TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Showing Their Street Smarts

Tribune photo by JIM REED

Even during slumping economic times, business owners along Kennedy Boulevard find they are on the road to success, and design standards have paved the way.

ADVERTISEMENT

By JOSE PATINO GIRONA

jpatino@tampatrib.com

Published: December 10, 2008

TAMPA - Andy Alvarez remembers when Kennedy Boulevard attracted prostitutes, pimps and drug dealers.

The city's gateway from Tampa International Airport to downtown has changed, he said.

In September, Alvarez and two partners opened The Bungalow, a restaurant at 2202 W. Kennedy Blvd., which he describes as J. Alexander's restaurant meets the Cheesecake Factory. Even with the tough economic times, he is content with the investment and says business is brisk.

He is puzzled why Kennedy Boulevard remained neglected and unkempt for years. But he is thrilled with the number of businesses that have opened or rehabilitated their buildings since last year between Himes Avenue and North Boulevard.

"Everything has totally changed," Alvarez said.

Along with The Bungalow, there has been a visible investment on Kennedy Boulevard that even has brought the ubiquitous and neighborhood shot in the arm, Starbucks Coffee.

Bahram Zamani used his life's savings to open Rumi Oriental Rug Gallery, 1120 W. Kennedy Blvd. Zamani, his wife, Faranak Zamani, and business partner Jamal Esfahani bought the former print shop last year and rehabilitated it to a façade with a classical Middle Eastern and Western design.

He said they looked at property in New Tampa, Westchase and Brandon before settling on West Kennedy Boulevard because of its high visibility and proximity to downtown.

"Our exposure is tremendous," Bahram Zamani said. "We haven't had advertising yet, and we get traffic. That shows the location is good."

He said Tampa is a growing market, and he sees a future in selling Oriental and Persian rugs for commercial and residential purposes, such as downtown housing.

"As soon as the real estate market goes up, definitely our business will go up," Bahram Zamani said.

He said he is surprised with the pace of commercial development on Kennedy Boulevard but welcomes it. Businesses that recently have opened include Walker Brands, American Cancer Society, Frankies restaurant and Enterprise Rent-a-Car.

"I think within the next five years it will be really nice and built upscale," Bahram Zamani said. "People realize there is opportunity. It is a major corridor to downtown."

Two years ago, city leaders approved design standards for a stretch of Kennedy Boulevard from Himes to the Hillsborough River. Buildings must reach to the sidewalk, parking must be on the side or rear of a building, and front doors must face Kennedy Boulevard.

The design standards also require property owners to place brick pavers on the sidewalks about every 14 feet and to install a decorative light pole every 56 feet.

The plan is not bolstered by tax incentives for property owners.

The standards apply to new buildings and existing structures that undergo major renovations.

"You have a rhythm of sameness that carries through all the variety of things you've got going on," said Wilson Stair, the city's urban design manager.

"If the standards weren't in place, it would be business as usual as we have had in the past," he said.

Property developers along Kennedy Boulevard said they welcome the restrictions because it brings uniformity, even if it brings an added expense.

City Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena, an advocate for improving Kennedy Boulevard into a "grand boulevard" since the 1980s and a former urban planner, calls the design standards a first step. She credits the resurgence to businesses willing to invest in properties along the well-traveled road.

The state's transportation department installed decorative brick pavers for sidewalks, faux bricks for crosswalks, countdown lights that make crossing intersections safer for pedestrians and medians that the city will landscape, she said.

Private investors were motivated to invest on Kennedy Boulevard because of the government's commitment to make improvements, she said. She envisions Kennedy Boulevard advancing from this first step and can see mixed-use projects that include residences.

"I am very encouraged by the reinvestment along the street and the quality of some of the buildings," Saul-Sena said.

Architect Joe Toph called the design standards "a baby, little step forward."

Although improvements have been made, the road is not pedestrian friendly, said Toph, who owns Urban Order in Tampa and is an adjunct professor of architecture at the University of South Florida.

There is no buffer between vehicles and pedestrians, Toph said. Trees, a typical feature of any grand boulevard, are needed.

"If it is for cars only, it is not a city; it is a suburb," Toph said.

Ten years ago, Nancy Walker, president of Walker Brands, wouldn't have built her company's business on Kennedy Boulevard.

But with the mixed-use developments downtown and in the Channel District, Kennedy Boulevard's exposure grew as a 24/7 thoroughfare, Walker said.

In March, Walker Brands, a branding and marketing firm, opened its two-story, 8,400-square-foot office at 1810 W. Kennedy Blvd.

The company is seeking a federal certification as an energy-efficient and environmentally friendly building. It has heart of pine wood flooring made of 100-year-old reclaimed logs from the bottom of the Suwannee River; the glass façade is made from low-emission glass to reduce heat flow; and more than 75 percent of the building is exposed to natural sunlight to reduce the need for artificial light

Walker acknowledges some blight persists on Kennedy. But for a city that wants its downtown to thrive, Kennedy also must flourish because it is the downtown's entrance point, Walker said.

"This is Kennedy," Walker said. "Kennedy will always be Kennedy. Kennedy will always be a safe bet.

"It's an important street to this city, and you can't say that about a lot of streets," she said.

Reporter Jose Patino Girona can be reached at (813) 259-7659.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT