About 70 neighbors meet to discuss likes and dislikes. Some are developing a plan to guide the community's growth.
By RON MATUS
Published May 16, 2003
Davis Islands is . . . ?
"Oasis," one resident said. "Mayberry Island," offered another.
Fred Jones cupped his hand around his chin. He squinted.
"One word?" he asked the local planner who posed the question. "How about 50 words?"
No, just one, the planner said. So Jones did his best. He uncupped, and unsquinted, and finally settled on: "pleasantness."
"Pleasant to live, pleasant to walk, pleasant to play," he said, when asked to elaborate.
Jones was one of about 70 residents who took part in the exercise at a planning workshop last week at Davis Islands Baptist Church. The workshop was the next step for a group of residents developing a neighborhood plan that will guide growth. The question was designed to help them decide what they like and don't like.
Other South Tampa communities, including Tampa Heights and Port Tampa, have tackled similar plans, which address everything from traffic and zoning to parks and crime.
Davis Islands residents involved with the process have been talking about issues since last summer.
They hope to put their plan to a communitywide vote next year.
The May 8 meeting sought to define the values beneath the issues.
To do that, planners showed residents photos of Davis Islands and asked what they liked. They asked them to map routes from their homes to work or play, and say if they encountered problems with traffic.
Then they asked for a word or two to sum up the Davis Islands experience.
Joan Bartelstone's pick: "Oasis."
It's beautiful and separate from "the mainland," said Bartelstone, a retired philosophy professor. "That's the whole point."
"Mayberry Island" was Barbara Guyton's choice.
"That's what it is," said Guyton, who moved from Harbour Island two years ago. "It's like the '50s."
Kids can roam without parents worrying too much, she said. There's the dog beach, which is great if you own two bichon frises. And now there's a restaurant that serves sushi.
"Everything you need," she said.
Knowing what residents value - their likes and dislikes about their neighborhood - will help local officials make better decisions, said Terry Cullen, a team leader with the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission, which helped organize the meeting.
For example, Davis Islands residents are steamed about speeders, he said. So, to address that, local officials could install speed bumps.
But if residents hate speeders because they value walking and bicycling, or because they want to ensure a safe place for kids, then local officials might need a broader solution, maybe one that includes bike lanes and crosswalks, Cullen said.
Planning officials took their own stabs at the "Davis Islands is . . ."question.
One said, "Casablanca," Cullen said. "Mediterranean."
"Come to Davis Islands, the modern-day Casablanca," he said, "a waterfront oasis of Mediterranean homes."
