August 30, 2010
Monday Morning Memo is your weekly update on the latest news about downtown Tampa. Here are the sections found in this issue. Click on the sections below or scroll down to read the complete issue:
Partnership Matters | Opportunities | Seeing is Believing | Special Services District | Creative Urban Core | Downtown Happenings
Partnership Matters
Congratulations Colleen Chappell of the marketing/advertising firm, and Partnership Member, ChappellRoberts! Colleen was named Tampa Bay Business Journal’s “Business Woman of the Year.” Colleen serves as the CEO and president of the firm. To read more about Colleen and why she was deserving of this award, click here.
Take a moment to browse the Getting Around section on the Partnership’s website. Much information has been added in the parking, public transit, commuting and walk/bike sections. There are many resources listed + a few things we bet you didn’t already know about!
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Opportunities
Do you have kids just itching to get into the Glazer Children’s Museum? The new downtown attraction will open September 25th. But now you can enter to win a pass that allows you and your family to go in a week early! It’s called the Golden Ticket Contest. Don’t miss this opportunity to bring your family to Tampa’s newest family attraction early. To register, click here.
To help engage everyone who understands how important the passage of the transportation referendum is, the Moving Hillsborough Forward campaign will be hosting a conference call for all of our supporters on Tuesday, August 31st from 1:30-2:00 pm. This call will discuss briefly where the campaign has been, and then focus on where it’s going and how you can be involved - including upcoming events and a fun new way to help with fundraising. RSVP for call-in information by clicking here.
Attention boaters: The Tampa Port Authority is holding a public hearing on September 3rd starting at 10:00 a.m. to discuss the construction of a multi-family docking facility at the Tampa Bay History Center. The public hearing will be held at the Tampa Port Authority located at 1101 Channelside Drive. For those who would like to review details about the plan, please visit the Tampa Port Authority Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
ATTENTION ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONALS AND PLANNERS: The Tampa Downtown Partnership has teamed up with the International Economic Development Council to offer a class in downtown Tampa on Real Estate Development and Reuse. This class will be offered November 4th and 5th at Hyatt Regency Tampa. If you need APA continual education credits, the Partnership has learned you can now receive 10.75 of CM credits for taking this class! Also, now you can earn a class requirement for those seeking Certified Economic Developer (CEcD) certification! If you register now you can save! Use promotional code TAMPA10 and your fee is only $425.00 per person. To register and find out more, click here.
The Tampa Downtown Partnership urges Hillsborough County residents to vote for the Countywide Transportation System on November 2nd. In addition to the free presentations we’re offering to your workplace, we’ll continue to offer details on the plan. Did you know that the plan calls for 46 miles of light rail running from New Tampa to downtown, over to Westshore and through the airport? Additional routes from downtown will head to Brandon and South Tampa. For more information, click here.
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Studies and Reviews
Your Input is needed! HART is in the final phase of the Alternatives Analysis (AA) study and will develop recommendations on the preferred alternative in each corridor. The following work is being undertaken:
- Finalizing the remaining alternatives, including the alignment, vehicle requirements, station locations, supporting park and ride lots, operating and capital costs
- Comparing the performance of each alternative against several factors, including ridership, travel time, land use, and economic development, cost and cost effectiveness
- Developing recommendations on the alternative that would best address community needs (bus, bus rapid transit, light rail)
Public input is a critical part of the AA study. Six Community Open Houses and two Public Hearings will be held in September. Click here to find out how to ensure your voice is heard! (Please note Sept. 14 from 11am – 2pm will be in downtown’s Tampa City Center lobby). For more information regarding the Alternatives Analysis process, visit www.goHARTAA.org.
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Seeing is Believing
Open now for a bit over 2 weeks, FRESH is serving up great salads, paninis, sandwiches and cereal (yes, cereal) to downtown workers, residents and visitors. FRESH is located at 507 N. Franklin Street. The restaurant is open from 6:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. each day. FRESH is totally a new concept to downtown Tampa and the first of its kind. Downtown resident, Bryan Goodell is the mastermind behind the eatery. Read what online magazine 83 Degrees had to say about the restaurant recently by clicking here.
TECO Line Streetcar System continues its expansion to Whiting Street. Here is this week’s update.
If you travel between Hyatt Regency Tampa and Tampa City Center using the skywalk, you should know that it will be closed this week. The hotel has notified the Partnership that it will be replacing the carpet in the skywalk. It is quite easy to walk through Poe Plaza located between the two buildings during this renovation period.
