New Curtis Hixon Park

Tampa Downtown Partnership invites you to coffee with

Mr. Tom Balsley

Mr. Balsley is the architect of the New Curtis Hixon Park and we are very pleased that he has been able to make some time available to show and further describe the plans for the $15 Million renovation of this significant public space.

Maestro’s Restaurant
Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center
1010 North W.C. MacInnes Place
Monday, February 26th
8:30am to 9:30am

Parking as available on the arrival plaza

Go play in the dirt!

The Florida Yard Fandago is coming up March 8-9 at MOSI. Heck, make a day of it and check out the RenFest as well!

See yourself in Pictures

Have you hosted or attended a Tampa Heights event this year?

Do you have pictures of it that you'd like to share?

If so, please email them to Jay McGee, editor@NewHeightsMag.com along with the event's name, location and date -- as well as the names of the main people in the photos -- and I'll post them on this blog for you.

This weekend in the Heights!

Cafe Hey is having a Grand Opening soiree tonight - check it out! It includes an art show and live music.

Why not stop by for a bit?

Also, on the same block at Oceanic Supermarket, there will be a Chinese New Year celebration outside at noon tomorrow that includes a dragon dance and fireworks. While you're there, you're a fool if you don't go inside and nab up some of the delicious fresh deli items.

Office Space Available???

Our business is growing, so to better serve our neighborhoods we are considering leasing office space in one of our core covered areas: Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, Riverside Heights, West Tampa, downtown or Ybor.

We are looking for a low, "friendly" monthly agreement, with enough workroom to house 2-3 desks. A highly-visible, high-traffic address is a plus, but not mandatory.

If you know of a space -- or would like to sublet an office at one of the locations we're currently considering -- please contact Jay McGee, editor, New Heights Magazine, at (813) 389-8116 or editor@NewHeightsMag.com.

As always, thanks for helping us support Tampa's Urban Corridor nieghborhoods.

(Parts of) Tampa Heights to see form-based zoning

The pilot project will cover Old Seminole Heights, Southeast Seminole Heights, South Seminole Heights and parts of Tampa Heights.
_________

By KATHY STEELE, The Tampa Tribune

For an experiment in urban redesign, the city is thinking Seminole Heights.
For years, residents have said traditional zoning codes work against rebuilding urban communities into pedestrian-friendly, mixed-use neighborhoods.

They cite the parking restrictions that nearly shut down Cappy's Pizzeria on Florida Avenue and the long battle to win design approval for Starbucks coffee shop on Hillsborough Avenue.

The city hopes to pioneer a new course, known as form-based zoning, by promoting communitywide planning that seeks a consensus on what residents want and creates zoning codes to make it happen.

Seminole Heights is a good choice for the project because it has single-family residential, historical districts and a "lot of Main Street area corridors," including Florida and Nebraska avenues, city official Cynthia Miller said.

"Seminole Heights probably has a little bit of everything," said Miller, growth management and development services director. "We can capture a broad area."

On Tuesday, the city's land development staff will attend the Old Seminole Heights Neighborhood Association's meeting to discuss the new zoning. Workshops will be scheduled to get residents' input on a redesign along Florida and Nebraska.

The pilot project will cover Old Seminole Heights, Southeast Seminole Heights, South Seminole Heights and parts of Tampa Heights. Members of those neighborhood associations, as well as Tampa Homeowners, an Association of Neighborhoods, have been invited to Tuesday's meeting.
Miller said Tampa probably has up to 15 areas that could adopt communitywide planning and form-based zoning.

"We're the test case for the city," said Susan Long, president of the Old Seminole Heights group.
Many residents can recount stories of themselves or friends trying to renovate older buildings and open shops only to be told by the city "you can't do that," Long said.

The reason usually is the city's mandate for a land-use change that triggers requirements for retention ponds or parking spaces. With older buildings built out to the property lines, it is nearly impossible to meet those requirements, Long said.

