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A blue ribbon year

From Ray Charles Avenue to S.O.G., take a look at some noteworthy nuggets and dubious distinctions from 2005.

By SHERRI DAY
Published December 30, 2005

It was a year of grandiose plans, promises and a few occurrences of the unbelievable. As we prepare to bid adieu to 2005, City Times reflects on the events that affected our neighborhoods and residents.

Here are some of the year's biggest and best local events, in no particular order.

Best Dog Fight: Palma Ceia Playground and Dog Park

Neighbors squared off against neighbors in this battle over whether to close a dog park at Marti and San Nicholas streets in Palma Ceia Park. About a dozen residents claimed the park caused traffic and parking problems and was a source of noise, foul odors and debris. Park supporters touted the park's values and claimed it brought neighbors together. Unable to negotiate, the two sides and the city wound up in Hillsborough County Court. The debate ended in October, when the parties reached a settlement.

Under terms of the deal, the city's Parks and Recreation Department agreed to shorten the dog park's operating hours and move it away from homeowners and closer to the Lee Roy Selmon Crosstown Expressway. Park officials plan to have a grand opening of the newly renovated dog park and playground at 11 a.m. Jan. 14.

Best Water Down the Drain: new stormwater fees

Few places in the city stand to benefit more from stormwater drainage improvements than South Tampa. In September, the City Council voted to triple the city's stormwater taxes from $12 to $36 a year.

The increase took effect in October. Officials plan to use the money to fund 34 stormwater improvement projects citywide, including an upgrade at Dale Mabry Highway between Henderson Boulevard and Neptune Street. Perhaps soon there will be no need for canoes on Bayshore Boulevard after heavy rains.

Best Cinderella Story: S.O.G.

No longer South Tampa's ugly stepsister, real estate south of Gandy Boulevard, S.O.G., and west of MacDill Avenue is booming with development. Several new townhouse communities and subdivisions have popped up in Sun Bay South and Port Tampa. More are on the way.

In May, developers of the Westshore Yacht Club broke ground on a new community at West Shore Boulevard and Tyson Avenue. Once completed, it will have 537 single-family homes, townhomes and condominiums. Prices range from $500,000 to $3.3-million.

Across Tyson Avenue, New Port Tampa Bay will rise. The 53-acre community will have 1,750 homes, a 250-unit boat slip and marina, and several shops and restaurants. Prices range from $350,000 to $2-million.

Biggest Pie In the Sky: O2 condo project

In the end, O2 at Pinnacle Place's dramatic design led to its downfall. As initially proposed, the 41-story project near the Channel District would have drastically altered downtown Tampa's skyline. Local developer Frank DeBose and Corvus International of Birmingham, Mich., had planned to erect a 53-story space needle next to the condominiums. But that idea fizzled when the Federal Aviation Administration said the building was too tall and would affect traffic at the Peter O. Knight Airport on nearby Davis Islands.

Earlier this month, marketing for the new community ceased. But Ken Morin, a local developer involved in the project, insists the project still lives. Plans are under way to reconfigure the development into three 30-story condominium towers and a hotel, Morin said. He also expects to announce a new development partner early next year.

Biggest Wave of Generosity: tsunami relief

Honorable mention: Hurricane Katrina relief

The tsunami that swept through southeast Asia last Christmas spurred several South Tampa groups and individuals into action.

Philanthropist Kiran Patel and the Patel Foundation for Global Understanding took in donations from people all over the bay area and by August reported to have raised almost $2-million. Patel used the donations to begin rebuilding the village of Pattinacherry, India, which lost most of its 500 residents. The project includes new schools, hospitals, orphanages, a job training center and homes for widowed, poor and abandoned women.

He expects to complete construction in February.

Last January, Royal Palace Thai Restaurant opened on Mondays, when it was normally closed, and its owners donated sales to aid victims in their native Thailand. In a month, the owners raised more than $40,000 to help rebuild houses in Phuket, Thailand.

Biggest Neighborhood Snub: Ray Charles Avenue

Honorable mention: Citivest condo tower at DeSoto Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard

After the debut of Ray, the biographical movie about Ray Charles starring Jamie Foxx, hundreds of Tampa residents started a campaign to name a street after Charles. More than 300 residents wrote letters to Mayor Pam Iorio asking that she rename Nebraska Avenue after Charles, who died in June 2004. Charles reportedly lived for a short time in Southeast Seminole Heights.

Reactions to the proposal were mixed. Some members of the Southeast Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association opposed naming a street after Charles, who struggled with heroin addiction. Others in the area proposed renaming the street after one of the politicians who grew up in the area or choosing a name that paid homage to the area's activist spirit. Backed by local business owners, the association finally submitted a 200-signature petition opposing any name change.

The debate died down after officials said they were reworking the city's street-naming ordinance. But it could rage again. After Rosa Parks' death in October, City Council member Rose Ferlita suggested that Nebraska bear the civil rights activist's name.

