Your article concerning condos and retail in Channelside is way off base. The proposed site is nothing more than an ugly parking lot, and there is no water view from the street or other lofts. Downtown Tampa is begging for development/redevelopment, and this is the seed needed to begin just that.
It's great that there are some existing old warehouses being converted, but it will take more than that to vitalize the area. There aren't too many of them available, and they are rather ugly. They don't compare at all to those fabulous old brick warehouse/condos in Atlanta.
Tampa is many years behind Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville, etc., in providing some sort of artsy in-town living. Just keep knocking all the new proposals that come along, and Tampa will remain in the dark ages. It takes people of all incomes to make a venture such as needed here to make it work.
People are b--ing about losing a water view. Umm. There is a beautiful new waterfront park next to the Marriott Waterside, but I have yet to see more than a few people there. Usually it is empty.
Oh, yes, leaving the lot there for valet parking is really important - and attractive. Waterfront for a parking lot? I do believe a deal could be worked out with the city parking garage to use space for valet.
Let's let the ball start rolling to develop this special downtown district. It can do nothing but help Channelside and further the needed development. It p--- me off that every development of this type in the city of Tampa has a group with an agenda against it. Perhaps some minds can be changed, and Tampa can finally become a part of the 21st century.
-- Douglas Mann, South Westshore
Grocery site criticism was right on the mark
Susan Thurston's Sept. 26 commentary, Don't fill grocery void here, made very good points about the inappropriateness of putting a Kash n' Karry on the shore of Tampa Bay. Tampa should preserve its waterfront views for all residents, present and future, and not sell them away forever to wealthy condo dwellers.
I'm a resident of the Channel District and I attended the developer's presentation at the aquarium on Sept. 17. They made their grocery store idea seem like a humanitarian effort for the poor starving citizens of Harbour Island. Like they'd perish if they had to drive another block to get groceries without a water view. They made it seem as if the Publix, which is just as close on the other side of the island, doesn't exist. And the same developers actually built a high rise on Harbour Island and somehow forgot to put the grocery in that building. Like duh! I guess now they figure the poor folks out there are getting hungry.
The chunk of land next to Channelside may be worth $10-million but is that what the Port Authority actually paid for it? Would they lose any actual money if they just made a park out of it? Certainly, Bayshore Boulevard would be worth a bunch of money if the city closed it and sold it to condo developers. But is that such a smart idea?
-- Jeff Whipple, Channel District
Car-purchase story was uplifting, heartwarming
Re: Birthday surprise: a childhood memory, Sept. 26.
Just had to tell you that the article about the man that bought his late father-in-law's car for his wife has to be one of the most heartwarming and uplifting stories I have read in recent memory.
Thank you for publishing it, and I hope you can find more like it. I believe the world needs more stories of this kind, and I wish the video news outlets would follow your example.
-- Joe Toner, Homosassa
[Last modified October 16, 2003, 12:53:36]