Waters Center Makes Progress

Waters Center Makes Progress
By JOSE PATINO GIRONA, The Tampa Tribune

TAMPA HEIGHTS - The drilling, sanding and banging sounds like a sweet melody to Veronica Knight, principal at D.W. Waters Career Center.

Crews are rehabilitating the school's auditorium. They have added lights, air conditioning and a new stage floor. They have repaired the ceiling, widened the stairs to the stage, added metal doors for fire safety and encased six steel beams with drywall.

The auditorium will be painted, and work could be completed in February, said Mario Morales, supervisor for Morganti Group, the project contractor.

Knight said having a useable auditorium will unite students.

Click HERE for full story.

Please send us your Tampa Heights news!

We want your garage sale listings, warnings, lost or found, neighborhood notes or services - ALL Tampa Heights related news items.

Please send them to maladrin@gmail.com! I will post them ASAP!

Historic Central Tampa Neighborhoods get new Website

Historic Central Tampa Neighborhoods get new Website
Online edition of magazine, focused on the Urban Corridor, officially launched

TAMPA, Fla., (Jan. 28, 2008) – New Heights Magazine, the only magazine dedicated to highlighting Tampa’s historic urban corridor (UC) neighborhoods, officially launched its website, http://www.newheightsmag.com/, on Jan. 28, 2008. The website is an online version of magazine’s inaugural hardcopy edition, which is currently in stands at over 100 Tampa storefronts and is being delivered to thousands of local residents and businesses.

NewHeightsMag.com and the hardcopy version features stories written by and relevant to people living and working in the Tampa neighborhoods of Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, Riverside Heights, West Tampa, downtown Tampa, Ybor and surrounding areas. The publication’s goal is to draw attention to the revitalization and positive news occurring in the focused areas.

“The people in our neighborhoods have worked hard to improve our properties, businesses and the community as a whole,” said Jay McGee, editor, New Heights Magazine. “We are sharing these stories within our community and with the rest of Tampa to encourage people to utilize our businesses and parks and find out for themselves how great an area the UC is to live and shop.”

Although the publication is free, supported by advertisers, NewHeightsMag.com is noticeably absent of banner ads. They will be added in the near future, along with enhancements designed to make the site’s business directory and events sections more interactive for visitors.

McGee expects (based on the number of pre-subscribers) a modest website readership of 5,000 for the first, bi-monthly issue, which runs from mid-January to mid-March 2008.

“Our web readers will boost the unexpectedly high circulation of our first issue,” said McGee. “Combined with our hardcopy readership, 20,000 people will learn more about the UC.”

About New Heights Magazine LLC
New Heights Magazine was established in 2006 and serves as the only publication solely focused on highlighting and perpetuating the revitalization efforts occurring in the historic neighborhoods in and around downtown Tampa and to the north; specifically Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, Riverside Heights, West Tampa, downtown Tampa, Ybor and surrounding areas. Collectively, these neighborhoods are recognized as Tampa’s Urban Corridor (UC).

By publishing articles written by UC residents and about the people, businesses, places and events in the community, New Heights distributes news to all of Tampa and beyond the city’s borders. The ultimate goal is to increase interest in the UC and encourage commerce, tourism and investment in the community. The publication includes a business directory of local businesses, as well as a feature story (known as Heights Heighlight) and other articles that center on Health & Beauty, Home & Real Estate, Food & Drink and Arts & Events. Additional columns are scheduled to appear before the end of 2008.

For more information about New Heights, visit http://www.newheightsmag.com/, email editor@NewHeightsMag.com or call (813) 389-8116.
###

NH Web Launch & Hardcopy Pick-up Points

NewHeightsMag.com will launch in its new format Jan. 28, 2008!

Meanwhile, the hardcopy version of the magazine can now be found at 78 Tampa locations; with 26 more approved (to date) and awaiting delivery. That's 104 locations -- over 100% more than originally planned!

