The Official Tampa Bay Developments/Urban Enthusiast Thread (car insurance, homes)

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

This is exactly my case. I'm in California with a remote job and I'm actually relocating in St. Pete in mid-November and am bringing my job with me. The goal is to rent for the first three months and purchase a home in that timeframe. I feel very fortunate to be able to do this, however I am mindful of the people that are already there, struggling to make ends meet, however as I struggle to purchase a home in CA, the St. Pete area is affordable for me, thus the move. I want to buy a home and be in a warm-ish climate and have access to beaches and a lifestyle where I can take advantage of being outdoors. Additionally, I'm socially liberal and I also want an area that is relatively liberal. I believe people are entitled to rights without the impediment of religion or personal like or dislike of the way someone decides to live their own life. I think St. Pete offers that as well as a modicum of cultural diversity.

It definitely does. I mean, don’t expect it to be as socially liberal as say, California, but I think because Tampa overall is a pretty purple metro, people are generally more fiscally conservative here, but socially, moderate to liberal would definitely describe it (Civil Libertarian, perhaps?) People around here (well, at least into the more heavily suburbanized to urbanized areas here) kinda avoid political discussion out of politeness/etiquette, which I think is fine. Without knowledge on other places, I hesitate to comment, but I do believe that St Pete seems to have one of the more active LGBTQ scenes at least in the southern US, and I do not believe that population receives much or any discrimination here. Not that you are, just saying it’s a relatively progressive place, kinda live and let live.

[theurbanfiles]

Originally Posted by Kid Ashbury

Kindly consider staying in California. Folks like yourself made the situation there what it is, especially with the NIMBY-ism severely hampering development for decades and driving costs way up, and you deserve to live with those consequences. If you come, karma will follow you anyways.

The reality is though (IMO) that there’s a myriad of issues that have caused California to get as expensive as it is, and I think honestly it’s not just a California or Florida or even party line problem. I think the big issue, partly NIMBYism in some places but also right now, difficulty keeping up with demands of growth and COVID material shortages is where I read that in the US, only 6 new housing units are being built for the average of 10 new families (not sure if that’s counting housing units total but I think perhaps it is overall), and I think that’s either a reflection of their being fewer nuclear families in this generation, but also, straight population growth which continues to decrease the supply.

[theurbanfiles]

Winter 2021 Updates:

1. Tampa Bay Leads the Nation in Inflation, at 8% over 12 months
2. The SunRunner, Tampa Bay Area's First BRT Service, Opened First Station, to be Finished in 2022
3. Public Art, Landscaping in Water Street as Phase One nears Completion
4. Photos from Westshore Marina District (I visited and took some too, but this link was easier to share)
5. The Developers of Midtown Miami were selected for the Tropicana Field Redevelopment
6. Central Park Food Hall Starts Construction at 551 Central Avenue, St Pete
7. Snug Harbor St. Pete Development (North St. Pete by the Gandy)
8. USF Football Stadium Rendering and Potential Locations
^I do hope the above happens, as I think it would be a benefit for the program. Still though... Go Knights, Charge On

[OptimusPrime69]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

Winter 2021 Updates:

1. Tampa Bay Leads the Nation in Inflation, at 8% over 12 months
2. The SunRunner, Tampa Bay Area's First BRT Service, Opened First Station, to be Finished in 2022
3. Public Art, Landscaping in Water Street as Phase One nears Completion
4. Photos from Westshore Marina District (I visited and took some too, but this link was easier to share)
5. The Developers of Midtown Miami were selected for the Tropicana Field Redevelopment
6. Central Park Food Hall Starts Construction at 551 Central Avenue, St Pete
7. Snug Harbor St. Pete Development (North St. Pete by the Gandy)
8. USF Football Stadium Rendering and Potential Locations
^I do hope the above happens, as I think it would be a benefit for the program. Still though... Go Knights, Charge On

The redevelopment of the Tropicana field area will happen "between 2023 and 2048" Good lord! I guess don't hold your breath for anything any time soon.

Also, they need more development down in the Pinellas point area. Just wanted to put that out there.

[castlechurch]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

8. USF Football Stadium Rendering and Potential Locations
^I do hope the above happens, as I think it would be a benefit for the program. Still though... Go Knights, Charge On

I am a USF Football fan, but I don't feel the expense of $250-$400 Million is worth it for the school or really anyone when their situation at Raymond James is not bad at all.

[Arcenal813]

Originally Posted by castlechurch

I am a USF Football fan, but I don't feel the expense of $250-$400 Million is worth it for the school or really anyone when their situation at Raymond James is not bad at all.

