Temple Terrace : Development News

A new HART system aims to speed up connections from downtown Tampa to northern parts of Hillsborough County.

HART's MetroRapid will begin operations on Tuesday, May 28th, improving travel along selected service corridors, increasing service reliability and speed of transit. HART Public Information Officer Marcia Mejia says the system will make transit use easier for Hillsborough County residents.

“Added features like ticket vending machines will provide travel time savings because you don't have to wait for folks to pay on board,” Mejia says. “Riders will buy their tickets at the machines and just board directly.”

In addition to ticket vending machines, some of the system's new features include fewer stops; improved travel time, including 10-minute frequencies; GPS-enabled signal prioritization which will hold green lights longer and shorten red lights for the sleek new HART vehicles; and real-time display boards, allowing travelers to know when buses will be arriving.

The first rapid transit system in the area, the North-South MetroRapid will run north along Nebraska Avenue from the downtown neighborhoods and east on Fletcher Avenue to Telecom Park, west of Interstate 75; the area totals a 17.5 mile corridor.

According to Mejia, several studies were done before MetroRapid was planned, showing that the North-South corridor is one of the busiest with ridership activity.

Construction began on the North-South MetroRapid project in August 2013, totaling approximately $31 million, while the traffic signal priority project is cost an estimated $2 million. HART reported that the project came in under budget by $5.7 million, which will be reallocated back into Hillsborough County for infrastructure needs, if desired.

Both projects were paid for by Hillsborough County Community Investment Tax (CIT).

“Ridership continues (to increase) for HART, and has been for the past several years," Mejia says. "With this form of rapid transit being introduced, we're on track to meet transportation needs for residents of the county."

Currently, HART is continuing to make progress and expand the MetroRapid services, including the the East-West project which will connect Tampa International Airport, the Westshore Business District and the HART Netpark bus transfer center at Hillsborough Avenue and 56th Street; the 16.4-mile East-West route will also include connections to the North-South Line at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Marcia Mejia, HART

As HART makes way on the new MetroRapid North-South project, offering increased efficiency and expedited travel via public transit connections from downtown Tampa to northern parts of Hillsborough County, the MetroRapid East-West project is beginning to see development.

Currently in the Project Development and Environmental (PD&E) Study phase, HART is encouraging residents to provide input on the first rapid transit system in the Hillsborough County area as additional funding for the final design and construction phases of the project are pursued; HART recently reported that the project is under budget by $1.1 million from the original $3 million estimate.

HART began the PD&E Study of MetroRapid East-West in October 2011.

Focusing on frequent service, faster travel time and an overall better reliability of services, MetroRapid East-West will connect Tampa International Airport, the Westshore Business District and the HART Netpark bus transfer center at Hillsborough Avenue and 56th Street; the 16.4-mile East-West route will also include connections to the North-South Line at Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard.

“With this form of rapid transit being introduced, we're on track to meet transportation needs for residents of the county,” says Marcia Mejia, HART's public information officer.

The new MetroRapid system is expected to feature fewer stops; improved travel time, including 10-minute frequencies; GPS-enabled signal prioritization which will hold green lights longer and shorten red lights for the sleek new HART vehicles; ticket vending machines at major station stops to facilitate passenger boarding; and real-time display boards, allowing travelers to know when buses will be arriving.

HART recently reported that 2012 ridership was up by 4 percent -- or by nearly 600,000 trips -- from the previous year. The 2012 fiscal year marks an all-time high for HART bus ridership, breaking the annual record for the third year in a row.

“HART is on pace for even greater transformation next year, as we move forward with significant transit system improvements, including upgraded facilities, MetroRapid and a compressed natural gas fueling station,” says HART Board Chair Fran Davin.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Marcia Mejia & Fran Davis, HART

If you visit the Animal Coalition of Tampa Spay/Neuter Clinic on Lemon Street on a typical day, you'll see clients braving the summer heat and storms under tents pitched in the parking lot.

Affectionately called the "waiting room,'' the tents are a temporary solution to space issues experienced by the clinic. With an average of 20,000 animals served per year, the clinic has outgrown its 3,000-square-feet space and plans to move to a new building on Gilchrist Avenue on October 9.
 
"We needed so much to come together for the building to be right,'' says Linda Hamilton, the clinic's founder and executive director.

The new building, located four blocks from the current one, was chosen because of its proximity to the existing space (to keep their dedicated staff and clients), large parking area, reasonable rent, ideal size and layout.
 
With the mission of ending unnecessary euthanasia of dogs and cats in Hillsborough County, the Spay/Neuter Clinic first opened in 2006 to provide low cost, high quality spay/neuter services to low-income residents. Since then, services have been expanded to include vaccine packages and even life-saving surgeries.

