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Church wants parking lot where city wants ball field

St. James thought the city couldn't refuse an offer to part with 6 acres of land, but it did. Tampa favors using it for sports.

By RODNEY THRASH
Published March 20, 2005

TAMPA PALMS - Last summer, St. James United Methodist Church raised $1-million in 10 days so it could buy 21 acres northeast of their Bruce B. Downs Boulevard campus. At the time, church members said they weren't done.

What about the nearly 6 acres behind a fire station also on Bruce B. Downs, some asked. From St. James' perspective, the land, which the city of Tampa owned, was perfect for a parking lot.

Church officials made Tampa an offer they thought the city couldn't refuse. In exchange for the 6-acre parcel, St. James would give the city a portion of its newly acquired 21 acres.

Not so fast, Tampa park officials said last week.

"We would rather keep the 6 acres," said Wayne Papy, Tampa's deputy parks director.

In an area that craves additional playing fields, parks director Karen Palus said "we'd be able to accommodate a full-size soccer-football field" on the 6-acre property.

To be exact, not all of the land would be devoted to ball fields. About 1.4 acres is wetlands, or undevelopable. That leaves 4.3 acres for a lighted soccer-football field, parking and restrooms. St. James is offering the city about 3 acres.

Tampa can achieve "the exact same use and number of parking spaces on the alternate property that we own," said Toxey Hall, a Heidt & Associates engineering firm executive vice president who sits on St. James' building committee. "The city's property is closer to our sanctuary than the property we own. So we prefer the city's property."

Hall said what Tampa owns "is at the end of a dead end driveway. The city is better served by the alternate location."

Maybe so, but "we have a requirement and a responsibility to the community," Palus said.

Under Tampa's plan, it would cost half a million dollars to construct the combined soccer-football field. The project isn't funded. The city has already earmarked more than $800,000 toward the design of a multipurpose gymnastics facility in that area.

"As our facilities get prioritized through the budget process, we'll know whether (the field) will be fully funded or (if) we'll look at the following year," Palus said.

The city is awaiting a new proposal from the church developer before it decides to accept or reject St. James' offer. But there is already a design for a park on the land St. James wants. It was last updated March 3.

Whatever the outcome, St. James officials said they will be happy.

"It is not the end of the world one way or the other," Hall said. "This is not a make or break thing."

"All the land that we've gotten," the Rev. Brian James said, "has been a gift of God."

- Rodney Thrash can be reached at 813 269-5313 or rthrash@sptimes.com

[Last modified March 19, 2005, 08:39:05]