Citizens for the Revitalization of Temple Terrace

Latest News February 2, 2003

February 2, 2003: The City of Temple Terrace formally released the Request for Qualifications (RFQ) for a downtown master planner on January 16, 2003.   According to the document, the City of Temple Terrace Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) is seeking a qualified firm to provide the Plan with a corresponding code that addresses the following: 

• Retail, office, residential, civic-use, and open-space mix and location;
• Building massing, positioning, and density requirements;
• Architectural standards/urban design guidelines;
• Landscaping recommendations;
• Parking and traffic issues;
• Implementation and incentives strategy including phasing considerations and potential for reuse of any existing buildings on site;
• Preliminary construction cost projections for public infrastructure;
• Creative utilization and enhancement of the natural, historic, and established assets of Temple Terrace;
• Ideas/concepts regarding certain Redevelopment Project Area areas including the integration of the new town center with the adjacent neighborhood.

The submission deadline for qualification statements is Friday, February 14, 2003.

The City of Temple Terrace CRA has finalized the purchase of the Kash ‘n Karry Plaza property.    The city will continue to lease the plaza to the current tenants and these leases will cover the interest rate of the city’s loan.  There is a complex plan when the leases expire, and the grocery store has the longest lease, and is the most profitable.   We may consider integrating the store into the charettes (brainstorming session) with the developer/planner.  

Regarding the Terrace Plaza (Publix) property owned by the Bickimer brothers, CRA Director Matt Shannon mentioned that the owners have been very cooperative in providing the necessary information.  He will meet with them towards the end of February.  Shannon remains optimistic about negotiating a deal in order to avoid the more costly process of condemnation, eminent domain or a "quick take."

An important Urban Planning principle called The Transect was introduced at the February 4th CRA workshop.   The Transect is a system of classification from rural to urban that allows the ordering of typical elements of Town Planning.  The Transect technique was derived from the study of ecological systems to “present the sequence of natural habitat from shore-dune-upland-or wetland-woodland-prairie…The transect is a natural ordering system as every urban element easily finds a place within its continuum.”  The Transect used in Town Planning is illustrated below:

       
(Picture Credit: New Urban News, September 2000)

The Transect concept was discussed at the recent CRA meeting to describe how the density of Temple Terrace would logically increase as one traveled from the city limits towards the area of the Downtown Revitalization.    If one were to start at the intersection of Temple Terrace Highway and US 301 and proceed west on Temple Terrace Highway one can easily visualize this concept as the Rural Preserve landscape gives way to Sub-Urban, General Urban, Urban Center and lastly, Urban Core.   You might picture the “Preserve” as the protected river, the reserve is the rural edge, and then the buldings give way gradually to urban structures, permitting multi-story civic building and assembly areas with sufficient height for theatrical requirements.  The picture below shows how theatre stage .and auditorium.a are mere shadows behind the main focus of the entrance, sidewalks, streetlights and awnings..

Rendering of Pantages Theatre with marquee; reconstruction of an original 1916 blade sign and new window glazing system (Picture credit: Theatre Design and Technology, Winter 2003, front cover)

Longtime resident and local architect Grant Rimbey was elected as president of the Citizens for the Revitalization of Temple Terrace by a majority vote of the directors polled.   After reviewing the history of the organization, he believes that the primary goal of the CRTT is the support of the Downtown (SE Quadrant) Revitalization and the CRA advisory group known as STAR, and support other initiatives for the betterment of our fair city such as the “Stop the Bridge” movement and the Historical Preservation Society.