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Council approves revised University of Tampa leases with conditions for Plant Park and McKay Auditorium
Summary
Tampa City Council approved revised lease agreements with the University of Tampa covering Plant Park and the land under McKay Auditorium, adding conditions on public access hours, a reverter if McKay stops university use and a public reservation process for Plant Park.
Tampa City Council voted unanimously to approve revised lease terms for the city-owned Plant Park and the land beneath McKay Auditorium, formalizing public-use procedures and adding conditions aimed at protecting the city’s long-term interests.
The moves follow a staff presentation outlining the city’s historical and legal ties to the University of Tampa and months of negotiation. Abby Feeley, administrator for Development and Economic Opportunity, told council that “the city does own Plant Hall, Plant Park, and the land located under McKay Auditorium,” and summarized the negotiation history that led to the updated agreements.
The new Plant Park lease is written as a 25-year agreement (staff said a park lease longer than 25 years would require a voter referendum). The lease continues to make the university responsible for maintenance and liability insurance and formalizes an online reservation system for public use. Feeley said the updated lease “acknowledges that a portion of the park will be used for the reconstruction, renovation of the trail” as part of the West Riverwalk project, and staff added language addressing park access hours tied to the Riverwalk design.
Dennis Fernandez, manager of Architectural Review and Historic Preservation, reviewed the site’s preservation status, noting Plant Hall and the surrounding grounds are on the National Register of Historic Places, were designated a National Historic Landmark and are a local historic landmark whose boundary was expanded to include Plant Park in 2001. Fernandez described Plant Park’s historic landscape and why preservation designations constrain the range of allowable changes to keep the park as a “grand lawn” setting for the Henry B. Plant Museum.
University officials told council they already invest significant resources in the site. Teresa Dahlberg, president of the University of Tampa, said the university spends “over $2,500,000 of the university’s money every year to maintain and support Plant Hall, Plant Park and the Henry B. Plant Museum,” and highlighted the institution’s role in maintaining campus infrastructure and the Riverwalk easement that allows public access across university-owned property.
On McKay Auditorium, staff described a separate 10-year lease at a nominal rent of $10 per year in which the university has maintained, reconstructed and operated the building for university purposes. Under the approved amendment, the lessee may elect to take title to the McKay parcel within one year of the lease amendment; council added a reverter condition drafted by staff so that, if the property ceases to be used for university purposes, title would revert to the city.
Friends of Plant Park raised preservation concerns during public comment. Mimi Graham, representing that group, said the volunteers sought to “restore the park to the time of Henry B. Plant” and asked that the park remain largely unchanged, saying, “We feel we’re very happy to have anybody use the park, but we’d like to keep it the way it is and with no drastic changes.”
Councilmembers spoke in support of the updated agreements but emphasized the need for safeguards. Several members cited the city’s history of granting long-term interests in public property and welcomed the added reverter language for McKay and the formal reservation process and park-hour language for Plant Park. Feeley told council that staff had added two conditions she recommended: the McKay reverter and language allowing the city to request use of Plant Park during the midnight–5 a.m. period (the Riverwalk-related hours staff proposed for closure are midnight to 5 a.m.).
After the public hearing was closed, councilmember Miranda moved to approve the changes with the staff revisions; councilmember Carlson seconded. The motions passed unanimously.
Council members and staff said the approvals preserve the city’s historic assets while recognizing the university’s ongoing maintenance role and the practical realities of integrating Plant Park and nearby Riverwalk infrastructure into the public realm. Council set the second reading/adoption dates that staff typically use for administrative items (staff-provided notices on second-reading scheduling were included in the packet).
