Planning Commission announces 36th Annual Planning & Design Award Winners

The work included repairing brickwork, granite and ornate terracotta balustrades and cornices. Modern technology, including 3-D scanning and drone video flying, was incorporated to successfully restore the building’s exterior. With its impressive layer cake look, Old City Hall has maintained its historical feel. When the building was first constructed in 1915, it had a price tag of $235,000. The original layer-cake design was created by renowned local architect M. Leo Elliott.

Now completed, the building has been restored to its 1915 glory and is compatible with the history that radiates from the building. The judges embraced the preservation of this historic building. They felt it was important for Tampa and provides an excellent example of how historic preservation and attention to detail can help solidify the identity of a place, enhance its authenticity, and help the community remember its past. Congratulations to your entire team and to the City of Tampa for preserving this historic treasure!

• Determined the status of constructed freshwater mitigation wetlands in Hillsborough County;
• Identified methods to improve mitigation design, evaluation, and success criteria for permittee-responsible wetlands; and
• Evaluated internal and external factors, including hydrology, that may influence mitigation success over time.

The first-of-its-kind in the United States, this study allowed the EPC to evaluate which procedures and factors are necessary to promote successful, healthy wetlands and how to implement these factors into the existing program. The judges were thrilled to find out the result showed an improvement to the overall quality of sustainable wetland habitat in Hillsborough County. They applauded this benefit to the citizens’ quality of life and appreciated the solid application of planning with the integration of water resources into the urban fabric.

• The River Center community center and boathouse
• A playing field for football, soccer, and lacrosse
• Two basketball courts and eight tennis courts
• The City’s first two pickleball courts
• A splash pad and playground, six picnic shelters, and two dog parks
• A 2.5 acre Festival Lawn with an Event Pavilion
• A West Riverwalk connection under the Fortune Taylor Bridge
• Floating docks for rowers and docks for visiting boaters
• A River Promenade and Overlook 

Fittingly, it even has an outdoor living room complete with game tables. The new Riverfront Park has breathed new life into the neighborhood and brings people of all ages and backgrounds together to partake in a variety of cultural and recreational opportunities. The judges loved everything from the intensive public engagement to capture the history and needs of the community; to the infusion of art, history, and care for the environment; and the easy access to the Hillsborough River now available for this West Tampa neighborhood. There’s nothing but Tampa pride for this new park!

• A new two-way protected bicycle lane, also known as a cycle track, along Jackson Street between Ashley and Nebraska
• Upgrades to sidewalks and curb ramps
• Curb extensions and intersection bulb-outs to help calm traffic and make pedestrian crossings safer
• A new traffic signal with pedestrian crossing at Jackson Street and near the School Board building
• A road diet along parts of the corridor and new dedicated turn lanes at Tampa Street and Florida Avenue
• Installation of bicycle boxes and two-stage turn boxes at several intersections
• Reconfigured parking with a net gain in spaces
• Drainage upgrades to help reduce ponding and stormwater issues
• Plus, landscaping and other aesthetic enhancements

Recognizing that a robust, connected roadway network provides options for the movement of people and goods and is the foundation for safe and comfortable travel for all road users, FDOT’s Complete Streets Program applied flexibility and innovation in planning and design to this project. The judges cited FDOT for implementing the first protected bicycle facility on the State Highway System. This investment complements the new bike lanes on Palm Avenue, the Cass Street Cycle Track, the Selmon Greenway, and the Riverwalk to provide safe mobility for cyclists in Tampa’s Downtown. They loved how engineers listened to citizens and are making a huge impact on our city. Here’s to more great projects like this one down the road! 

While preserving the history of Tampa, Armature Works moves forward in a unique, positive, and successful manner. The judges felt the project team had their finger on the pulse of what a redevelopment catalyst needs to be in today’s real estate and economic development markets. They applauded the vision and sensitivity that went into adaptation of this historical building into the very cool, and very busy space, it has become.