Best Kept Secret: Joe Redner's gay

The king of Tampa's strip clubs shocked the city when he revealed his sexual orientation earlier this month. Redner made the announcement in a lawsuit he filed against the county to protest its ban on participation in gay pride activities and events. The revelation, Redner says, proves he has a personal stake in the ordinance's enforcement. Plenty aren't buying it. Some lawyers suggested Redner may have conveniently accepted his homosexuality to revive a flagging lawsuit. Either way, most agree it's a brilliant legal move because it will be difficult to prove whether Redner's telling the truth.

Best Community Perk: Starbucks in Old Seminole Heights

Old Seminole Heights residents rallied support from neighbors near and far when it seemed plans for a Starbucks at Hillsborough and Central avenues - the first in the area - would die during the architectural review process.

In April, nearly 100 supporters showed up at a City Council meeting to ask for approval of the project's rezoning application. Latte lovers waved coffee mugs, sported Starbucks stickers on their lapels and presented council members with a binder of 122 e-mails from homeowners who supported the coffee shop but could not attend the meeting.

The council ended up approving the rezoning application. In July, after five appearances before the Architectural Review Commission, Starbucks got the commission's final okay. Coffee should be on by May.

Biggest Falling Star: the STAR project

Dubbed as a cheap, environmentally friendly alternative to potable water, the South Tampa Area Reclaimed water project has done a belly flop. Though available on Davis Islands, Hyde Park and the West Shore business district, community response to the offering has been tepid. So far 5,248 customers have signed up for the $56-million project.

Many South Tampa residents said hooking up to the reclaimed water system is too expensive. Homeowners must pay at least $500 for new plumbing, irrigation meters and permitting fees. Green thumbs say the reclaimed water's high salt content yellows plants.

The city plans to start the third phase of the project in January in Beach Park.

Best (No) Choice Award: Hillsborough County's School Choice plan

With end of court-ordered busing, Hillsborough County schools appear headed for a return to the post-Civil Rights era when schools were largely segregated by race. Only about 3 percent of the county's public school students participated in the choice program, making the voluntary integration program a bust. Most parents opted to enroll their children in schools closest to their homes.

Parents who did take part in the program found it fraught with problems. More notable ones included late mailing of applications. Many of the county's most desireable schools were closed to choice students because of crowding.

But South Tampa parents have a consolation prize: Many of the district's top-ranked schools are in the area.

Biggest "Unpaletteable" Proposal: New Tampa Museum of Art

What was supposed to be a multimillion-dollar showplace on the Hillsborough River quickly turned into an embarrassment for museum supporters and the city of Tampa. Problems with construction financing provided the death blow to the showy $76-million design by New York architect Rafael Vinoly.

Mayor Pam Iorio quickly stepped in and demanded a scaled-down museum. Casualties of the failed building project included several museum staff members, among them director Emily Kass.

Now regrouping, the museum and city are exploring the possibility of moving the museum to Rivergate Tower, commonly known as the "beer can building," and the adjacent cubes at Ashley Drive and Kennedy Boulevard. They expect to announce a decision some time early next year.

Best Comeback: West Tampa Boys & Girls Club

Honorable mention: Loretta Ingraham Community Center in Carver City.

Widening of Interstate 275 sealed the fate of the West Tampa Boys & Girls Club. The 52-year-old building on MacDill Avenue near I-275 served generations of West Tampa children, including state appeals court Judge E.J. Salcines and Hillsborough's former Chief Judge F. Dennis Alvarez. But for progress' sake, it met a wrecking ball in December 2004.

After losing out on a home in MacFarlane Park, the club found new digs on a parcel of Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park. The new 16,000-square-foot club at North A Boulevard and Laurel Street opened in October. It has a gymnasium, computer lab, job training center and a library.

Best Trump Card: Trump Tower Tampa

Who says Tampa doesn't have big-city swagger? We've got The Donald or at least the promise of one of his signature buildings, poised to be downtown's tallest building. The developer turned reality TV star announced plans to build a 52-story luxury condominium building in January. A week later, dozens of people showed up to buy one of the 190 condos that will overlook the Hillsborough River.

Prices range from $700,000 to $6-million. Construction is expected to last until late 2007.

Biggest Backyard Brawl: Tampa General Hospital vs. the Davis Islands Civic Association

In a battle that pitted doctors against homeowners, both parties won something. At issue was whether to rezone 0.4 acres of park land to allow for a new hospital parking garage.

Some residents opposed losing green space and public waterfront property to the hospital's expansion plan. The hospital said it could find no other viable alternatives.

In May, the council approved the hospital's rezoning application. To appease residents, the hospital agreed to give the community $1-million, which the city has earmarked for park improvements.

But the fracas isn't completely over. The civic association appealed the council's rezoning vote in Circuit Court. Oral arguments were last week, and a judge's ruling was pending.

- Times files were used in this report. Sherri Day can be reached at sday@sptimes.com or 813 226-3405.

[Last modified December 30, 2005, 17:43:21]