what’s with apollo beach?
I actually really love Tampa and Florida; I just abhor some of the things people do here to destroy what’s left of our natural resources and make us all look like a bunch of carpetbaggers (Jeb! Bush), swampwater yahoos (Rhonda Storms and Brian Blair), and bilious scalawags (Buddy Johnson).
But there are plenty of political opinions out there far more informed than mine, and I do want to start out on a positive note if it’s not too late. So I’ll tell you about a faboo new restaurant that has been open only eight weeks and is already on my list of favorite places to hang out, especially in North Tampa. The Toasted Pheasant dwells in a nondescript strip mall at 14445 North Dale Mabry, but what’s going on inside is truly special. The freshly prepared food is exceptional, the wine list interesting and affordable, and the service is friendly and unpretentious. You’re going to be hearing a lot more about this place soon. The Weekly Planet has already reviewed it and the owner told me the SP Times reviewer has also called a few times to ask questions, so get in there and enjoy before it’s mobbed by bored South Tampa yuppies slumming north of Kennedy. (Damn, I am acerbic, even when I’m being positive.)
Okay, now for my cranky side. Have you been to Apollo Beach lately? Developers have been busily building new ghettos down there. It looks like one big public housing project down there with miles and miles of cookie-cutter, cheesy faux Seaside-style buildings and ugly, sterile, bauhaus-looking condos, at least half of which are unfinished and even more of which sport for sale signs. And best of all, that glorious view of the pollution-spewing smokestacks of Big Bend power plant. Who would want to live there?
No, really, I’m asking. Do you live there? If so, why?
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April 30th, 2008 at 2:47 pm
where are the cookie cutter ghettos you speak of? If you drive down Apollo Beach Blvd (which I do often to get to my parent’s house) there are some very beautiful construction projects that are still very pricey.
As to your point about who would want to live there….I think the biggest mistake with the growth that is happening is that it is targeting a demographic that will not move there…1.5+ Million Dollar homes are for a very specific earner…the kind of earner who would want to live close to work — and I’m pretty sure there aren’t many of them working in the south shore.
Go a little bit further south to Little Harbor in Ruskin. Have a look at the massive condo buildings that are completely empty and you’ll see more of this nonsense.
April 30th, 2008 at 10:18 pm
The thing you have to remember about Apollo Beach is that it was one of the very first DRI’s, and it is all done on reclaimed land. There aren’t any right angles in nature (take a peek at it from Google Earth).
As a DRI, all of it’s development zoning and credits are sealed, stamped, indexed and cross referenced. It is a done deal. So it doesn’t take a whole lot of paperwork to be able to block up something.
Times are tight, and builders are trying to stay afloat. What they are building has appeal to some folks. If you don’t like it, stay in South Tampa.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:46 am
I went out to Alafia River State Park for some mountain biking yesterday. I was blown away at how many subdivisions I passed with grand gateways and pavement and few if any actual homes. In the midst of the housing glut and gas prices what are they thinking building this stuff. It used to be one of the prettiest parts of the county, now it’s starting to look like just an extension of Brandon’s blight.
May 1st, 2008 at 11:59 am
Lee, I think you’re right that it’s targeting a demographic that won’t move there, especially with the price of gas and the view. I have this vision of questionable sales brochures advertising luxury homes with a water view to unsuspecting yankees seeking the Florida dream(not unlike the 1920s land boom and all the subsequent ones). The timing is awful. You can really see a bust has hit when you look around at all the empty buildings and for sale signs.
The cookie cutter stuff I was talking about are on Apollo Beach Blvd about halfway between 41 and the end. I was stunned by that long row of identical garages with barrel-tile roofs on the right side along the canal, so I drove through that neighborhood, and it already looks forlorn and seedy, like the parts of Brandon that WP mentioned. I agree there are some beautiful houses around there but parts of the area felt a little like a ghost town to me. It was eerie.
George, I understand that look does appeal to some folks, and it’s very clear that times are tight for builders, who are among the big losers when a building boom goes bust. Most of my family is in the building trade in one form or another, and they are seriously hurting right now. Btw, I don’t live in south Tampa.
May 1st, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Most of the development in Apollo beach happened in the mid 70’s. Only 2/3 of the dregded canals were turned into neighborhoods. The other 1/3 was developed a few years ago as Mira Bay.
For years I think a lot of folks didn’t want to live near the power plant but since it consisted mostly of homes on deepwater canals it appealed to boaters (like Bob Hite). When North Tampa filled up buyers started to consider Apollo Beach in spite of the power plant. It’s a pretty quick ride from Apollo Beach to downtown Tampa.
In the 90’s the price of these older homes was modest: $100,000 - $180,000. In 2005, the prices shot up to $400,000 - $600,000. That’s when available land was suddenly turned into the monstrous condos you see on Apollo Beach Blvd. When 70’s houses were going for $500,000 the smaller condos across the canal from them were going to sell for $850,000. Then the bubble burst and hardly any of the finished condos had sold. 100’s of condos are empty. Many of the condos are 1/2 built and it appears they will stay that way for a while. There are a few neighborhoods that have houses partially built where 5-6 families live. They feel like ghost towns.
‘Flippers’ bought quite a few of the 70’s houses, remodeled them and then sold them at great profit. Some didn’t sell though and many of these houses are now empty, some of them are bound for foreclosure.
For boaters like myself, Apollo Beach is an ideal place to live. But a terrible thing has happened to what was once a charming, quiet neighborhood.
May 1st, 2008 at 9:28 pm
More credit should be given to Seaside (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seaside,_Florida). Visionary developer (how often do you see those words together these days?) Robert Davis and planner/architect Andres’ Duany broke new ground designing and building it in the long ago early 1980s (which is even before Fantasy of Florida aired).
The development was absolutely cutting edge back then and was in direct opposition to the mindless sprawl that is STILL the darling of the dumb Florida Land Development Industry.
If you want to see “cookie-cutter, cheesy faux” visit Westchase, Fishhawk Ranch, even Olde Hyde Park Village–in fact every “Town-center” in Hillsborough County.
At least Seaside is well planned and the architecture was done by real architects–I would hardly call Architect Steven Holl, or Leon Krier, slouches or hacks.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:12 pm
OverBored, irregardless of whether or not you live in South Tampa, you still sound snobbish. Just sayin’ is all.
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:05 pm
Why do people live there? The water? It’s deep enough for sailboats. From most spots it’s minutes until you are in the open bay and then 15 minutes to downtown Tampa or 15 minutes to downtown St. Pete. If you want to spend your time on the water it’s an ideal place to live.
May 22nd, 2008 at 10:41 am
Honestly what’s wrong with cookie cutter condos or houses. People built ramblers in the 40’s exactly the same for war veterans coming home with cash and now those are the houses to be in. Well at least out here in Salt Lake City. The older homes are the chic places to live.
This is coming from a person who is moving to Florida and looking at Apollo Beach and Fishhawk ranch because of the planned community atmosphere. It’s a change from living in a delapitated neighborhood in which everythng is old, and crime runs rampant.