"It's because of the community's reactions to our services that moving became such a critical need,'' says Hamilton. "People bring in a pet they have saved from the street or a shelter, and they are able to give it a home because of our affordable prices.''
 
The new building will allow ACT to offer pet care classes for the public on topics such as managing feral cats and grieving the loss of a pet. They also plan to utilize more volunteers and loan space to local rescue groups for meetings.

"We want our clients to know that someone is there for them, to help them keep their animals in the home rather than surrendering them to a shelter. The building is in honor of the community, who cares and wants to see unnecessary euthanasia finally come to an end,'' says Hamilton.
 
Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Linda Hamilton, ACT Spay/Neuter Clinic

MetroRapid North-South, the first public transit system of its kind in Hillbsborough County, aims to speed up travel between  downtown Tampa and the University of South Florida.

Local business and community leaders gathered with HART staff on Monday, August 6th, to celebrate the historic groundbreaking, which marks the beginning construction phase of the project. About $31 million from the Hillsborough County Community Investment Tax (CIT) will pay for the design and construction phases of the project. As of June 2012, costs of the MetroRapid N-S project are estimated to be under budget by $5.7 million.

"Ridership continues (to increase) for HART, and has been for the past several years, and with this form of rapid transit being introduced, we're on track to meet transportation needs for residents of the county," says HART Public Information Officer Marcia Mejia. "Several studies were done before MetroRapid was planned and we found that the North-South corridor is one of the busiest with ridership activity."

Featuring elements of bus rapid transit, MetroRapid N-S will run 17.5 miles along Nebraska and Fletcher Avenues in Tampa, from the HART Marion Transit Center in downtown Tampa to Telecom Park/Hidden River Corporate Park, west of Interstate 75. The new system is expected to improve travel-time savings by approximately 15 percent, using GPS-based Transit Signal Priority (TSP) technology at selected intersections to shorten red lights and lengthen green lights.

“MetroRapid N-S will connect downtown Tampa to USF -- two major employment centers,” Mejia says. “In addition, the corridor overlays what are currently the busiest routes, allowing a large portion of our ridership to benefit from faster, more frequent service.”

According to Mejia, several routes feed into the MetroRapid N-S corridor. Fewer stops along the corridor supply added convenience; local bus routes have bus stops every 750 to 1,250 feet while MetroRapid's 59 stops are spaced out about every 2,600 to 4,000 feet.

"Added features like the ticket vending machines will provide additional travel time savings because you don't have to wait for folks to pay on board," Mejia says.

A new park and ride facility is planned in Hidden River Corporate Park, serving the northeast end of the line. MetroRapid N-S construction is slated to be complete and open to Tampa Bay area residents and visitors by 2013.

In July, HART ridership was up by six percent with 60,998 more bus trips taken compared to July 2011. HART is expected to operate extra bus and streetcar service during August's Republican National Convention, providing public transportation options between Ybor City and Channelside.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Marcia Mejia, HART

After a detailed cost analysis, HART officials say they are able to reallocate almost $9 million back into Hillsborough County.

According to HART Public Information Officer Marcia Mejia, the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) determined that several projects were significantly under budget upon completion, allowing the money to go toward Hillsborough County infrastructure needs, if desired.

“In an era when such projects frequently incur cost overruns, it is important for HART to demonstrate that we have been and will continue to be responsible stewards of taxpayer money,” Mejia says.

Funded by Hillsborough County Community Investment Tax (CIT), a total of just more than $8.9 million is currently available for reallocation with the MetroRapid East-West project offering $1 million and the MetroRapid North-South offering approximately $5.7 million. The Brandon Park and Ride was completed with a little more than $2 million remaining. Made available by capital funding, the remaining funds cannot be reallocated toward operational costs such as bus routes.

HART also recently announced proposed changes to fares and services, addressing a number of issues including increased operational costs and decreased ad valorem revenues. These changes include raising the One-Way Cash and 1-Day Unlimited Ride Fares by about 25 cents with changes also affecting 1-Day Unlimited HARTFlex, 3-Day Unlimited, 31-Day Unlimited, 1-Day 10 Pack Unlimited and ADA Paratransit fares. Bus route and schedule changes may be made as well.

“Bus route and schedule changes proposed for November 2012 will streamline some routes while boosting service for others,” Mejia says.

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Marcia Mejia, HART

Working to restore Tampa's history on a smaller scale, preserving the wood windows, original flooring and built-in bookcases of the city's oldest homes, a local nonprofit will host a Historic Homes workshop.

Established in 1973, Tampa Preservation, Inc. (TPI) is dedicated to the preservation of historic structures and neighborhoods in Tampa and Hillsborough County to educate local residents about the unique heritage.

