The best laid plans deserve applause

Editorial

Because of the big gap between mere growth and the kind of buildings and projects a community will long be proud of, the Hillsborough City-County Planning Commission has for 29 years recognized the best designs and architecture.

This year the top awards presented at the appointed board's annual awards banquet went to the gorgeous Glazer Children's Museum in Tampa; the outline for a revitalized business district in Temple Terrace; and the exciting, mixed-use Encore project between Ybor City and downtown Tampa.

Of the many awards presented, these three impressed the independent panel of judges as most likely to make outstanding contributions to the community. These designs really work.

The Glazer Children's Museum, the product of Gould Evans and J.O. DeLotto and Sons, was described by judge Kathie Ebaugh, a planner with Lee County government, as more than the ultimate kids' museum. She also was impressed by its exterior beauty and setting.

It adjoins Curtis Hixon Park, which itself won a design award last year. The museum is a visual relief from those unlovable commercial boxes, surrounded by asphalt, in which so much of today's commerce takes place.

Perhaps someone will take on the challenge of how to more safely separate the young museum patrons traipsing through Poe Garage from motorists rushing through the congested lanes in search of a parking spot. That seems like an award waiting to be won.

A second outstanding project, Temple Terrace Multi-Modal District & Design Guidelines, is described as an innovative urban development with sidewalks, bike paths, bus stops and pedestrian-oriented development. Judge Mary Kay Peck of MK Peck Associates of Clearwater was impressed by its pay-as-you-go strategy.

The master plan for Encore also won praise as the kind of project that can help businesses compete, lower the pressure on taxpayers and still be an inspiring place to work or live. Encore is a public-private partnership between the Tampa Housing Authority and the Bank of America Community Development Corporation (Central Park Development Group, LLC).

"To see Encore move forward through these economic times reinforces the strength of solid planning and public-private partnerships," said judge Merle Bishop, president of the American Planning Association's Florida branch.

Encore is on a 28-acre site west of Nebraska Avenue and, like the Temple Terrace project, is designed to take advantage of transit.

There had been talk of abandoning the ceremony this year to save money, but Bob Hunter, the executive director of the City-County Planning Commission, and others made a strong case for keeping it. The business community agreed. Sponsorships and ticket sales financed the entire awards' banquet this year at no public expense.

Hunter is right that, "In these extremely difficult fiscal times, it's very important to continue to recognize quality work and values that improve the quality of life in our communities."

Last year an award for urban infill went to US AmeriBank for its renovation of one of downtown Tampa's historic buildings. It's an appropriately dignified home for bank offices and has a reassuring feeling of permanence so often lacking in modern architecture.

Architects and planners are forced to save money however they can, but when they manage to stay within budget and still produce places our descendants will want to preserve, let's hope we always take a moment to salute the achievement.