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One building, many purposes

The Advantage Center, a relatively unknown project still in the planning stages, could house a wealth of groups and activities.

By BEN MONTGOMERY
Published June 9, 2006

BRANDON - As the legislative session wound down in May, Gov. Jeb Bush used his veto power to slash $449-million in projects from next year's state budget.

No $5.5-million Tampa River Walk.

No $9-million science building at the University of South Florida St. Petersburg.

But one project that Bush left alone - thanks to the influence of Senate President Tom Lee of Brandon - could change this growing suburb in a slew of ways.

Haven't heard of the Brandon Advantage Center?

"To be honest with you," said Tammy Bracewell, president of the Greater Brandon Chamber of Commerce, "I don't know how many people have knowledge of it."

Planners say it will be a building, likely 50,000 square feet set on 10 acres, to be used for, well, a lot of things.

Community gathering spot.

Job training center.

Art studio.

Special needs hurricane shelter.

"Brandon is this huge unincorporated community, and it doesn't have any kind of community center," said Christine McLachlan, an urban planner for URS Corp., which was hired last year to plan the facility.

After being contracted by the county last year, URS interviewed business and community leaders - think YMCA, Hillsborough County Community College, churches, banks - about what type of facility Brandon needed.

The result?

A place that "achieves and maintains the highest levels of flexibility possible," according to URS's analysis.

So the center will be a place where choirs could have concerts, seniors could do arts and crafts, the chamber of commerce could hold dinners. A place with a game room, day care, lecture hall, reception area and banquet room. A library, art studio, theater and cafeteria.

And a place for the high school prom?

"These poor kids, if they go to the prom, they have to go all the way to Tampa," McLachlan said.

Can one building be all those things?

"The idea is to have it to be a flexible building," said Keith Greminger, URS's project manager, where 400 people could eat a catered dinner one night and hear a lecture the next.

Exactly what the building will house should come from a series of public meetings in the coming months.

URS identified several sites for the facility. One is on Brandon Main Street, which was rezoned in years past to encourage development toward a town center.

Alongside the new Chamber of Commerce building, the Brandon Advantage Center would help establish that area as hub of this center-less suburb.

"This would create more of a core for Brandon," said Ron Pierce, an aide for Lee.

"If you're living in a community, you want that community to be self-sufficient, you want the residents to be able to have their own facilities and services," said Jeffrey Jenkins with the county's planning and growth management department. "The problem with the suburbs is you have the residents out so far that they have to come a long way in for services."

The Brandon Advantage Center would change that.

Lee secured $3.4-million from the state for the facility, which is expected to cost $13.5-million. The remainder will come from private donors and other state grants.

Ben Montgomery can be reached at bmontgomery@sptimes.com or 813-661-2443.

[Last modified June 8, 2006, 13:03:55]