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Ybor City CAC chair reports development projects, drainage study and slow grant processes
Summary
Ybor City CAC chair Rich Simmons updated the CRA board on capital projects including Seventh Avenue brick phases, drainage and flood mitigation study, district signage, and slow-moving grant processes and affordable housing efforts.
Rich Simmons, chair of the Ybor City Community Advisory Committee, gave a broad update to the Tampa CRA board on May 8 covering streetscape projects, flood mitigation, grants and affordable housing planning in Ybor City.
Simmons said Phase 1 of the Seventh Avenue bricking between Fifteenth and Seventeenth streets finished ahead of schedule and on budget, and phase 2 planning (Seventeenth to Nineteenth) is moving to consultant design to resolve ADA and intersection issues. "Our overall goal is to complete all 14 blocks of Seventh Avenue over the next several years," Simmons said.
He noted a drainage and flood mitigation study completed last April for the South Central section of Ybor that showed serious flooding at El Porto and areas south of the parking garage. That zone, he said, "really floods really bad" during major storms; the issue extends beyond CRA boundaries and will require broader city coordination.
Simmons described new district signage, ongoing community activation and a planned update of the CRA community redevelopment plans (CRPs) this summer using a consultant to reset priorities. He said 30% of CRA budgets are set aside for affordable housing, but so far no housing applications have been received for those funds within the district. He also reported frustration from small-business applicants about a slow and redundant grant administration process.
Board members pressed for more specific, actionable feedback. Several members suggested the CRA should take more control of communications for CRA-funded projects to ensure accurate public messaging and reduce social-media backlash about projects such as the Seventh Avenue bricks. Board member Carlson urged the CRA to post CRA announcements first so the city can share them, noting past negative reaction when project funding or purpose was unclear.
Parking and transportation were raised repeatedly. Simmons and board members discussed possible Brightline and streetcar connectivity and longer-term solutions for funding the streetcar, which the CAC and several CRAs have supported. Simmons also thanked the board for past additional streetcar funding and emphasized the importance of a sustainable funding strategy.
Simmons closed by urging the board to visit Ybor and review the district's activity; the CAC plans further public survey work to inform CRP updates, including interviewing visitors in addition to residents and workers.