The judges viewed the Pocket Parks as a fundamental reimagination of how transportation infrastructure can contribute to a community’s identity and sense of place. They praised THEA for softening the hard streetscape and for altering the traditional conception of transportation infrastructure by going above and beyond to create a community asset enjoyed by diverse users.

The judges wanted to hang out at this cool community establishment. They loved the community support and inventive reuse of this historic building.

The judges were touched by the peacefulness of this beautiful park and memorial that eternalizes the spirit of the students whose lives ended far too soon. They loved this thoughtful tribute, how engaged the student body was every step of the way, and the semicircular composition that provides a quiet respite to pause, rest, listen, and remember amidst a very busy campus.

• With six mayors in the making, the Tampa Riverwalk was completed under Mayor Buckhorn’s leadership on the east side of the river, and planning has begun for a Riverwalk on the west side of the river;
• The West River Master Plan was created as a collaboration among the City of Tampa, Tampa Housing Authority, and local stakeholders to create more livable housing choices at all levels of affordability, improve streets, and increase access to the River;
• The Mayor secured funding for the major redevelopment of Julian B. Lane Riverfront Park, a waterfront jewel for our community;
• Back on the east side of the River, there’s the stunning Water Works Park, and through a public-private partnership, Ulele Restaurant was developed and Ulele Springs was restored;
• The Mayor’s River of Green and Riverfest Events beckon people to enjoy the waterfront and everything Downtown Tampa has to offer;
• Mayor Buckhorn has reimagined the river from the edge of downtown to its center, literally lighting up the River with decorative lighting on the City’s bridges and skyline to reinvent the nighttime atmosphere along the beautiful Hillsborough River.

His focus on innovation, combined with his legislative and business savvy, have enhanced the way transportation initiatives take place in our region. The Selmon Expressway became the first all-electronic roadway in the State of Florida, improving safety while simultaneously reducing emissions. He has been instrumental in obtaining a USDOT grant to make Tampa Bay one of only three places in the country to be a test bed for connected vehicle technology. By the end of this year, THEA will have equipped ten buses, ten streetcars, and the cars of up to 1,600 volunteers with this exciting new technology, making Downtown Tampa a much safer, smarter place to walk, ride, and drive.

In addition to more effectively moving freight and people in our region, Joe Waggoner is also deeply committed to our local community.  He has championed community enhancements like:

• Honoring Deputy John Kotfila, Jr. with a Memorial Dog Park along the Greenway;
• Making multi-modal safety projects like the Selmon Greenway happen, connecting the City’s Riverwalk and THEA’s Meridian Avenue Trail;
• And, helping start the Tampa Bay Chapter of the Conference of Minority Transportation Officials.

If you recall, Lee Roy Selmon asked one thing of his Expressway Authority – to find a way to help and mentor the young people at the University of South Florida – well, Joe has been making good on this commitment through mentoring and developing the Selmon STEM Scholarship program. Each year scholarships are given for paid internships and books for USF Engineering students. Materials and sponsorships are also provided so middle and high school students can participate in the USF Engineering Expo Bridge Building Competition.

But this award is focusing on President Genshaft’s incredible leadership as a planner with a View of Growth since 2000 at USF. During her tenure, she’s overseen approximately $1.7 Billion in construction projects. Planning for growth, on the Tampa campus alone, has produced more than seven million gross square feet of redevelopment and new construction. There are 16 new Academic and Research Buildings. Athletic and Campus Recreation facilities abound with Bull pride, and are making wellness choices convenient for students. President Genshaft’s focus on improving the Campus Context has enhanced safety and the student experience in many ways, including: multiple sustainability certifications and achievements; shade trees and landscaping; parks and public art; much-needed Parking Structures, expanded Bull Runner Shuttle service, and the Share-a-Bull Bikeshare program.

A dozen USF Health and Medical Buildings now educate and save lives, both on and off campus. Not far from the Center for Advanced Medical Simulated Learning in Tampa’s Downtown, USF is Growing into the Future with the new USF Health – Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute scheduled to open next year, as the anchor tenant for Tampa’s new Water Street redevelopment.