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Guest Column

Treasured Bayshore deserves extra protection

By Vicki Pollyea
Published June 22, 2007

For all who live in or visit Tampa, a walk or drive down "the Bayshore" is the quintessential Tampa experience.

With the sweeping beauty of the bay now healthy and full of wildlife, the vistas of downtown and Davis Islands, the long sidewalk for a variety of sports enthusiasts, its role as a major link in the greenway trail, the historical mansions that grace this tree-lined linear park, Bayshore is a unique treasure that no other city in the world can match.

Where else do you take visitors to show them what a beautiful place Tampa is? Where else do we gather for parades, road races and firework shows?

Bayshore has evolved over the years. Until recently when a new high-rise was proposed or the parklike atmosphere was desecrated in some way, there was a huge public outcry to protect Bayshore.

However, during the public workshops the city recently hosted to gauge what the public proposed for Bayshore, there was little input from the citizens. The outcry died to a whimper. The only voices heard were those of the owners wanting to protect their privacy and to limit any loss of their property rights.

There already are many limits on what you can do with your property, including where you can place a fence, or the setback of your home.

The questions posed to our community are simple:

-Is Bayshore worthy of a higher level of protection than an ordinary road in Tampa ?

-Do we want to lose the beautiful setbacks of these homes with their graceful landscaped lawns? (Currently the average setback is about 60 feet vs. the city-required 25 feet.)

-Do we want to see more high-rise condos with their parking lots or swimming pools right at the sidewalk?

-Do we want to see shade-giving trees give way to dense privacy plantings and 6-foot fencing in front yards?

The northern portion of Bayshore is already protected by the historic designation.

The question is whether the remaining portion of Bayshore from Howard south to Gandy deserves further protection by the development of an overlay, which will require that all new construction maintain certain design standards already seen along Bayshore.

This will not impact the zoning/land-use designation. Overlays are a tool used throughout the city to promote appropriate design. Are we not willing to demand standards to protect the special design qualities that make Bayshore the treasure of Tampa?

An overlay is not an onerous process; it does not require a hearing before a review board. It simply requires that any new construction be reviewed to ensure that it fits the identified specific design standards. It is only one extra step in the many required during new construction.

Everyone agrees that we do not want to see this treasure become a canyon of high-rises, where only the elite can enjoy its many pleasures.

Bayshore belongs to the citizens of Tampa as much as does any other public park. Bayshore is at a crossroads. Are more of us willing to speak up and demand an overlay to protect this unique treasure?

Now is the time for action. We cannot wait until the next inappropriate high-rise is proposed. An overlay is the best tool for protecting Bayshore while still encouraging appropriate development.

Vicki Pollyea is president of the Bayshore Gardens Neighborhood Association.

. Speak up

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[Last modified June 21, 2007, 07:40:51]