E. 131st Avenue PLAT Study

Recommendations to design 131st Avenue so that it compliments the ultimate expected buildout of the area around the corridor. This interactive flipbook is created with FlippingBook, a service for streaming PDFs online. No download, no waiting. Open and start reading right away!

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY

PRELIMINARY LAND USE ANDTRANSPORTATION STUDY, HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, FLORIDA AUGUST, 2019

Accommodation Statement

In accordance with the requirements of title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 ("ADA"), Hillsborough County will not discriminate against qualified individuals with disabilities on the basis of disability in its services, programs, or activities. Persons with disabilities who need an accommodation for this document should contact the Hillsborough County ADA Officer Carmen LoBue at (813) 276-8401; TTY: 7-1-1.

E. 131ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Executive summary A. Executive Summary 2. Existing Conditions

5 6

13 14 17 19 20 37 67 68 71 82 86 92 98 104 42

A. Introduction B. Corridor Context C. Market Conditions

D. Land Use and Development E. Community Characteristics F. Transportation Network and Patterns 3. Recommendations A. Introduction B. Overall Recommendations C. Robbins Section Recommendations D. Neighborhood Section Recommendations E. Downtown Section Recommendations F. V.A. Hospital Section Recommendations G. Off-Corridor Recommendations

4. Conclusion

111

E. 131ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

APPENDICES

117 124 130 132 143 146

E. 131ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

E. 131ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

A. Executive Summary Hillsborough County’s Capital Improvements Program includes roadway investments that have the potential to further the planned and ongoing evolution of our communities. Prior to commencement of these projects, a Preliminary Land Use Assessment and Transportation Study (PLAT Study) is completed. These studies examine the market’s potential for growth, planned development pattern and form, and how people use the road. This informs the capital improvement’s Project Development and Environmental Phase (PD&E) and the ultimate design of the constructed project, ensuring that the newly constructed road works to enhance the community. The purpose of this study is to determine the most appropriate design strategy for the E. 131 st Avenue corridor. The study examines the existing land uses and transportation conditions in the area, the manner that various plans for the area direct those uses and infrastructure to evolve, as well as the direction that markets are moving land uses. This will help to ensure that the ultimate design of the road reflects the direction of the plans for the area and leverages the market in the area and the network that feeds this corridor. The studied portion of the 131 st Avenue Corridor (shown in Figure 1-1 ) runs from N. Nebraska Ave east to Bruce B. Downs Boulevard for a total distance of 1.5 miles. The Nebraska Ave intersection is dominated by Robbins Lumber Company. The Bruce B. Downs intersection is dominated by the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital. The area between is primarily multi- family housing with some convenience retail.

The study area is one of the most densely populated areas in Hillsborough County, with a density of nearly eight people per acre versus an average of two countywide. Over thirty percent of households in the area are zero vehicle households, and 16 of the 41 transit stops in the area are in the top 10 percent for average weekday boardings and alightings. The east end of the corridor has higher volumes of pedestrian, bicycle, and automobile users than the west end. The corridor has the potential to serve more local traffic users than regional traffic users, with half of automobile trips using the corridor beginning or ending on the corridor and 30 percent of automobile trips using the corridor traveling a total distance of less than two miles. The University Area Community Plan calls for a mixed-use environment connected by main streets, boulevards, and pedestrian links. It also specifically calls out E. 131 st Avenue as an economically vital neighborhood corridor for which a strategic redevelopment plan should be completed. Pedestrian safety and crime prevention are common themes, as are a focus on infill development, redevelopment, and multimodal transportation. The findings of this study support the focus of the plans. Market findings indicate a latent demand for market rate housing in the area. While there are 20,000 jobs in the vicinity of the corridor, there are only 1,000 people who both live and work in the vicinity of the corridor. The anticipated mixed-use redevelopment of the University Mall along with potential expansion of the V.A. hospital will bring additional demand to the area. These market rate housing units will be hard to realize without quality of life improvements.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Figure 1-1: Studied Area and Recommended Improvements

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

Page left Intentionally blank

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Pine tree with Spanish moss over the sidewalk near the intersection of E. 131 st Avenue and N. 22 nd Street

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Given the plans, market potential, and current conditions, the Corridor enhancement should be considered as a complete street through four distinct districts. 1. The Robbins Section on the west is a large, functioning industrial site with limited short-term redevelopment potential. The recommended street cross section for this area is designed to support the existing industrial land uses but still be of adequate width to be converted to a main street in support the long-term redevelopment potential of the surrounding properties. The cross section does not include on-street parking and has separated bike lanes. 2. The Neighborhood Section has the potential to redevelop with additional market rate housing. The street through this section is recommended to support the residential and neighborhood commercial uses associated with a more urban residential character. It includes on-street parking and design speeds that allow cyclists and motorists to share lanes. 3. Expanded employment on the University Mall and Veterans Hospital sites along with additional population can help provide demand to create the Downtown Section of E. 131 st Avenue. The cross section becomes more commercial in this area, with 13-foot sidewalks, on-street parking, continued shared bicycle and vehicular lanes and a 10- foot semi-public space that can be used for street level retail and dining activity. 4. The V.A. Hospital Section on the west end of the corridor creates a pedestrian intensive, campus-like atmosphere. The cross section for this district includes 10-foot wide

sidewalks to support high levels of pedestrian activity, marked crossings at all intersections, and a 22-foot median with a pedestrian refuge island at the main entrance to the V.A. Hospital. This study recommends a complete street with pedestrian and bicycle facilities along the entire length. A pedestrian oriented street, however, should not be considered as a linear feature. It is an amenity that threads together the unique districts it passes through. Accordingly, this study also recommends the following: 1. That the pedestrian and bicycle network parallel to and adjacent to the road be completed in conjunctionwith improvements to E. 131 st Avenue. Key streets recommended for improvements include N. 19 th Street, N. 20 th Street, and E. 132 nd Avenue between N. 22 nd Street and Bruce B Downs Boulevard. This network of improvements will better connect the community to the growing employment opportunities in the area. 2. The form of development anticipated by the various plans for the area is difficult to achieve if sites cannot be fully utilized. Shared stormwater facilities are therefore recommended to allow for better site utilization. 3. Utilization of shared stormwater facilities as linear park space to help complete the pedestrian and bicycle network envisioned in the University Area Community Plan. To help ensure that the capital investment works in conjunction with the evolution of the land uses in the area, the following regulatory changes are proposed:

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

Tree canopy and sidewalks along E. 131 st Avenue east of N. 15 th Street looking west

1. Adopt a form based code along E. 131 st Avenue. This code should help facilitate the redevelopment of parcels along the corridor by focusing on the relationship between building façades and the street, instead of the land use and density of development. A form-based code creates a more cohesive development style and facilitates creation of a traditional compact urban environment. It also gives the Industrial section of the road a more predictable zoning district through which it could redevelop when the market is appropriate. 2. Create a future land use category to support the form-based code for the corridor. Current categories are too broad in typical uses and intent to reliably deliver a compact urban form. 3. Prohibit vacating rights of way in the area surrounding E. 131 st Avenue and provide

incentives in development regulations to increase the density of the street network in the area. 4. Amend the Redevelopment Pilot Project to include residential or majority residential development in the University Redevelopment Area. The program, as currently constructed, does not provide incentives to bring market rate housing into an area that is already rich in jobs. This amendment to the program should help improve the realized job/housing balance for the area, thus improving the effectiveness of the multi-modal network. The recommendations of this study are intended to work in conjunction with each other to create an E. 131 st Avenue complete street that not only improves the safety and mobility options of people using the street today, but also helps encourage the development of the community envisioned in the Community Plan for the area.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

E. 131ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

E. 131ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION RECOMMENDATIONS

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

A. Introduction In order to contextualize the corridor in terms of the baseline factors, the existing conditions section inventories and analyzes the current and future transportation, land use, urban design, and demographic information. This information, along with stakeholder input, will form the basis of recommendations to improve the transportation infrastructure and land use vision along the E. 131 st Avenue corridor, consistent with Hillsborough County’s framework for the PLAT process. The primary focus of the study is infrastructure improvements to E. 131 st Avenue and the properties abutting the roadway, the overall study area boundaries extend 1,500 feet in each direction to incorporate the community’s interaction with the project corridor. The project limits extend from N. Nebraska Avenue on the west to Bruce B Downs Boulevard on the east, for a total length of approximately 1.5 miles. The project limits and study area are shown on Figure 2-1.

Pedestrian crossing E. 131st Avenue near the VA Hospital next to a transit stop with a shelter

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Figure 2-1: Project Location Map

