Neighborhood Fights FDOT and Wins
Riverside's battle for a more thoughtful Fuller Warren Bridge design isn't the first time a neighborhood has clashed with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT). During the early 1990s, Tampa's Seminole Heights took on the FDOT and won. Here's a look at the results, 20 years later.
Aerials of Hillsborough Avenue in 1995 and 2015.
Known for its impressive collection of craftsman style bungalows, Seminole Heights is a historic streetcar suburb, three miles north of Downtown Tampa. Similar to Jacksonville's Springfield, the area had an economic downturn in the late 20th century but has experienced a resurgence over the last decade.
During the 1990s, still recovering from the dark days of urban America's 1980s, the neighborhood found itself in a fight for its life. FDOT had plans to widen Hillsborough Avenue through the heart of the neighborhood.
DOT saw the road as part of a six-lane divided highway with turn lanes running from Pinellas to Polk counties. Their $33.5 million plan to widen Hillsborough Avenue only included the cost of a chain-link in the budget. On the other hand, the historic district's residents envisioned a four-lane boulevard with trees, period streetlights, landscaped medians and brick crosswalks. Something had to give.
Putting the entire widening project in jeopardy, with help from the city council and Metropolitan Planning Organization, Seminole Heights residents convinced FDOT to make concessions by embracing their four-lane boulevard concept. In 1995, FDOT reached a compromise with the Tampa City Council, allowing it to move forward with its roadway widening plans. FDOT would build a four-lane boulevard with eight-foot tall brick walls, and the city would maintain them and the surrounding landscaping. In the event of congestion, FDOT would consider expanding the roadway to the six lanes it initially demanded.
20 years later, now featuring mature landscaping, this stretch of Hillsborough Avenue shines above the rest of US 92's path through Hillsborough County and the dire traffic congestion predictions have not materialized. Now the neighborhood has developed into an urban dining destination. In the last few years, many of its buildings have been renovated into an assortment of uses including craft beer bars, coffee shops, vegan/organic cafes and upscale sandwich shops. Many of these businesses, such as Fodder & Shine, Angry Chair Brewing, Jet City Espresso and Cappy's Pizza, line North Florida Avenue. Connecting Seminole Heights with Downtown Tampa, the narrow roadway, along with Highland Avenue is a one-way FDOT roadway that places an emphasis on fast moving automobile travel over transit, bicyclist and pedestrians. As the corridor's commercial district continues to revitalize, Seminole Heights may find itself in the position of having to wheel and deal with FDOT to make improvements to this thoroughfare.
Next Page: Photo Tour of Seminole Heights
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Seminole Heights was platted in 1911 by T.Roy Young's Seminole Development Corporation.
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Young's homes were oriented east-to-west and priced at $5,000.
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Seminole Heights Residential District was designated a U.S. Historic District upon its inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places on August 5, 1993.
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The district encompasses 1,700 acres and includes 325 contributing structures.
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Seminole Heights' Rivercrest Park is the longest stretch of riverfront parkland in the City of Tampa.
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The Hillsborough River arises in the Green Swamp near the juncture of Hillsborough, Pasco and Polk counties, and flows 59 miles before reaching Tampa Bay near Downtown Tampa. It is the primary source of water for the City of Tampa.
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South Seminole Height's Broward Elementary School.
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Seminole Heights Public Library branch.
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Memorial Middle School just west of I-275.
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I-275 in the distance. I-75 was originally built through the heart of Seminole Heights in 1965. Around 1973, I-75W through Tampa was resigned I-275.
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The Seminole Heights United Methodist Church was constructed at 6111 North Central Avenue in 1927.
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This apartment building originally housed Harry's Candy Company in 1925.
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Sharrows are a recent addition to Hanna Avenue.
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Dating back to 1882, Hillsborough High School is one of the South's oldest high schools. The school moved to its Seminole Heights location in 1928.
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In 2003, Southeast Seminole Heights was named the Best Neighborhood in America by NUSA.
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In 2009, this Old House Magazine ranked Seminole Heights among the best places to buy an old house for: families, green thumbs, cottages and bungalows, single women homebuyers, porch sitters, walkers, and the south.
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Florida Avenue is the main commercial corridor through Seminole Heights.
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In recent years, the neighborhood has grown into a dining destination. Cappy's Pizza is a Tampa-based pizza restaurant chain that dates back to 1995.
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Mauricio Faedo's Bakery is a family operated Cuban bread shop located on the same block as some of Seminole Heights' hippest restaurants. Mauricio's specializes in authentic Cuban bread, donuts and pastries.
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Vintage Post Marketplace is located in an old 9,000 square foot post office on North Florida Avenue. It offers a plethora of all that is vintage, re-purposed, painted, artsy, and unique for both home décor and women’s fashion.
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Looking south down Florida Avenue. Seminole Heights is located three miles north of Downtown Tampa.
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US 92/Hillsborough Avenue through Seminole Heights. FDOT's original plans in the mid-1990s called for the widening of this highway into six lanes. Community activist desired the creation of a context sensitive boulevard. Eventually, the community won. 20 years later, the landscaping through Seminole Heights has matured.
Article and images by Ennis Davis, AICP. Contact Ennis at edavis@moderncities.com