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Tampa CRA board approves purchase of East Tampa parcel after CAC concerns
Summary
The Tampa CRA board approved moving forward on an East Tampa property assemblage despite earlier Community Advisory Committee (CAC) questions about environmental and stormwater information; the parcel size was clarified during the meeting.
The Tampa Community Redevelopment Agency board voted May 8 to move forward on an East Tampa property acquisition tied to a broader assemblage strategy aimed at future housing development.
The item, listed as agenda item 6, drew questions from East Tampa CAC members and residents who asked for more environmental, stormwater and valuation data before a purchase. Fran Tate, Jackson Heights Neighborhood Association president and East Tampa CAC member, urged the board to pull the item earlier and said CAC members had not received requested documentation about potential brownfield or toxic substances on the property. "We still have not received all the necessary items that we wanted to receive back," Tate said during public comment.
Cedric McCray, Tampa CRA director, told the board staff had followed up with real estate and relevant city departments after the CAC raised concerns in March and that the agencies had returned "inconclusive information" but no identified impacts. McCray said inquiries to FDEP, stormwater and wastewater returned nothing indicating contamination. He said the parcel sits north of Palafox properties the CRA is assembling and would be considered together with those holdings.
The parcel size was discussed on the record. McCray initially described the site as a "1.8 acre" parcel when outlining the assemblage. When asked by a board member for the exact acreage, staff answered "0.8 acres — so a little under an acre." The board proceeded with a motion to move the item; the motion carried after a voice vote.
East Tampa CAC chair Jeffrey Johnson and multiple residents who testified during public comment stressed the need for stronger CAC engagement, earlier distribution of materials, and clearer community processes. Allison Hewitt, a resident and business owner, warned the CRA policies risk accelerating gentrification in East Tampa, saying grant and financing requirements favor businesses that already have capital rather than neighborhood-based owners.
Board members acknowledged those concerns during the discussion. Chair Eileen Henderson and others said the CRA would continue public engagement on assembled parcels; McCray said the staff had held an additional community meeting between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. with no questions raised concerning the parcel that was approved.
The board did not record a roll-call vote in the public transcript; the clerk called for voices and the motion "carried." The file indicates the CRA will include this parcel as part of its East Tampa assemblage and continue public visioning on the block with planning staff and community input.
Board members and residents asked staff to continue sharing project trackers and documentation with CAC members earlier in the cycle so volunteers can take information back to neighborhoods before board votes.
