In fact I look for some "gloom and doom" years ahead with multiple foreclosures.
Wow, bayareaw, your whole assessment of Tampa was gloom and doom. It's obvious that you don't much care for the area, and take the "glass is half empty" viewpoint on pretty much all things downtown Tampa.
Get off the interstate and go to Harbor Island. Sounds easy??? Right??? Go ahead, try it. Its a pain.
You've gotta be kidding me. I used to live on Harbour Island, and it's a snap (follow Tampa to the end, turn onto Franklin and then cross over the bridge...not too tough).
AHHHH yes, sunrise over the nearby industrialized phosphate plants and ports over East Tampa.
It would be great if there was an unobstructed view all the way to the Gulf, but it's a bay. It's still a large body of water that looks great as the sun dances off it early and later in the day. You don't think they'd kill to have a similar view in downtown Dallas, or Atlanta, or Minneapolis, or Nashville?
We are downtown Tampa and downtown Tampa has never had much going for it except the SPT Forum and occasionally the money losing Performing Arts Center
The Forum is one of the top grossing concert venues in the world. The Lightning are second in the league in attendance. The Performing Arts Center is also one of the top venues in the US in terms of attendance and ticket sales. Not sure where you got your info that it's losing money.
Remember Harbor Island Shops???? Gone! Remember the greatly expensive monorail? Torn down, a complete failure that no one rode. And remember when the rich people of Seddon Cove paid $425,000 for their nice condos back in the 80's on Harbor Island, the first real luxury ones that were built? I do. For well over a decade they were at a loss. Values plumeted and stayed that way for a long time
Sure, these first attempts failed. Why? No one lived downtown. What's different this time around? All the new construction is for residential. The retail / restaurants / clubs will follow. Those people on Harbour Island that kept their condos are undoubtedly happy about it now. I made a very nice profit off of mine after only living there a couple years.
Any body that compares DT Tampa to New York or Chicago is delusional. It will never be close to either of those cities. But it will grow, it will evolve, it will become more populated, interesting, active, and cultural. These changes are already beginning as midrise lofts are replacing boarded up warehouses and hi-rise towers are being built on empty lots. I can guarantee that in five years, the downtown will look and feel very different than it does today.