On April 14th, TPI will host a Historic Homes Workshop to provide tips from experts on how to preserve the historic materials and resources inside of Tampa Bay's historic homes. The event will be held from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at the 1927 Historic Seminole Heights United Methodist Church at 6111 N. Central Ave. in Tampa.

“Historic homeowners often wish to take a hands-on approach to restoring their houses and this workshop will offer information and advice on some of the skills required,” says TPI Marketing Director Suzanne Prieur. “The homeowner who wishes to hire professionals will come away more educated on what resources are available and how to best utilize restoration experts.”

The TPI event is free to the public, presenting three workshops every hour. A chance to interact with displayers and other historic homeowners and enjoy exhibits such as historic photos of Tampa by the Tampa Natives Show will be provided during a lunch break.

“The homes in our historic neighborhoods are beautiful,” Prieur says. “In this increasingly individualized and homogenized world, preserving neighborhood history fosters a sense of community while fostering a sense of character and emphasizing the unique history and personality of each area. It encourages people to step outside of their own lives and become a part of a greater identity and purpose.”

While TPI strongly encourages preservation efforts throughout Hillsborough County, according to Prieur, the organization has recently focused on the Tampa Heights neighborhood because of its rich historic potential.

“We've rehabilitated many homes in the area, including the revitalization of a 20-block area which we received an award from the National Trust of Historic Preservation for,” Prieur says. “Now that many of the historic neighborhoods have very strong Civic Associations, we try to work closely with them on issues that affect preservation in the entire community.”

Writer: Alexis Quinn Chamberlain
Source: Suzanne Prieur, Tampa Preservation

After 10 years of dreaming and planning, Temple Terrace is finally breaking ground on its new downtown.

The project blends the efforts of public and private entities. The city of Temple Terrace sold 30 acres of land to the Vlass Group upon approving the master developer after an extensive bidding process. Vlass Temple Terrace, LLC has drawn up plans that paint a bustling downtown with ample commercial, residential and entertainment opportunities.

"The area is mixed use and includes residential and commercial facilities for resale in an area where young people can move in and have everything at their fingertips," says Temple Terrace Mayor Joe Affronti. "They'll have easy access to good transportation and interstates. It has a grocery store, restaurants, banking, a library and a cultural arts center, all of which should mean a lot if they're looking for convenience.

"This $160 million project is going to upgrade the entire region and enhance the value of the community," continues Affronti. "Especially for those who currently live here. It's probably the biggest project going on in the area at this time."

Mike Vlass of the Vlass Group has great things to say about Temple Terrace and its residents. "The mayor has been an incredible advocate with wonderful vision," says Vlass. It's evident residents care about their community. They wanted to do something that made sense. Sometimes people want to do projects and they don't make sense. But their vision makes sense."

Vlass is passionate about downtown redevelopment. "We are extremely sensitive to the trends in new urbanism," he says. "We have for the last 10 years gone into dense areas that have vacant, wasted spaces in ruins. We're recycling these wasted areas, tearing them down and creating something new."

Groundbreaking takes place July 2.

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Sources: Joe Affronti, City of Temple Terrace; Mike Vlass, Vlass Temple Terrace, LLC

The Hillsborough County Commission has unanimously approved a resolution to move forward with a program that encourages the use of electrically powered vehicles.

The commission has elected to take part in Project Get Ready, a national initiative that aids cities in switching from gas-powered to electric vehicles (EVs). According to County Commissioner Rose Ferlita, the regional initiative will be led locally by the Tampa Regional Planning Council.

"Project Get Ready is a great fit for what we have already put in place and continue to expand here in Hillsborough County," says Ferlita. "Our sustainability efforts include focusing on a countywide alternative transportation vehicle plan that includes electric as well as natural gas vehicles.

According to Ferlita, the project's goals include:

* attracting original equipment manufacturers to Tampa Bay
* educating the public about the positive economic impact and potential growth in green jobs a communitywide switch to EVs may offer
* reducing vehicle and total green house gas emissions
* increasing use of alternative and/or innovative energy and decreasing dependence on traditional fuel sources

Research indicates that one electric car reduces carbon emissions by approximately 66 percent and costs less than $1 a day to drive. According to the Get Ready website, Tampa Bay is a case study in which challenges such as coordinating utilities will be addressed and hopefully serve as a best practices model for other cities to embrace electrically powered vehicles.

"Transportation is a key component," says Ferlita. "Not only for Hillsborough County but for the entire Tampa Bay region. We're looking at multimodal and I support that. But, we must also look at 'multifuel' opportunities as we move forward."

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Rose Ferlita, Hillsborough County Commission