For a continually updated list of locations where you can find your copy of New Heights, visit:
http://www.newheightsmag.com/NH%20Distribution%20for%20Website%20012508.pdf

Also, we have increased our hand-delivered copy count to nearly 4,000 homes in the Tampa Urban Corridor. More will follow!

If after all this, you still haven't got your copy -- or if you'd like your storefront to be a distribution point -- just email or call us and we will deliver a copy or copies of New Heights right to your door! editor@newheightsmag or (813) 389-8116

Thank you all for your overwhelmingly positive and encouraging support.

Publisher Going To New Heights

There weren't many friends or near acquaintances Jay McGee didn't buttonhole for an opinion on why no one had launched a magazine about Seminole Heights.

It has it all: history, Craftsman bungalows, artists, kitschy shops and the nostalgic charm of an old-style neighborhood where everyone feels, well, neighborly.

"Someone better do it," McGee kept saying, and so often that he finally knew he would be the one.

"For a year I've been doing the whole research. I've been testing the waters," said McGee, who has more than 10 years of experience in public relations and marketing.

Writing, editing and graphics were familiar territory. But pulling a magazine together was a risk, and the first advice he got was to think beyond Seminole Heights to a broader market.

He followed Tampa's urban corridors - Florida and Nebraska avenues - and pulled in Tampa Heights, Riverside Heights, Ybor City, downtown, West Tampa and the Channel District.

Click HERE for full story.

Call for Articles: New Heights’ mid-March/mid-May 2008 issue

It’s that time again! Have your writings considered for publication in New Heights Magazine by emailing them to editor@NewHeightsMag.com by Friday, Feb. 1, 2008.

Reoccurring Article Word Count: 600-1,200
Heights Heightlight Word Count: 1,200-2,000

Article Guidelines:
1. Topic(s) must be relevant to Tampa; specifically one or (preferably) more of Tampa’s historic Urban Corridor neighborhoods.

2. Must fit in one of the magazine’s main sections: Health & Beauty, Home & Real Estate, Food & Drink, Arts & Events. Broad topic feature stories for the Heights Heighlight section are also requested.

3. Include quote(s) from Urban Corridor resident(s). One (1) minimum, but aim for 2-4.

4. Include supporting high-resolution photos, illustrations, maps and/or graphs. (See below for image guidelines.)

5. When possible, identify (within the article) sources of statistics and facts.

6. List contact information for the writer, quoted participants and photographer/artist.

7. Include a short bio of the author, describing his/her experience with the topic. Also provide a photo of the author, when available. (See below for image guidelines.)

Other Suggestions:
* Use a clear, friendly and non-technical style.
* Avoid jargon and explain acronyms on first reference.
* Divide the article into shorter "chapters" for easier reading.
* Include the importance or timeliness of the topic (somewhere in the article’s opening paragraphs).
* Emphasize the positives of the article’s people, places, things and/or events. Be thorough and descriptive.
* Include any relevant information you’d like to have accompany your article.

Photo/Image Guidelines:
* Submit each image separately, with a brief text caption that explains what the reader is seeing.
* Supporting Graphics (charts, graphs, maps, etc.): Send in high-resolution pdf or jpg format.
* Photographs: Submit as pdf or jpg files no larger than 500x300 pixels. Resolution must be 300 dpi of higher.
* All images must be accompanied by artist’s name and contact information (phone and/or email).

Permissions: Accuracy and proper attribution of sources are essential. Authors are responsible for fact-checking articles prior to submission, noting all sources and obtaining written permission to use any copyrighted material.

Please do NOT submit articles that have either been previously published or that are scheduled to be published in any city of Tampa serving publication.


For more information about submitting articles, contact Jay McGee at (813) 389-8116 or editor@NewHeightsMag.com. For advertising information contact ads@NewHeightsMag.com.

Phil Bourquardez Park

Here's and update no our previous posting about this park.

TAMPA HEIGHTS - Phil Bourquardez Park had appeal when the Tampa Police Department headquarters and the Free Library were nearby.

