Landscape Architect Articles

The Dilemma of Vacant Urban Land08-07-07 | News

The Dilemma of Vacant Urban Land

Construction is underway for the pond and fountains at the gateway to Tampa?EUR??,,????'???s historic Ybor district. photo by FDOT, June 7, 07.

A hop, skip and jump from downtown Tampa, Fla. is the city?EUR??,,????'???s Latin Quarter?EUR??,,????'??+the historic Ybor district, a hub of activity on the weekends and certain holidays. People come here to dine out, go clubbing and just hang out.

At the gateway to the district, just off the first Interstate 4 exit, is an unused parcel of land larger than a football field. The vacant land may one day be usurped for widening I4, but the fiscal reality is Florida DOT doesn?EUR??,,????'???t have the $167 million in the till for such a project. What to do with the land was the question.

Tampa?EUR??,,????'???s Ybor district, seen here during a St. Patrick?EUR??,,????'???s Day parade, is part Latin Quarter part Bourbon Street.

If Tampa had asked LASN?EUR??,,????'???s opinion, we would have suggested a soccer pitch. What better amenity for a Latin quarter?

FDOT considered several options. The area could use additional parking, but FDOT deemed the location unsafe for a parking lot, given the traffic congestion.

Landscaping the field as an open space was entertained, but quickly rejected because it would be too inviting to the homeless. And left empty, it would become a repository for trash.

FDOT settled on building a $1.3-million fountain pond at the Ybor gateway.

The pond, already under development, will be 261 by 110 feet wide, 18-inches deep and hold 320,000 gallons of water. It will feature eight fountains running continuously and have a tiered waterfall effect.