Same... I am a USF grad, and I can only agree with this post.

[theurbanfiles]

To the person commenting about Pinellas Point:

This article about a major purchase in the Skyway Marina District may resonate

That said, it strikes me that in general, Pinellas Point as a greater neighborhood, would be a difficult area to redevelop. You have some retail on the western end with Publix, and some apartments lining that, then mostly all developed, kinda windy single-family home neighborhoods (which are perhaps more historic and beautiful in nature the closer you get to the water. It would require massive land-use change and possible upzoning or people selling houses or receiving permits to develop multi-unit places on some of those, which, because of the homeowner/district nature of that area, I honestly don't think would it happen, or if it did would occur over several decades. Not that there's anything wrong with having an area like that, either. The area around the native mound is particularly unique/pretty.

The mixed-use/urban "Downtown South St. Pete hope for that area would have to be the Skyway Marina District IMO, where it does seem that quite a bit is going to be happening. That was the largest land purchase in the city in several decades.

---

That's interesting, was the article really that vague in the timeline (2023-2048)? Yikes... Good news is, by 2048, I'll be eligible for AARP benefits

---

Any word on why they're expecting such a massive ($250-$400 Million) price tag? I mean, I do get that construction prices and wages have increased some. But, UCF's stadium was built for $55 million, and honestly, while I'll make fun of us for a sec and mention the structural unsoundness (Bounce House), even if USF had something in that range of capacity or quality, I'd think they'd be pretty happy with it. I don't think reality or renderings suggests needing something that much larger. Houston's stadium was $128 million in 2014. FAU opened a new stadium in 2011 for $70 million. Again, even accounting for inflation, I'm really not sure why USF couldn't get something decently nice thrown together on campus (important part being a venue, of any kind, period, rather than bells and whistles) for no more than $150 million.

I can't necessarily sit here and say to you guys that level of cost factor (even with potential increase in attendance, potentially quality of play, alumni/booster/endowment contributions, applications/enrollment growth) would necessarily be worth it, because truly I don't know. And, I do know that popular economic wisdom often (and, I'm not saying incorrectly, either) warns against stadium investments as paying off in a number of cases.

But, here is to give you some hard-line data from Sportico on football programs (and of course, this is kind of a snippet, not necessarily a movie, but still), of their revenues vs. expenses.

UCF
2019/20
Revenues: $33.6 Million
Expenses: $24.3 Million

USF
2019/20
Revenues: $9.5 Million
Expenses: $19.7 Million

Perhaps the point here is that a lot of universities shouldn't have a football program at all, or at least not one in FBS (I looked at the picture at FIU, and for last year it looked like 3 million in revenues vs. 14 million in expenses-of course, they have the on campus stadium, which doesn't appear to help much). But, if having one, perhaps on some level, investment helps to actually get them out of the red and into the green. The gap of course (in the vastly unequal college sports landscape) will likely widen into a gulf with UCF's move to the Big 12. For UCF, the answer to whether a stadium investment paid off was likely a yes. But, I don't know that it necessarily would be for USF-in any case though, it's probably moot to discuss "should or shouldn't" because USF trustees have assigned "will happen"/"must happen" to it, with getting it to happen being a primary goal/job requirement of whoever gets hired as the new school president.

[theurbanfiles]

https://drive.google.com/file/d/10u4...T8QKMRV_o/view
Recap of things happening, and to come, in St. Petersburg.

[Fl1150]

Originally Posted by OptimusPrime69

This is exactly my case. I'm in California with a remote job and I'm actually relocating in St. Pete in mid-November and am bringing my job with me. The goal is to rent for the first three months and purchase a home in that timeframe. I feel very fortunate to be able to do this, however I am mindful of the people that are already there, struggling to make ends meet, however as I struggle to purchase a home in CA, the St. Pete area is affordable for me, thus the move. I want to buy a home and be in a warm-ish climate and have access to beaches and a lifestyle where I can take advantage of being outdoors. Additionally, I'm socially liberal and I also want an area that is relatively liberal. I believe people are entitled to rights without the impediment of religion or personal like or dislike of the way someone decides to live their own life. I think St. Pete offers that as well as a modicum of cultural diversity.

Welcome to Florida and I’m glad to see your demographic moving here. We need more young professionals like yourself to bring new ideas and diversity to our state.

[MOforthewin]

Originally Posted by cavsfan137

Rumors increasing that the unnamed company seeking relocation is Foot Locker. (Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal's daily blurb)

People actually buy from Footlocker, Champs, etc. still? I haven't bought shoes there in years. I can usually get the same brand Nikes for cheaper at the Nike Outlet or one of the shoe stores in the mall.