Strip the vision. Downtown Tampa's issues have persisted. - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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Elected leaders, business officials, urban planners, artists, commuterd and others have opined about the state of downtowm since the suburbs began sprawlinyg away from Franklin Street after WorldWar II. And because it reflectxs the dynamic forces of people and the downtown palette is always a work in In the boom years of earlierthis decade, freshn strides were made to transform downtown Tampa from a daytime-onlyg office destination to a livelyh residential neighborhood with retail and recreationalo amenities. Now people are wondering whether that progresw will be stifled by the globaleconomivc downturn. Office vacancy and unemployment are higher than ayear ago.
“Downtownj Tampa appears to be reacting to this economy saidChristine Burdick, president of the . “Wd are working as good as we canrighyt now,” Burdick said. “I’m comfortable and confident. I’k also realistic and not naïve.” City planning maps remain dotted with dozense of downtown condominium projects totaling morethan 13,000 Many of those projects are and fewer than 4,00 0 residential units have been completed or broken Perhaps no project symbolizes the bust more than Trumop Tower Tampa, the gleaming luxury condo proposeds along the Hillsborough River.
Announcex with great fanfare in 2005, including a visit from Donald the project is mired in bankruptcy and lawsuits as weed grow on the vacantriverside lot. Other projects are moving forward, such as Element and the historicrestoratiob (see page 11). Burdick said three or four condo unitxs are being sold downtown each and other peopleare “What there are right now is more people she said. “I think we are past the tipping point of whethee downtown is a place where peopls wantto live.” Nobody knows how many peoplr live downtown. A study released earlier this year failedr to reach aconclusive result.
Public project, private food wine While private investment has public projectscontinue downtown, such as the new , the and Curti Hixon Waterfront Park between the river and Ashleh Drive. , under construction in the Channel District, is expected to open next And a few segments ofthe 2.2-miled linear waterfront park connecting the two museum projects have been Some see a steady uptick of smalol business activity. “Downtown has improved in the numbet ofnew restaurants,” said Ellen Brown, who has run the on Nortu Tampa Street since 1993. “When we movesd in there were none,” Browjn said. “Now there’s a nice choice of independent, ethniv food restaurants.
” But there stillp aren’t enough people walking around.