Urban Excellence Awards

Café Hey

Café Hey is a small eclectic independent and locally owned dining venue located off I-275 on N. Franklin Street. Café Hey is committed to buying local, and making the Tampa Heights area thrive. The historic, beautifully preserved restaurant is a regular stop for area artists, designers, young professionals and those who want to experience and add to Tampa’s local flavor.  Café Hey features diverse art exhibits ranging from work from well-established artists to work from young emerging artists.  A true community gathering place, Café Hey hosts local talent at Open Mic nights on Thursdays, Movie Night every other Friday, and “Study Hall Sundays”, with a $3.00 cup of endless coffee and any pastry from 4pm - 7pm. Café Hey has also been known to present spontaneous events, such as "Person with a Guitar Sunday".  Click here to go to their website.
 

City Bike Tampa

City Bike Tampa is a full service specialty bicycle shop with two locations in Downtown Tampa focused on rentals, tours, sales, service, repairs, parts and accessories. City Bike has established a firm grasp on the pulse of the community through the formation of strategic alliances with local businesses and groups such as the Tampa Independent Business Alliance (TIBA), Friends of the Riverwalk, REALM, tbt*, Sono Café, Tampa Downtown Partnership, University of Tampa, Tampa Bay & Company, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa BayCycle, Tampa Greenways and Trails and the Urban Charette.

Over the past 16 months, they have focused on products and services that meet the needs of local residents, businesses, community development groups and visitors. City Bike continues to strive for playing a significant role in helping with enhancing and growing downtown's urban life for its residents, commuters and visitors... they are proud to promote "The Ultimate Urban Experience" for all. Click here to go to their website.
 

Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park

More than just a park, the Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park has helped turn downtown Tampa into “everybody’s neighborhood.” The site has long played a key role in transforming Tampa into a modern city, and its new design is equally significant in turning Tampa into one of the nation’s most notable cities.  The project is a model for urban redevelopment.  Curtis Hixon Park has sparked a new sense of vibrancy, creativity and community excitement with the Tampa Bay region.

Located on the bank of the Hillsborough River in downtown Tampa, the park’s unique integration of design with the new Tampa Museum of Art Cornelia Corbett Center and the Glazer Children's Museum makes the new Hixon Park one of Tampa's signature destinations.  Click here to go to their website.
 

Downtown Tampa YMCA

The Tampa YMCA’s Downtown Y is an active part of the downtown community.  With a mission centered on balance, the Y brings families closer together, encourages good health and fosters connections through fitness, sports, fun and shared interest. As a result, thousands of adults and families are receiving the support, guidance and resources needed to achieve greater health and well-being for their spirit, mind and body.

By collaborating with leaders in the community the Y is able to host events in both the immediate downtown community, as well as the wider Tampa Bay region, that impact the health and well-being of the people it serves, and makes the environment in which they live healthier, too.  Click here to go to their website.
 

Florida Museum of Photographic Arts

From its inception in 2001 as the Tampa Gallery of Photographic Arts, the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts (FMoPA), with over 750 members, has been dedicated to providing the highest quality museum experience. Early exhibits included works by Ansel Adams, Barbara Kasten, Berenice Abbott, Doc Edgerton and Clyde Butcher. More recent shows have featured subjects such as the award winning exhibition, Contemporary Chinese Photography and Burk Uzzle’s (Berk Uzz-al’s)Woodstock and Other Americana.

From the beginning, FMoPA has experienced consistent critical acclaim, such as the Best of Bay award for “Best Museum Exhibition in 2009” from Creative Loafing. Click here to go to their website.
 

Happy Buddha Yoga Lounge

The Happy Buddha Yoga Lounge was created by Francine Messano (Mess-on-oh) because of her love of yoga.  The location of the HBYL was determined because of her love of urban life.   After moving into the downtown neighborhood of the Channel District 7 years ago, Francine became one of the resident "pioneers".  Five months ago she became one of the small business "pioneers" of downtown after opening the Happy Buddha. She feels that the growth of an exciting downtown is dependent on exciting activities.

Thousands of people live and work in downtown and they should have convenient opportunities to maintain their health and well-being.   The studio is located on Cass street, across from Element Condos and is bringing peace and happiness to those who practice there one yoga class at a time but the free Sunday evening class is special. With the help of the Downtown Partnership and Realm, Happy Buddha has been able to offer this gift to the people of the city of Tampa.  Click here to go to their website.  

SPECIAL AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP
City of Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio

The transformation story of downtown Tampa continues through basic improvements that contribute to the day-to-day quality of life.  The Mayor’s commitment to making downtown Tampa more pedestrian-friendly began with the opening of the northern portion of Franklin Street to traffic and continued with the first east/west road two-way conversion project – Madison Street, followed by Twiggs Street, Zack, and Polk Street. By adding countdown pedestrian signals, new crosswalks, new way-finding signage and new multi-space parking meters, the city has enhanced both the motorist and pedestrian experience. 

Downtown Tampa has transformed and is now a residential community as well as a government, business and entertainment center. 5,000 people now live in downtown with a potential build out of 17,000 units.   

