Tampa Republic

Tampa City Council members have given their unanimous approval to the Tampa Downtown Partnership's Franklin Street Vision project. The initiative, with a $6 million investment, is backed by Council members serving on the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) and aims to enhance the historic street running through several downtown neighborhoods.

The project will integrate historic charm with modern improvements, including streetscape upgrades, infrastructure enhancements, and mobility improvements. The funding will be distributed over three years and sourced from the Downtown CRA using property taxes generated in downtown areas. These funds are specifically allocated for projects benefiting downtown and do not come from the general City of Tampa budget.

"To ignore the work that needs to be done on Franklin Street would be the biggest crime, given all that we are doing to improve slum and blight in the downtown CRA," stated CRA Board Chair Gwendolyn Henderson. She further expressed her appreciation for community collaboration efforts aimed at revitalizing Franklin Street for residents and visitors.

The vision plan initiated by the Tampa Downtown Partnership began in 2020. Feedback was gathered from over 550 respondents, including workers, residents, business owners, and visitors in downtown areas.

"I think this plan is very different than any plan that has been tried before for one major reason, and that is that people now live downtown," commented Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak. "That is the game-changer. People live downtown, so we now need to place make."

A timeline for both starting and completing this project will be set in upcoming months.