The rendering for the redevelopment of Water Works Park by Hardeman Kempton & Associates shows the revitalized natural spring (right) and the plan to expand it. Amenities will include an event pavilion with a festival lawn, a play area and splash pad, a dog run, public boat docks, a performance pavilion, and a new restaurant in a historic building.

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Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and city council members were on hand Oct. 9 for the groundbreaking ceremony for Water Works Park, which has been reported by the local media as "six mayors and 40 years in the making."

The new park, a $7.8 million renovation, will be the north terminus of the 2.4-mile Tampa Riverwalk along the Hillsborough River. [See "University of South Florida's Ribbon of Green", March 2012 LASN feature on the Tampa Riverwalk.]

Just north and west of Water Works Park, developers Adam Harden and Chas Bruck seek to rezone 49 acres once known as the Heights. They propose 1,900 multifamily housing units, 100 boat slips and 260,000 square feet for commercial purposes. The upper floor of the brick warehouse (formerly "Tampa Armature Works") could be office space, with restaurants and event space below.