRISTIAN M. WADE

cwade@tampatrib.com

Published: November 18, 2008

TAMPA - Some civic leaders in Ybor City are drawing a line in the asphalt on Seventh Avenue.

They say there are enough nightclubs along Seventh Avenue and are preparing to fight a property owner's request to open a new nightspot along that stretch of the entertainment district.

Board members of the Historic Ybor Neighborhood Civic Association said they are not opposed to the existing clubs on Seventh Avenue, but they don't want more.

"The nightclubs on this block are already too much for police and code enforcement to handle due to queuing issues and crime," board members said in a statement. "This is not sustainable or attractive for our main street and central business district."

The board wants to see more restaurants and retail stores along Seventh Avenue.

"Most days, Ybor resembles a ghost town because we don't have enough activity on the street during the day," said Tony LaColla, president of the civic association.

He said nightclubs have become a magnet for crime and noise in the district.

Vince Pardo, manager of the Ybor City Development Corp., agrees.

"We have no problem with the owners opening a restaurant, but not another nightclub," he said. "There's more clubs on that one block than in any other block in Ybor City."

The property owner, Sussex Holdings II of West Sussex, England, wants to open the club at Seventh and North 17th Street, in the former Shine building. Joseph Diaz, a local attorney for Sussex, could not be reached for comment.

Not every civic leader is behind the move to fight the club.

Tom Keating, president of the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce, questions why people are protesting a business that wants to invest in the community.

He said the district is struggling with empty storefronts and a lack of investment.

"That building has been empty for a long time and we haven't had any retail interest in it," he said. "Let's look at their business concept before we run them out of town."

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Speak your mind Thursday, when the city council is scheduled to vote on a requested wet-zoning permit that would give the owner of the building approval to sell alcohol. The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in City Hall.

Reporter Christian M. Wade can be reached at (813) 259-7679.

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