Here is your UCAP update for the week of August 30, 2010. A map of the current construction areas can be viewed by clicking here.
- Florida Avenue (Harrison to Scott): Two easternmost travel lanes closed from 5AM to 3PM. Two northbound travel lanes open after 3PM.
- Laurel Street (Florida to Marion): Closed to through traffic.
- Fortune Street (Florida to Marion): Closed to through traffic.
- Cass Street (Jefferson to Nebraska): Eastbound travel lane closed. One westbound travel lane remains open for local traffic only.
- Polk Street (Ashley to Franklin & Morgan to Jefferson): Northern westbound travel and parking lanes are closed.
- Polk Street (Franklin to Morgan): Closed to through traffic beginning Friday August 27. Local access only in northern travel lane.
- Twiggs Street (Florida to Pierce): Northernmost westbound travel and parking lanes are closed. Two eastbound travel lanes remain open.
- Madison Street (Tampa to Franklin): Northernmost westbound travel and parking lanes are closed.
- Tampa Street (Cass to Polk): Easternmost travel and parking lanes are closed. Two southbound travel lanes remain open.
- Tampa Street (Harrison to Tyler): Easternmost travel lane closed.
- Tyler Street (Tampa to Franklin): Closed to traffic.
- Jefferson Street (Cass to Polk): Right turn lane closed.
- Doyle Carlton (Laurel to Fortune): Southbound lane closed.
- Pierce Street (Cass to Polk): Two easternmost travel lanes are closed.
- Pierce Street (Tyler to Cass): Closed to through traffic.
- Pierce Street (Harrison to Tyler): Easternmost travel lane closed to through traffic.
Additional information about this project can be found on the Tampa UCAP website at www.tampa-ucap.com.
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Special Services District
Please note that the offices for the Tampa Downtown Partnership will be closed on Monday, September 6 in honor of Labor Day. This means that you will receive that issue of Monday Morning Memo on Tuesday, September 7. Also, you should know that Tampa’s Downtown Clean Team and Guides will have modified hours for the Labor Day holiday. They are as follows:
- Tampa’s Downtown Guides: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
- Tampa’s Downtown Clean Team: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
If you need to reach Tampa’s Downtown Guides call (813) 267-2220.
The Tampa Downtown Partnership is happy to report that the Tampa City Council has unanimously approved the Downtown Special Services District for 2011. The Special Services District involves a special assessment paid by downtown property owners. It brings you services such as Tampa’s Downtown Guides, Clean Team, transportation, beautification, planning, and marketing, including Monday Morning Memo.
There’s more good news…anybody who drives into downtown and parks at an on-street meter will be happy to know that Tampa City Council approved a contract allowing the parking division to replace the coin-only meters with an updated version that also accepts credit cards. Stay tuned for more information on the installation and instructions on how to use these simple machines.
Curious about the status of the High Speed Rail project? The Florida Department of Transportation is holding a public information meeting on the Tampa – Orlando high speed rail project on Tuesday, August 31st at the Tampa Convention Center at 6:30pm. Florida Rail Enterprise officials will present an overview of the project followed by question and answer sessions. Public comment cards will be available. The public meetings are free, open to the public and require no advance registration. Detailed information and agendas for each of the sessions will be posted at www.floridahighspeedrail.org. Each public session will be preceded at 2:30 p.m. in each forum by information meetings for minority-owned and small businesses.
The City of Tampa’s Channel District CRA will be holding their advisory committee meetings this week. Please click below to review their agenda:
Only 1 more week to go on the Summertime Savings Card and the Partnership has distributed its entire inventory! If you have a card, you have something that is quickly becoming very scarce. Cards are still available. To find a card near you, visit the Summertime Savings Card’s section on the Partnership’s Web site.
The residential collection schedule for City of Tampa customers with regularly scheduled collection days on Monday and Thursday will be affected by the Labor Day Holiday. There will be no residential garbage, yard-waste recycling, or blue-box recycling on Monday, September 6. Residential collection services for customers affected by the holiday will resume on Thursday, September 9. The Labor Day collection schedule for the Department of Solid Waste and Environmental Program Management’s remaining services is as follows:
- McKay Bay Transfer Station/Scalehouse will be closed on Labor Day. Normal schedule will resume on Tuesday, September 7.
- Manhattan Brush Site will be closed on Labor Day. Normal schedule will resume on Tuesday, September 7.
Commercial Services from Tuesday, September 7 through Saturday, September 11 will occur one day after the normally scheduled day.
