TBX, the contentious interstate expansion of I-275 which will add toll lanes for commuters, is still on track after Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) approved its share of the project's funding Tuesday.
This comes much to the chagrin of the residents of Tampa Heights, Seminole Heights and other neighborhoods in Tampa's urban core who came to the Hillsborough County Center by the hundreds, filling the meeting room to its 150 person capacity leaving the vast majority watching events unfurl in the lobby. While the meeting didn't stretch to the five hours Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller forewarned when he was first handed the list of speakers, over the course of nearly three hours and more than fifty speakers TBX saw overwhelming opposition interspersed with some support.
The issue kicked off with Debbie Hunt of the Florida Department of Transportation stating the case for TBX, the shortened name of the Tampa Bay Express, which would add toll lanes to I-275 to break up some of the gridlock. Hunt pointed out the benefits the expansion would bring to the Gateway area of Pinellas, along with Tampa's airport and port. She added it would distance the organization from its neighborhood-demolishing past in efforts to work with the community for the project through gestures such as relocating and rehabilitating historic buildings and incorporating art exhibitions, dog parks and basketball courts in affected areas.
“We're not the old DOT that just comes in and plucks down roadways and like it or not, this is what's going to happen,” said Hunt. “We work extensively with the communities that are impacted to ensure that they also get a win with the project. We have the dubious pleasure of being between a rock and a hard spot because we too are part of the communities in the Hillsborough area and we are also as the Department of Transportation responsible for the regional movement of people and goods, and there is a conflict between the two. What we are charged with doing is finding the best solutions to make it work.”
Hunt found support from a collection of others, including the Westshore Alliance and former County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, a stalwart transit advocate. The theme from all that voiced their support for the project was the necessity of enhancing Tampa's economic draw and continuing the city's growth as a destination for business while cutting congestion and improving accessibility throughout.
Opposition was more varied, with the main focus on avoiding a rollback on years of revitalization that Tampa's urban core has seen, but also stretching into issues such as the actual funding of the project and whether this would even be a factor in making Tampa more business friendly.
“This is a time to think about what the quality of life is, what the heart of the city of Tampa is," said Katie Wallace to the MPO. Wallace is a coordinator for the Tampa Heights Community Garden, a potential victim the TBX project goes forward. “The neighborhoods of Tampa Heights, Seminole Heights, Ybor City, West Tampa, these are the neighborhoods that are the heart of your city, historic districts, and they have to be given full weight of their importance, balancing that with all of the things that have been said here. That's my plea to you, balance the quality of life of these residents in these historic districts.”
Rumors surrounding the total cost and funding of the project have begun to swirl and add to the controversy, with conflicting details specifying the FDOT as the sole backer with others implying that outside investors will be involved. Whether this project makes financial sense in a transportation culture that is changing also weighed on the minds of those in attendance, including downtown resident Adam Metz.
“I have a problem with the fiscal aspects of this project and the financing. Questions have not been answered and the return on investment on this project I believe will not come anywhere near what FDOT says it will. I'm a fiscal conservative, and this project bothers me for a whole lot of reasons, but the biggest one has to be the financing and the money. FDOT has not been able to answer the questions and be clear about how much this is going to cost because they haven't put the contracts up for bid to private contractors yet. If this is a funding problem, if we need tolls to solve our funding problem, why is that going to change things when people are driving so much less now than they have ever done before. The gas tax is plummeting. It should be a great big flashing billboard that what we're doing is out of whack and completely unbalanced.”
The changing culture of transportation may also play into whether TBX will improve Tampa's corporate reputation. Several in attendance pushed the idea that several more highway lanes will cause more harm than good as it comes the expense of neighborhoods closest to the business districts and alternative forms of public transportation. Stan Lasater, President of the Southeast Seminole Heights Civic association pointed out that in his professional job as an advisor to Fortune 100 and 500 companies he has never emphasized a cities highway, knowing there is a greater appeal in a thriving public transportation system.
Resident Michelle Cookson claimed that a plan such as TBX lacked vision and will prevent Tampa from reaching the destination status it craves.
“TBX is shortsighted, too costly, solely focused on the widening to the detriment of urban core historic neighborhoods and the heart of our city," she said. "It will only lead to more single occupancy vehicle congestion. TBX is the exact wrong choice for a city and region poised to make a turn to true multimodal transportation that will drive an unprecedented economic boom. Many of you represent transportation sectors critical to our growth. You know we need to attract employers with higher wage positions. This is a really important crossroads for our region. With car focused TBX as our only choice, our region will never be viewed as top tier. Seeing a commitment and investment in many modes of transportation and an emphasis on a built environment that focuses on mixed use and urban design principles is now a key factor in corporations considering locating their companies in the region.”
Cookson pointed to cities such as Charlotte, Denver, Salt Lake City and Minneapolis as examples that made the move to multimodal transportation and reaped the benefits of investment even before construction of the projects were underway.
Perhaps the concern underlying all arguments by the opposition was the FDOT's sins of the past in those neighborhoods. The original construction of the interstate divided and economically crippled what had once been an intertwined and thriving part of the city, with only hints of what had been returning in the past decade. Longtime residents are familiar with broken promises from the FDOT of whatever past iteration of this project being the final piece of their interstate plan, only for another to arise a few years later.
“I listened to the presentation by DOT and I could close my eyes and hear the same words that I heard in the 1980's,” said Lena Young-Green, who has been one of the earliest voices of the opposition since the project began gaining traction. “That we were now dealing with the ultimate, so in our community, we were persuaded to give up some of our historic properties, some of the important parks of our communities, we were told that was the ultimate, that they had taken care of stuff. And today we hear the same language the same way again. We've been lookig back at the history of what this process was. In the 1960's our communities were seamless in the urban core of Tampa. When I saw a picture after the interstates were in place, you could see the clear division within our communities. When I moved to Tampa, I looked for urban areas where i wanted to raise my children. That was important to me, the culture was important to me. It's not right that an area get torn apart in order to accommodate commuters and moving other people around.”
Taking the entirety of the meeting into consideration, Miller made an attempt for both sides of the issue to seek a compromise, adding stipulations to the project that would ensure community involvement in TBX.
“I understand the anxiety that the Tampa Heights and the Seminole Heights people are feeling today because I know what went through that neighborhood when I was growing up,” said Miller as he addressed the crowd before the vote. “I also know how important this project is for the future of our region and economic development and job creation and access to the ports and airports. That's important if we're going to develop this area. I know that traffic is going to double in Hillsborough County as we approach two million citizens mark in this county. Where I find myself today is in the need to balance the future of this community and our future opportunity to create jobs and grow as a region. Our community is a valued asset to what we do and how we do it. I also understand that a three billion dollar investment is critical for us to move forward.”
The conditions Miller included pertain to community and FDOT representatives working together to enhance the affected neighborhoods throughout the project's scope, for the upcoming revaluation of the project to include the significant social and fiscal change in the area, the impact caused by project and to anticipate population and employment growth and land use in a more comprehensive plan, gaining effective community commitment, and working with the City of Tampa on future redesign of Florida Avenue and Tampa Street for more pedestrian and bicycle opportunities.
If these conditions are not met by the FDOT, Miller will make the motion to remove the TBX project at the next MPO meeting, which will be in November at the earliest.