Article in St Pete Times describing the development of the Oliva Cigar Factory.
Originally the factory was planned to be an artist enclave. For some reason the owners later decided to sell. This did not sit well with the artists. and they are making their voice heard.
Other than the artist enclave, a hotel is a good answer for this building.
However, the City of Tampa is increasingly making it more and more difficult for developers to invest in infill properties. Another Barrio meeting, another council meeting, this takes time and money, no wonder developers choose to invest money in the outer regions of Tampa Bay. And why are we one of the most decentralized cities in the nation?
There are so many empty buildings in Ybor, becuase the city no longer wants bars, but offers no incentives to invest for offices, restuarants, hotels, or other uses.
Thoughts.
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5 comments:
Well the biggest problem in this situation is that there is a 'conflict of interest' among the board members. I won't get into specifics as I am sure they will come up on due time.
I think the best case for Olivia would have been a permanent museum for the Historic Society along with the artist enclave. Why? Because there is a soon-to-be empty lot on Palm, about 2 blocks away from Olivia heading west Towards Nebraska. This lot has 70's block buildings and about 30-40% of the vacant land is own by the City of Tampa. Also because of the Museum is housed in Cuban worker homes, those homes are archives (they been moved from adjacent nieghborhoods) so in theory the museum can be moved again!
What we really need is good steering committees to work with all parties beforehand. I think if things would have gone right, the Hotel Owner could still make a profit while the Museum and artist thrive.
I hope the process is very difficult and costly so that nothing happens for now.
Well the biggest problem in this situation is that there is a 'conflict of interest' among the board members. I won't get into specifics as I am sure they will come up on due time.
I think the best case for Olivia would have been a permanent museum for the Historic Society along with the artist enclave. Why? Because there is a soon-to-be empty lot on Palm, about 2 blocks away from Olivia heading west Towards Nebraska. This lot has 70's block buildings and about 30-40% of the vacant land is own by the City of Tampa. Also because of the Museum is housed in Cuban worker homes, those homes are archives (they been moved from adjacent nieghborhoods) so in theory the museum can be moved again!
What we really need is good steering committees to work with all parties beforehand. I think if things would have gone right, the Hotel Owner could still make a profit while the Museum and artist thrive.
I hope the process is very difficult and costly so that nothing happens for now.
Your comment is very suggestive without making any clear accusations, which makes it rather valueless. Since you are posting anonymously, why don't you go ahead and be clear about the 'conflicts of interest' you believe exist. THAT would facilitate discussion.
Bottom line, the building has an owner and they have the right to sell, and a hotel is not outside the interests of the Ybor neighborhood which wants to encourage more visitation as a historic district. While personally I would like to see it remain an arts space, the artists housed there now have no entitlement to that building. It's unfortunate they couldn't raise the funds to purchase the building, but they are nothing more than a current tenant.
We can all think up new uses for the site/building which WE would like, and criticize a current plan for not being the "right" plan. That isn't productive discussion though. COULD it be a museum? Possibly, but that doesn't mean it MUST be. Let's discuss how it can be a better hotel.
I missed the disclaimer about producing productive discussions, this is not academia.
I am just here to share my 'thoughts' and of what I know. You can take it or leave it but I personally have known about this situation for sometime and talked with most parties involved.
But to impress your idea of good discussion, I think the biggest concern is not about a 'hotel' but more so a cultural issue. Yes we get visitors from hotels but I feel that local culture has nearly disintegrated in the renewal of Ybor which why so much attention has been on the Oliva. Heck if you check the newspapers or radio shows and there are many similar concerns. What I am also aiming is that most buyers and sellers should at least be consulted by those who care to encourage possibilities in sensitive or historic areas. I am not saying we tell them what to do.
I can't accept how to make a hotel better to me that is totally irrelevant. I think the obvious idea is how to improve the overall cultural well-being of Ybor. And, going back to your issue of becoming clear I will let the headlines carry out those issues as this story matures.
Why would artists want to be housed in a building that they needed to go the the barrio everytime they wanted to nail into a wall or paint a wall. The artists should be in a building that allows for constant distruction and innovation, not a historic relic.
Empty building or usable hotel contributing to the area. Let's make sure this building doesn't follow the same path as others that thru years of neglect become impossible to restore. Besides Tampa's history is over rated.
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