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Panel adds its support to plan for complex

Developers want Central Park Village to become a mix of public housing and upscale condominiums.

By JANET ZINK
Published August 11, 2005

TAMPA - A selection committee on Wednesday recommended that the Tampa Housing Authority move forward with a developer's vision for rebuilding the Central Park Village public housing complex.

But details on finances and relocation plans for residents of the blighted neighborhood north of downtown still need to be worked out, they said.

"The Tampa Housing Authority will need to be very specific in the negotiations," said Fradique Rocha, a consultant chairing the committee.

The Central Park Group, led by developer Bill Bishop and Don Wallace, chief executive officer of Lazy Days Super RV Center, wants to use the 28-acre Central Park Village plus nearby land purchases to create a 60-acre community that blends public housing and upscale condominiums.

Dexter Barge, the county's representative on the committee, said he's concerned that the plan depends on a special taxing district to pay for roads and other infrastructure. Haggling between city and county officials over establishing such a district killed a similar proposal in 2003.

Other committee members questioned the plan's suggestion that the Housing Authority contribute its 28 acres to the project in exchange for a 33.3 percent interest in the land development effort. "Thirty-three percent of zero is zero," Rocha said.

The Central Park Group also needs to show where money for relocating residents will come from, said Leroy Moore, the Tampa Housing Authority's committee member.

Plus, Moore said, the developers promise replacement housing will be available for all Central Park residents. The existing complex has 484 public housing units, and the Central Park Group plans to build only 182. The remaining residents would need to find another type of subsidized housing, possibly using vouchers from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. But there's no guarantee HUD will give the vouchers, Moore said.

Despite concerns, committee members agreed the proposal was impressive. "This is potentially a tremendous opportunity for the residents of Central Park, for the Housing Authority, for the city and county to transform downtown," Rocha said.

Jerome Ryans, the Housing Authority's president and CEO, watched the discussions and nodded vigorously when Rocha touted the plan's uniqueness.

HUD has encouraged rebuilding public housing complexes as mixed-income neighborhoods in recent years, Ryans said after the meeting. But to his knowledge no local housing authority has proposed redeveloping public housing in a community beyond the borders of public land.

The Tampa Housing Authority board will consider the plan Tuesday.

[Last modified August 11, 2005, 00:42:17]