Today, it's a little empty spot. But as the area around it begins to change, the park could develop into something special, said Jeff Warren, president and co-founder of the Bush Ross law firm.

Warren's firm recently moved into its new office, 1801 N. Highland Ave., adjacent to the park.
Bush Ross purchased the property from the city with an agreement that it would rehabilitate the city park and help pay to maintain it for 10 years. The firm spent about $10 million buying the land, building its office and improving the park, 1810 N. Tampa St.

The park, which will be rededicated at 10 a.m. Friday, has new benches, trees and a walkway. A waterfall was removed from the 1 1/3-acre park, which was dedicated in 1962 and closed in March for construction of the Bush Ross building.

Bourquardez, a descendant of one of the city's first families, was born in 1885 in Tampa and died in 1958.

He was elected city clerk and served from 1933 to 1955. He also was a county jailer and bought property in the city and county, including near Fowler Avenue and 56th Street.

Bourquardez's family said they are proud of the park rededication.

"He was a wonderful man," said his daughter Phyllis Gates, 83, of Tampa. "He would go out of his way often. He was always helping people."

Bill Gates Jr. of Tampa said his grandfather was reserved, but people took notice of him.
"When he said something, people listened because he had something to say," said Gates, 63.

Bourquardez was 6-foot-4 and wore size 14 shoes. Around 1918, he took three years to build a home on Branch Avenue in Seminole Heights. People called him "Mr. Phil." It might have been because they couldn't pronounce Bourquardez, which sounds like Bacardi, Phyllis Gates said.

"If anyone deserves it, he does," she said. "Tampa was his home. That was all he knew."

Warren said the park will enhance the area. It is next to the Stetson University College of Law, 1700 N. Tampa St., and near the future home of the Hillsborough County Bar Association and Hillsborough County Bar Foundation.

"It is a beautiful park," Warren said. "When the trees mature in the spring, I think it will be really nice."

Bush Ross will also celebrate a ribbon cutting Friday to recognize its new building. Last month, it moved its 40 lawyers and 50 administrative employees from Franklin Street to the three-story, 34,000-square-foot building.

"It is a wonderful building," Warren said. "It is very attractive, very functional for us as a law firm."

Kitty update

Here are photos of the two kittens from my previous post. Please contact me if interested!

Help needed with cats!!!

To keep a long story very short, we've come into two kittens around 10-12 weeks old and three fairly feral (but used to people) cats from the Downtown Howard Johnson's. Due to construction on the property, the cats can't go back, so initial plans of fix and release are no longer possible.

We are hoping to adopt the two kittens to good homes (we've already adopted out one who has transitioned wonderfully) and possible a rural feral colony or a piece of property looking for outside/barn cats for the other three.

We are very, very desperate at this point, and only have about a week and a half to find a final solution due to constraints at our house.

If you know ANYONE who might be able to help, I would greatly appreciate it. My wife and I will be pretty particular about where the kittens go, be forewarned. She likely more than me as she's the CatMaster.

We've contacted multiple cat rescue places with absolutely no luck. HELP!

Get Your Event Published in New Heights

Please send us ASAP news about any event in your UC* neighborhood that will take place between Jan. 21 and April 30, 2008.

Those relevant and received by Jan. 7 will run in the first issue of New Heights Magazine, which is due out the week of Jan. 21.

To be included, email the event's name, location, date(s) and hour(s), admission charge - and any other info you see fit - to editor@newheightsmag.com.

*Remember, the UC means Urban Corrdior and includes Seminole Heights, Tampa Heights, Riverside Heights, downtown Tampa, Ybor City, West Tampa and surrouding areas.

Thanks,
Jay M., editor
New Heights

Tampa Heights: house for rent

Looking for a great rental house?

It's a 3-bedroom, 1-1/2 bathroom. It's got an outdoor shower, big shed, fenced yard, wrap-around front porch, a great "dog yard" etc.