The Arlington

Standing in the middle of Franklin Street in the summer of 2000, when Stephanie Ferrell and partner Bob Harrell looked at the vacant buildings and lots on the street they saw the past, present and future of the area.  Their work to turn the area around began with the acquisition and redevelopment of the historic Arlington Hotel’s eleven residential condominiums on the second floor and ten mixed-use commercial condominiums on the ground level.  Ferrell worked with area property owners to have the North Franklin Street Historic District officially listed in the National Register in 2002.  The Arlington has helped create an urban neighborhood while also encouraging the sensitive rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of historic buildings in the district.
Click here to go to their website.

Healthy Together / Do the Local Motion

Healthy Together is a non-profit organization developed to foster Healthy City initiatives.  Unique in its scope, it is a national model for uniting communities for wellness.  In 2008 Healthy Together initiated a walking program in downtown called “C’Mon Baby, do the Local Motion.” Do the Local Motion is a free fitness program that combines walking with culture and community.  To kick off the program six engaging 2-mile routes that feature downtown Tampa’s public art, architecture history and legends were developed.  Program elements include regular noon-hour group walks, free fitness assessments, personal fitness diaries, walking and fitness tips, downloadable maps and pod casts featuring local musicians and narrations by well-known local personalities. The goal of the program is to encourage walking for fitness and travel, encourage workplace wellness, offer safe and interesting routes to visitors, workers and residents, reduce gasoline usage, and connect people with the community.  Click here to go to their website.

Henry B. Plant Museum Picnic in the Park

Picnic in the Park is a springtime tradition for the entire community.  It began as a two-hour event with old fashioned games and a barbershop quartet in 2005.  Today people are encouraged to pack a picnic basket and gather in Plant Park for a 4-hours of festivities.  There are storytellers, strolling musicians, live theater, a concert, and games such as horseshoes, badminton, checkers, tiddlywinks and hoops and sticks.  Picnic in the Park attracts a cross-section of people.  The day inspires people to share their uniqueness. Every year, a toymaker sets ups spinning top table to entertain the children (and adults) with his handmade tops.  Several families come dressed in Victorian period costumes and this year there were artists with easels. The most important aspect of Picnic in the Park is the fun and carefree atmosphere.  It epitomizes a down-home Tampa gathering.  This event showcases downtown as a destination for relaxation and entertainment in addition to the business environment. 
Click here to go to their website.

National Park(ing) Day/SuperTest

National Park(ing) Day is an urban revitalization event structured solely around the benefits of parks, open space and the potential of a seemingly ordinary parking space.  By “renting” parking spaces in downtown areas, organizers are able to construct temporary green space by placing sod, trees, benches or whatever comes to mind where an impervious parking space once stood.  Park(ing) Day 2009, organized by SuperTest included 12 park installations, designed by a variety of participants including AIA Tampa Bay, ASD-Ybor based architecture firm, Experimental Skeleton a local Art Collective, The Heights, The Mayor’s Beautification Program and several local artists.  Utilizing 10 metered parking spaces and a few vendor loading zones, Tampa Park(ing) Day 2009 succeeded in activating downtown with communal spaces that drew a crowd of people walking, biking and supporting local businesses and green spaces.  SuperTest is a Tampa-based not-for-profit organization established to exhibit contemporary art.  Through promotion of innovative artistic practices, SuperTest builds and sustains audiences for the cultural community. Click here to go to their website.

Tampa Bay History Center

After almost twenty years of visioning and careful planning, the new 60,000 square-foot museum facility opened in early 2009 in Historic Cotanchobee-Fort Brooke Park.  This LEED-certified building not only serves as a repository for the preservation of significant artifacts, but it also provides an education to visitors about the history that shaped the Tampa Bay area, bringing to life approximately 500 years of recorded history and 12,000 years of human habitation in the region.  The History Center has a positive impact on downtown Tampa.  The museum serves as an anchor for the Riverwalk and creates an inspiring destination that brings visitors and residents to downtown. The History Center is a model of public and private cooperation between Hillsborough County, The City of Tampa, The Florida Communities Trust and the Tampa Bay History Center, with the County investing $17 Million for construction and the City donating the park site. Functioning as a liaison between the past and the present, the museum honors our community’s character and heritage, stirring the spirit of adventure found in all its visitors with the generations of stories it has to tell.  Click here to go to their website. 

Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute

Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute has hosted their 6th Annual Tampa Bay International Dragon Boat Races event on the Garrison Channel, with over 70 local corporate teams and out of town teams ranging from as far as New York, Toronto, and Nova Scotia.  In addition to this event, they have hosted the US National Dragon Boat Racing Championship- an event which was the most successful US Nationals to date.  Each year the event brings 8,000-10,000 spectators down to Tampa’s beautiful waterfront to watch the races and enjoy the Riverwalk.  In 2007, the Tampa Bay Dragon Boat Institute successfully secured the bid to bring the 2011 World Dragon Boat Racing Championship to Tampa.  Plans are now underway for the largest international event that downtown Tampa has ever seen.  The Tampa Bay international Dragon Boat Races donates all of their race proceeds ($145,000 to date) to the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and to the Florida Aquarium.  The economic impact of the annual event is over $470,000 in hotel room nights and other visitor expenditures.  This event truly showcases Tampa’s beautiful waterways, thriving downtown and growing Riverwalk!  Click here to go to their website.