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City Plans Stormwater Upgrades In Drew Park

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BY JOSE PATINO GIRONA, The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 19, 2007

DREW PARK - During a downpour last year, Charles Amato ran to the low-rider Dodge Neon he was going to repair at his shop.

When he turned the ignition, the engine sucked up water and ruined a piston. Amato, owner of Ray's Automotive, 3926 W. Osborne Ave., said he had to replace the part in a car that was brought in for basic maintenance.

When it rains at Grady and Osborne avenues, he said, the intersection is certain to drain slowly, causing problems for businesses and residents.

After decades of flooding throughout the industrial neighborhood, the city plans to spend more than $20 million to alleviate the problem.

It is acquiring land on Henry Avenue, just north of Hillsborough Avenue, to enlarge a 2-acre pond, stormwater director Chuck Walter said.

The goal is to create an elevated pond and add stormwater pumps. The pond would collect runoff from the neighborhood to the south and drain into the adjacent Henry Canal, Walter said.

The project's first phase is land acquisition, survey, design and pond construction. Phase two is pump station construction, with phases three and four adding the stormwater system to Grady and Lois avenues, Walter said.

Ditches along the edges of Grady and Lois would be replaced by underground stormwater systems, Walter said. Streets and driveways would have to be repaired.

Walter said the city has most of the $5.7 million needed for phases one and two. He estimates design of the pond and pump station could start in two to three months and take 12 to 18 months, with work beginning within 20 months.

Tony Estevez, a Drew Park business owner since 1983, said flooding has gotten worse over the years.

'It is serious because most of it is commercial,' Estevez said. 'Anytime you have flooding, it affects businesses.'

Estevez, part owner of Unique Cabinet Designers on Grady, supports the improvements but said they will come at a cost for the business community. Stormwater upgrades are the first step to transform the area from commercial to more residential, he said.

This year, city officials said they are pursuing plans to allow land-use and zoning changes east of Lois between Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Crest Avenue to attract housing, stores and offices. The plans require Hillsborough Planning Commission and city council approval.

Estevez said Drew Park is a perfect location for high-dollar residential because it is near professional sports stadiums and Tampa International Airport.

'I think they are going to make it tough to keep it commercial with the location,' he said.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 835-2110 or jpatino@tampatrib.com.

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