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With the same lack of foresight that doomed Tampa's downtown riverfront to obscurity, Tampa's Port Authority is moving to develop the last piece of open waterfront along the channel district. Port commissioners have agreed to negotiate with the Byrd Corp. on a twin 30-story condominium tower complex, to be built along the channel on the southeastern-most point of downtown. If the deal goes through as planned, the downtown waterfront along the entire district will be effectively concealed from public view.
Selling this piece of waterfront is a waste of the channel district's greatest asset. Sure, the condos would be a quality project bringing much-needed residences downtown, and the city and the port could use the money from the land sale and the property taxes. But keeping this waterfront open to the public could be a catalyst for development throughout the district. The Channelside entertainment complex, next door, is nice, but not a convenient place to watch the boat traffic and other bustle of a working waterfront. Having open space at Channelside would give the area a busy, downtown feel, which would attract residents and visitors alike.
Mayor Pam Iorio, who voted for the condo deal, is more concerned about opening the downtown waterfront near Tampa's new arts museum than she is about exploring a way to preserve the channel property as open space. It might be easier now, with Byrd's channel project moving forward, for Iorio to withdraw, as she wants, from a deal negotiated by the previous mayor that called for Byrd to build residences on the museum's waterfront. But Iorio's argument for opening the waterfront makes as much sense on the channel as it does in the arts district. This is the last available piece of land, making the argument for saving a sliver of open space even more compelling. There's probably no stopping the port project, but officials at least should use the design process to encourage the developers to create as much public space as possible.