By MICHAEL H. SAMUELS The Tampa Tribune
Published: Dec 23, 2006
Sitting at a table inside SoHo Sushi, Roger Grunke sipped on sake.
Grunke, president of the Historic Hyde Park Neighborhood Association, likes going there for a drink and a bite to eat to unwind after a long day working and teaching.
But he's worried that a proposal to combine the restaurant building, 309-315 S. Howard Ave., with the next-door building will be the first step down the wrong path for South Howard.
He's not alone. A band of neighborhood leaders and residents oppose the plan, which would replace SoHo Sushi and Sangria's with a project that includes restaurants, a cigar bar and The Dubliner pub.
The city council is scheduled Jan. 25 to consider a request to combine the wet zonings for the properties.
Grunke said the plan, proposed by Whiskey Park and Hyde Park Cafe owner Tommy Ortiz, flies in the face of what Howard is about - small, diverse shops that encourage customers to walk the stretch between Bayshore and Kennedy boulevards.
"It's the replacement of the restaurants and small shops with one large enterprise," Grunke said.
"What we want to create is a high-density, 21st century commercial district that supports the neighboring residential, and the residential supports the commercial," he said.
He said the city designated Howard a walking zone, putting in continuous sidewalks and decorative streetlamps. What Howard doesn't have is enough parking.
Grunke said the city set aside money for a parking garage on Howard during Dick Greco's most-recent tenure as mayor, but nothing came of it.
Vicki Pollyea, president of the Bayshore Gardens Neighborhood Association, said Ortiz's plan would deepen parking problems related to Howard's bars and restaurants.
A public forum to discuss Howard parking is scheduled for 7 p.m. Jan. 18 at the Kate Jackson Community Center, 821 S. Rome Ave.
Ortiz proposed buying or leasing land throughout the area for parking, and said he would try to persuade business owners to encourage their customers to use the mix of valet and self-parking lots.
In November, the council postponed the wet-zoning hearing pending more information about the parking proposal.
Ortiz said this week that he's working with city officials on the plan, which should be ready for the Jan. 25 hearing.
Walter Crumbley, president of the Courier City/Oscawana neighborhood group, said residents there originally supported Ortiz, contingent on his parking plan being implemented. But he said neighborhood support is wavering because there's no concrete plan.
"It's something we're going to have to revisit," he said. "I think most people in this neighborhood would prefer to see more retail and less emphasis on bars and restaurants."
Grunke said elected officials, developers and civic leaders need to get on the same page.
"Howard Avenue needs to be recognized, celebrated, supported and protected," he said.
Reporter Michael H. Samuels can be reached at (813) 835-2109 or msamuels@tampatrib.com.