The rent on the house is $1300 which includes security alarm and lawn maintenance. Pets are okay.

It's in the Northern area of Tampa Heights (Arlington Heights).

Please contact me if interested and I can pass you on to the appropriate folks!

New Bleu Acier show

Opening Reception: Friday, December 28, 6-9pm

Bleu Acier is pleased to present The Greatest, three works by three New York-based artists – Ain Cocke, Chantel Foretich, and Trong G. Nguyen. The exhibition is guest-curated by Carrie Mackin, former director of Covivant Gallery, who chose simply to adorn two walls with a spare selection of small works that invite close engagement.

Ain Cocke’s paintings and drawings question the masculine mold that he and most men were socialized and assimilated into. Using the standard-bearer of testosterone, the military man as his model, Cocke romanticizes the soldier not as an aggressive combatant in the field of battle, but rather an effeminate figure who is seemingly in touch with other “natural orders” of the male mystique.

Chantel Foretich’s miniatures and dioramas recreate memories that, though they may not be so distant, exude the presence of a long, lost bygone era. Their intimate scale allows the viewer an opportunity to experience more fully with contemplation and nostalgia what might have escaped them in real scale and actual time.

Trong G. Nguyen’s contribution to the show is the complete text of Mallarme’s Igitur written word for word on individual grains of rice. The story itself opens with a pure encounter of the reader and his text, in which the mysteries of both open one another to revelation. Perhaps going against the grain of the digitized library, Nguyen’s “book” complicates the relationship of the book as object as knowledge.

Bleu Acier will also be closing Marie Yoho Dorsey’s show: Tales of Old Japan and Other Stories and will be presenting works by gallery artists in the main gallery.

BLEU ACIER INC. is an active fine art print publisher, print atelier, gallery and live-in loft that functions at the intersection of private and public space where art and the city keep company. Bleu Acier exhibits works in all disciplines by emerging, mid-career and established artists from the U.S. and Europe.

BLEU ACIER
109 West Columbus Drive, Tampa, Florida 33602
813.272.9746 | erika@bleuacier.com | www.bleuacier.com
Gallery hours: by appointment.

Metropolitan Ministries still needs your help!

Over 22,000 families will seek assistance from Metropolitan Ministries this holiday season. They need your help!

Critical Needs:

• Turkeys
• Cereal
• Cookies/Cake Mix
• Infant Toys
• Teen Gifts
• Monetary Donations

Boxes of Hope
Help feed hungry and homeless people in our community by conducting a Food Drive. Boxes of Hope provide enough food to feed a family of four for three days.

Bags of Joy
Bags of Joy provide toys for children and needed personal items for adults. Please donate new, unwrapped gifts and bring joy to a disadvantaged child.

You can drive by the tent anytime now through Monday afternoon to make a real difference for a family this Christmas.

This is the only faith-based charity I donate to, which may seem out of form for me, but this group really does tremendous good in this community. We usually make a point of donating cash around Easter and Thanksgiving to feed families, and this year we donated twelve new toys for teenagers. It's often most difficult for them to find enough gifts for teenage boys and girls and infants.

There is still time!!!

Live music will mark hostel owner's passing

TAMPA HEIGHTS - Almost three weeks after the suicide of Gram's Place hostel owner Mark Holland, family and friends are busy planning a memorial. Of course, it will include live music.
Holland, 56, spent his childhood inviting friends over to listen to music.

He grew up and opened a music-themed hostel, named after country roots singer Gram Parsons, his idol.

Impromptu jam sessions filled his two patios - named "Little Amsterdam" and "Little Montreal" - with music. On Dec. 1 at 2 p.m., his friends will do the same across the street at Plymouth Park, 3100 N Ola Ave.

Along with the music, they plan to speak about Holland and showcase his mementos.
Backpackers will travel from across the country for it, said Holland's friend and neighbor, Marlene Dusz.

"We plan to make this a Mark Holland day," she said.
For more information, contact Dusz at (321) 544-6518.