Davis Islands Today

On the Street

Whaley’s Plaza

SOHO continues to evolve. The plaza where Whaley’s Market formerly did business now has quite a few vacant spaces, which have been drawing a lot of attention. Several recently expelled Hyde Park Village tenants have been looking at those sports and others in the area.

With sadness, we have to report the closing of Charlie’s Wine Cellar in Whaley’s Plaza. Charlie’s is a story of changing America. Charlie’s was a nice, convenient, neighborhood wine store that simply couldn’t compete with the big chains and big dollar facilities. Their upstairs room was fantastic, but when they tried live music, the big dollar guys from the writers/recording industry came in and wanted fees that were just too large for a small, local place. So the music stopped.

A wide range of wines and tasting events were launched, and had been drawing a good crowd. Then a big discount wine store or two came along and cut prices and provided a selection that was hard to compete with. Charlie’s had recently tried a lunch menu, but couldn’t get it going. And when Whaley’s Market closed, the lack of traffic to the plaza was apparently the final straw. We wish Glynn well in his endeavors. He and Dixon were great fixtures in SOHO.

Hyde Park North

We want to highlight the new Hyde Park North project. Formerly known as West End, this complex will include 340 condos, 79 townhomes, 550 rental apts, and 25,000 square feet of retail space. The development is nearing completion of the first phase. A large part of this project is complete. Sales Manager Mark Campbell indicated that a Grand Opening is going on now, with model spaces open for viewing. Additionally, there is a large model center just north of Kennedy at Rome Avenue. You can also get more information about the project at www.hydeparknorth.com

For more than two years, we have been shouting from the roof tops about the various changes coming immediately North of Kennedy - from the University of Tampa to Armenia Avenue area. In addition to Hyde Park North, you will soon be able to visit a new Starbucks, the Walmart Market, the Bungalow restaurant, and more. And we continue to hear of plans for a lot more over the next few months.

And yes, the Ft. Homer Hesterly Armory Project is moving forward, and we expect construction to start in 2009.
Publix’s Greenwise Market Will Not Open In SOHO

The race to see who opens first between the Walmart Family Market on W. Kennedy and the Greenwise Market by Publix at Azeele and Armenia looks like it has been won by the Walmart team. Both stores worked fast to get shelves stocked and ready.

The Walmart Family Market is very clean and extremely spacious. The large aisles feel great and make shopping easy. Meanwhile, the Greenwise Market plans an opening in early November.

SOHO is SOHO

Admittedly we have a parochial attitude about the South Howard Avenue (SOHO) area, but when we noticed the interstate billboards advertising the upcoming Greenwise opening in HYDE PARK, we feel slighted as SOHO residents. SOHO has a clear identity and even the city of Tampa signs (in front of the Sweetbay on Swann) indicate very clearly the difference between SOHO and Hyde Park. But for some reason, Publix/Greenwise doesn’t get it. SOHO residents might wish to shop at Sweetbay since it is in SOHO and Greenwise claims to be in Hyde Park. Or these days, maybe you’ll take a trip to NORTH HYDE PARK, where the Walmart Market is about to open. What do you think?

More Than Just ‘SoHo’

Often identified as the place with MacDinton’s and South Howard Avenue’s restaurant row, the neighborhood’s real name is not SoHo.  However, the area around SoHo is as diverse and interesting as any in Tampa, draws a great number of visitors, and it is becoming more pedestrian-friendly every day.

The Courier City/Oscawana neighborhood stretches from Rome Avenue on the east to Armenia Avenue on the west, the northern border is Kennedy Boulevard, and Swann Avenue in the southern boundary.

The historic fabric of the Courier City/Oscawana neighborhood is the 1920’s-era Florida bungalows.  While there are fewer bungalows still standing, those that remain have been well-preserved and are highly-valued by their owners and nearby residents.  Interlaced with those notable bungalows are several multi-family housing structures, including duplexes, triplexes, 4 unit apartments, and larger condominium buildings.  Newer developments in the neighborhood include three and four unit townhouses, mostly built on single lots, with front doors leading to both the streets and the alleyways.

The people living in these homes are just as diverse as the structures themselves.  There are young, 20- and 30-something singles and couples, families – with children of all ages, as well as a contingent of retirees. 

What they all have in common is they choose to live in this area for its amenities – closeness to downtown and a strategic central Tampa Bay location, with convenient access to bountiful entertainment and fantastic restaurants.  All of this is within a mile of Bayshore and the Hillsborough Bay and one of the hippest addresses in town. 

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Editorial by Bill Sharpe

While we do have a parking problem in SoHo, we don’t believe any of the measures being taken will reduce the number of cars coming to the neighborhood.

While many businesses have not provided adequate parking, or have refused to allow their parking to be used during their non-peak hours, the addition of townhomes on single family lots have also contributed to the problem, bringing more cars while reducing street parking space, too.

When a store provides the city-required number of parking space, yet still needs additional parking, should we congratulate that business on their success, or should the city increase their parking requirement?

Nearly 700 parking tickets were issued last year.  Combine that with the almost $200 per car for those towed away and you can see that parking is a big business.  Now the City plans to get in further on the action with residential permits.

The Oscawana/Courier City Neighborhood Association is well on their way to getting the City of Tampa to implement permitted parking and increased fines, so perhaps fewer cars will park on residential streets in SoHo. 

But what impact will that have on the neighborhoods immediately surrounding O-CC?  Residents in any of those neighborhoods should be greatly concerned about any parking problems being pushed their way. 

And it’s only going to get worse. 

You may have noticed all of the new construction on Kennedy between Howard Ave and downtown.  If not, once the Wal-Mart opens you will notice the additional traffic. 

Futhermore, we have been told the hotel/retail Ar mory project will be under way by next summer.  Previous studies indicate the Ar mory will have a larger economic impact on Tampa than Channelside.  Once it is complete, you can be sure that the South Howard area will be expanding quickly to connect to the North Howard area.

Last year, a special Hartline trolley route for SOHO and Hyde Park nearly came to reality, only to vanish because of severe budget cuts.  But a transit system is still a viable option. 

So is a parking garage.  Property values are in a decline, and there is an empty block at the corner of Cleveland and South Howard.  It may not be the best location for SoHo today, but visionary when you consider the Ar mory Project. 

Even without purchasing property, a garage could be built over city-owned retention ponds. 

The City helped create this problem over the years with narrow streets, a lack of enforcement, and a lack of planning.  It is past time for the City of Tampa to step up and address this growing problem.

Bill Sharpe