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I'm from WV, but I go to college in the Tampa area. I'd say that the biggest thing holding downtown Tampa back from World Class status is the lack of jobs. There really isn't alot of "business" there and it lacks a main street type vibe. I think it has a nice convention/event area. And the cruiseship port is nice (maybe not world class)
Phoenix: Population density in the downtown area. Downtown Phoenix has improved greatly over the past 20 years or so, but they need to get the population up. Once the population is higher again, the retail situation will improve. And, decent paying jobs offering health insurance will help, too. There is a new medical school downtown, as well as several divisions of ASU, so we are getting some students to liven up the area.
1. The State of Tevas Ghetto: an enormous swath of land right between the CBD and the university..it should be lively, vibrant and urbane, instead it's block after block of single use office buildings and enormous mid rise structured parking. It is completely lifeless.
2. Capitol View Corridors: over 30 of these idiotic things, immediately eliminates 1/2 of downtown from vertical development.
3. Town lake setbacks
4. Absurdly restrictive FAR and parking requirements
5. Three homeless shelters on prime blocks
6. They stuck a damn freeway right in the middle of it too
7. NIMBYs who fight every proposed project to death whether they have a stake in it or not...the politicians who actually listen to these retrograde morons
Lack of demand due to declining job growth opportunities. This is a problem nearly every community will face in the US. As manufacturing continues to decline, and technology significantly reduces the number people required to provide services, there are far fewer decent paying jobs available for the masses. This results in less investment in development because the salaries earned do not support the costs required to develop/redevelop our cities.
The US cannot continue to just be a repackaging agent for production and services originating elsewhere. Currently we're chasing the lowest cost. The result is declining investment in our cities/communities and infrastructure as well as a loss of national pride, culture, and identity. We have softened the shock of this reality by amassing trillions of dollars in national debt but that game is coming to a close.
If we want a vibrant downtown and nation we need real jobs for the masses that pay a decent salary.
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