Apartments will replace old Port Tampa factory

For more than 20 years, Wenczel Tile produced high-quality ceramic tile for kitchens, bathrooms and floors.

But the 11.3-acre factory at 6608 S. West Shore Blvd. in Port Tampa has been vacant since the company filed for bankruptcy in 1993.

More than 18 years after its last signs of life, the site is poised for redevelopment.

Jefferson Apartment Group plans to replace it with a 246-unit apartment complex. The project includes four three-story apartment buildings on 10 of the acres.

The other acre of the site, which isn't owned by Jefferson Apartment Group, likely will be used for a restaurant.

The apartment project is pending final approval by the Tampa City Council on Thursday.

Al Steenson, president of the nearby Gandy/Sun Bay South Civic Association, said the apartments will replace an eyesore.

"It's been a haven for neighborhood kids, and it's not secure," he said. "When you look at the development directly across the street, Casa Bella, if you own or rent and look out your window, you're looking at the ugly manufacturing plant. It's not creating jobs, doing anything."

The factory used to be great for the community.

"Wenczel is one of the icons in Port Tampa," Port Tampa resident Jill Buford said. "It was a major business here for a long time and it employed people here in Port Tampa."

"People that lived here could walk to work, and they brought in income for the people of the neighborhood," said Carol Curtiss, who has lived in Port Tampa for nearly 40 years.

Curtiss said the factory began as Tiffany Tile in 1952 and changed to Wenczel in the 1960s.

Wenzel produced a quality product, Curtiss said.

"For about 15 years I was a studio artist in Ybor where we did custom hand-painted tile work," she said. "And the product we worked on was Wenczel tile. It's just a fine product."

The site hasn't been productive in years.

The idea of apartments replacing the factory has been floated for a long time, Buford said. Now the project is closer to reality.

Buford said she believes the apartments will be a long-term asset. Port Tampa residents didn't raise objections, though some residents have concerns about dramatic population growth, Buford said.

Residents recognized redevelopment was inevitable, and from what they know of the new project they believe it will be an asset, Curtiss said.

The apartment project needed to come before council members because the developer is seeking approval to move the apartments closer to West Shore than now allowed.

On Dec. 8, in their first vote, council members voted in favor of the project.