Tampa Bay Water lists sites to relocate

The agency is studying whether to renew its lease in Clearwater next year or build an office in North Pinellas.

By MEGAN SCOTT
© St. Petersburg Times
published April 22, 2003

Tampa Bay Water has narrowed its list of 16 possible sites for its new administrative office to five North Pinellas locations, two in Oldsmar.

Tampa Bay Water notified Oldsmar in a letter last week that the SouthTrust Bank building and a site on Pine Avenue were two of the agency's top choices, based on location, price, environmental constraints and access. The three other sites are in East Lake, northern Clearwater and Safety Harbor.

"I'd like to see them in Oldsmar," Mayor Jerry Beverland said. "Tampa Bay Water, city of Oldsmar. I like the sound of that."

Stonebridge Park, the Cushman Wakefield site and the Pine Avenue site are office park-type locations.

The lease for Tampa Bay Water's administrative offices in Clearwater ends in February 2004.

The agency pays $459,000 a year in rent, including $25,000 in property taxes and building maintenance, which includes things such as air conditioning and utilities.

"Since our lease is up in February 2004 we really need to look at this point so we can move in a timely fashion," said Paula Dye, chief environmental planner for Tampa Bay Water. "This was really prompted by the fact that our current lease is ending."

Tampa Bay Water also is considering renewing its existing lease. The agency has leased its 25,000-square-foot space at 2535 Landmark Drive for more than 18 years.

A renewal proposal offers to extend the lease on the entire office building with an additional 2,509 square feet by up to 10 years, with an option to renew for 10 additional years. The rate would start at $494,963 per year for the first three years and would escalate to $521,361 per year for years seven through 10.

Purchasing property and constructing an office on any of the five sites would cost $4.3-million to $6.7-million, according to a study done by the URS Corp.

"That's very similar to the lease costs over a 15- to 20-year period," Dye said. "After that time, Tampa Bay Water would own the asset and no longer have that recurring cost. I think that's why the board may have wanted us to pursue looking at this more closely."

Tampa Bay Water only considered sites within 4 miles from its current location. It is looking for a building in the 26,000- to 30,000-square-foot range. There are about 55 employees who work in the administrative office.

At its meeting Monday, the board of directors instructed the agency to move forward with further analyzing the five sites.

"We'll look at site plan, questions on each particular site in a little more detail," Dye said. "We will look at costs in more detail, permitting requirements."

The Pine Avenue site is just north of Tampa Road near the Wal-Mart Supercenter. The site is offered on a design and build basis. The total estimated project cost is $4.3-million. The vacant SouthTrust Bank building, which the city owns, is on State Street. The company would demolish the structure and build its own.

"Probably the most important spot where they'd get the best visibility would be the bank building," Beverland said. "With any luck, they'll choose the bank building."

But they may not.

According to the URS report, the site in Safety Harbor "has a superior set of amenities and an attractive aesthetic setting," with its location within walking distance of the downtown core near restaurants.

The problem with three of the locations, Safety Harbor, East Lake and downtown Oldsmar, is parking, Dye said. All three locations could require either a garage or an additional surface parking area.

Beverland said the city has considered building a parking garage downtown.

"One of the things we need to be sure of is we have adequate parking, for our current staff and visitors," Dye said. "One of the things we'll look at is, does the site require a parking garage or not."

Dye said the more detailed analysis of the sites will take place over the next couple of months. She estimates Tampa Bay Water will not move until winter of 2005.

"We recognize that all of this analysis and engineering design will take longer than (February 2004)," she said.

"After we finish the further level of evaluation and compare it to the lease cost, we will go to the board with the next recommendation."

-- Megan Scott can be reached at (727) 445-4183 or mscott@sptimes.co .

Possible sites for Tampa Bay Water headquarters

The five "most favorable" sites, in no particular order, for Tampa Bay Water's new administrative offices:

EAST LAKE -- Stonebridge Park at Boot Ranch on East Lake Road, north of the Shoppes of Boot Ranch shopping center.

OLDSMAR -- The west side of Pine Avenue, one parcel north of Tampa Road next to the Wal-Mart Supercenter.

CLEARWATER -- Cushman Wakefield property on the north side of Enterprise Road between Countryside Boulevard and Main Street.

SAFETY HARBOR -- Safety Harbor Tucker Mansion on the corner of Philippe Parkway just north of Main Street near the Safety Harbor Spa in the central business district.

OLDSMAR -- State Street, downtown Oldsmar, the former SouthTrust Bank building.

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