For questions or concerns, please contact the Department of Solid Waste and Environmental Program Management at (813) 348-1111, or visit the website at www.tampagov.net/solidwaste. For additional information, please contact Department of Solid Waste and Environmental Program Management Director, Tonja M. Brickhouse at (813) 348-1151 or via e-mail at tonja.brickhouse@tampagov.net.
Buses and Trains and Walking, Oh My! Moving Tampa from worst to first. Did you know that Tampa Bay has ranked dead last for commuting, walking and biking? How people get around has been in the news a lot lately – high speed rail, bus rapid transit, light rail, improved bus service, bike lanes, etc. So is now the time to take action? Come decide for yourself and see how you can help. Educate yourself and learn what the transportation investment referendum on the ballot this November will do for you, your neighborhood, downtown and the Tampa Bay region. Additionally, the Tampa Downtown Partnership is working with the Florida Department of Transportation on the new WalkWise Tampa Bay campaign. This effective program provides valuable safety information for both pedestrians and drivers. Please contact us for free presentation at your worksite that will show how transportation can impact your job, your household budget and your family’s quality of life.
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Creative Urban Core
The Tampa Downtown Partnership is continuing efforts to make you aware of the impact culture and arts are having on downtown Tampa’s continued growth as an urban center. This year, 2010, has significant impact with the opening of several new museums, public spaces, events, festivals and more. There are 25 significant cultural contributors in all. What do you know about these two downtown cultural icons?
- Old Tampa Book Company
- Tampa Bay History Center
Want to learn more? By clicking here you can learn about the speakers’ bureau that has been created, take a look at the PowerPoint presentation and view the brochure that will be distributed. This is all under the “Engagement” section.
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Downtown Happenings
The 1980s was parachute pants, big hair, Ronald Reagan and bands with toilet seats around their necks. Much of the look of the 1980s was captured in photos. The Tampa Museum of Art is hosting an exhibit called “80s Photography from the Collection.” Come and relive or see what was so unique about this decade. Learn more about this exhibit by clicking here.
Feeling fat? Want to get into shape? With the holidays just around the corner, now is the time to get into shape and give yourself the early holiday gift of fitness. RobZFitness, located at Plaza Fitness at Bank of America Plaza, is offering a free body fat test. Sure, it doesn’t sound like fun, but it is the first step in shaping that new you for the New Year. Find out more by clicking here.
Join Pour House at Grand Central on Wednesday (9/1) at 7:30 p.m. to celebrate Stone's 14th anniversary of brewing great craft beer. The downtown pub obtained a 14th Anniversary Emperial IPA keg, one of the three that made it to the Tampa Bay area. Pour House will also have a raffle of Stone merchandise for hats, t-shirts and glassware. They will be giving a raffle ticket for the first 30 drafts purchased. Find out more by clicking here.
Rock the Park returns on Thursday (9/2) starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Tampa Museum of Art’s terrace area. Rock the Park is a free outside concert that brings the coolest bands to downtown Tampa. Come and enjoy the view of the downtown skyline, the great music, awesome drink specials and meet new friends during this downtown event. For details on Rock the Park, click here.
There’s a new happy hour in town. L’ Eden Restaurant and Bar has launched a happy hour on Wednesdays through Saturdays from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. L’Eden Restaurant and Bar is located at 500 N. Tampa Street. Its convenient location makes it the perfect place to kick off a night out. Find out more by clicking here.
Saturday night is date night and downtown has a great place to go. Check out Spain Restaurant’s authentic Flamenco Dinner Show starting at 8:00 p.m. Spain Restaurant is a downtown tradition. The food, the atmosphere and the dancing will transport you from downtown Tampa to downtown Madrid, Barcelona or any other city in Spain. Space is limited so click here for more details.
Need to relax before the start of another work week? Then make it to the free yoga class at Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park. Class begins at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday evenings. Yoga in the Park is offered by downtown’s Happy Buddha Lounge, located on Cass Street. This class is designed for all levels and will be offered every Sunday evening at 6:00 pm. If you have a mat or towel please bring it along with your water bottle to the north terraces. Come out and experience Yoga while watching the sunset over the city skyline in the beautiful Hixon Park! More info needed? Click here.
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601 N. Ashley Drive, Suite 1100, Tampa FL 33602
(813) 221-3686 phone; (813) 229-1328 fax: www.tampasdowntown.com
Be in the know faster by following the Tampa Downtown Partnership on Twitter at www.twitter.com/tampasdowntown or become a fan of downtown Tampa by visiting the Partnership’s Facebook page.