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

Page left Intentionally blank

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

B. Corridor Context I. Neighborhood

15 th Street, is generally more industrial in nature and features light industrial establishments such as the Robbins Manufacturing Lumber Yard and Frontier Communications vehicle lot. BetweenN. 15 th Street and Livingston Avenue, the corridor is more residential with several large multi-family housing complexes, and smaller neighborhood commercial businesses. On the eastern end of the corridor, from Livingston Avenue to Bruce B Downs Boulevard, the land use is dominated by the James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital and the HART University Area Transit Center. II. Reviewed Plans In order to understand the planning context of the corridor, approximately 20 agency planning documents and studies were reviewed for relevant information. Some of these plans provided insight into the existing conditions. The University Area Community Plan called for improvements to E. 131 st Avenue to support the roadway as an important east-west corridor, and promoted greater flexibility in land use and density for future development. The Hillsborough County Vision Zero Action Plan identified corridors with high rates of severe crashes for different types of users. Although E. 131 st Avenue was not identified as a severe crash corridor, Bruce B Downs Boulevard, N. 15 th Street, and N. Nebraska Avenue within the E. 131 st Avenue study area were included on various high crash corridor lists. The Hillsborough County Comprehensive Bike Plan Update also gave insight to the state of bicycle infrastructure in the area and identified priority corridors for cycling infrastructure. The Tampa Innovation District Master Plan also provided information about the markets, investors, demographics, land use, and planning context of the Innovation District area.

The E. 131 st Avenue corridor is located in an urban section of unincorporated Hillsborough County between the University of South Florida and Interstate 275. Although E. 131 st Avenue has the atmosphere of a neighborhood street, it connects several important community features such as the James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital and the Hillsborough Area Regional Transit (HART) University Area Transit Center. Additionally, E. 131 st Avenue is within close proximity to several other community features, with portions of the corridor less than half a mile from the University Mall, Florida Hospital Tampa, Shriners Children’s Hospital and the University of South Florida. As seen in Figure 2-1 , the project corridor is bookended by N. Nebraska Avenue on the west and Bruce B Downs Boulevard on the east. It is also traversed by several locally-important streets. N. 15 th Street provides access to E. Fletcher Avenue and E. Bearss Avenue to the north and E. Fowler Avenue and Busch Boulevard to the south. The N. 22 nd Street corridor also provides neighborhood access to E. Fletcher and E. Bearss Avenues to the north and University Mall and other regional retail establishments to the south. The intersections of N. 15 th Street and N. 22 nd Street with E. 131 st Avenue may also provide two of the more important bicycle and pedestrian nodes, as they allow circulation throughout the surrounding residential areas and access to neighborhood commercial enterprises. The project corridor of E. 131 st Avenue can be broken down into three distinct areas based on land use and development types. The western portionof theroad, fromN.NebraskaAvenuetoN.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Entrance to the V.A. Hospital with mid-block crossing

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

with N. Nebraska Avenue. The study also analyzed the potential for growth in specific market segments, including retail, hotel, office, and general industrial uses. In addition, the potential impacts of the University Mall property redevelopment were examined. The results of the market analysis illustrated a high employment density along the E. 131 st Avenue corridor, especially near the intersection with Bruce B Downs Boulevard where the V.A. Hospital is located. Health services, having a large presence along the E. 131 st Avenue corridor, was also identified as the market sector with the highest growth in terms of number of jobs added. The study also stated that 20,500 employees per day travel into the study area for employment, while 11,200 employees reside within the study area but work elsewhere. At present, only about 1,000 employees reside and work within the redevelopment area, representing a potential area of growth. Overall, the market analysis stated that the proposed University Mall redevelopment is likely to exceed current demand for office, retail, and hotel space for the district as a whole, and thus redevelopment growth will likely come from other sectors. Finally, the market analysis did highlight the fact that the study area is not pedestrian friendly, limiting some retail redevelopment options. 1

Other plans detailed new development or infrastructure that may change the way the community interacts with the E. 131 st Avenue corridor. One example of this type of plan is the Supplementary Environmental Assessment for Phase Four of the New Bed Tower and Infrastructure Improvements project at James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital which detailed plans for a new development currently under construction at the V.A. Hospital on the eastern end of the corridor. Other plans made recommendations thatmay be ultimately be incorporated this study. The University Area Community Safety Action Plan provided recommendations to create a safer environment by improving lighting, increasing eyes on the street, and eliminating environments conducive to crime. Information from the reviewed studies is discussed or highlighted, where relevant, throughout the body of this document. For a more comprehensive list of studies and plans reviewed, and a short synopsis An assessment of current market conditions in the E. 131 st Avenue area was obtained through analysis of the University Redevelopment Area Market Analysis which provided a real estate and redevelopment profile of the University Area from Interstate 275 (I-275) to the west, E. Fowler Avenue and E. Fletcher Avenue to the south, Bruce B Downs Boulevard and N. 46 th Street to the east and E. Bearss Avenue to the north. The study identified several parcels with high redevelopment potential, including a number of parcels along the E. 131 st Avenue corridor, particularly around the intersection of each, please refer to Appendix I . C. Market Conditions

1 WTL+ Associates for Hillsborough County Economic Development, “Market Analysis, University Redevelopment Area, Hillsborough County, FL” (May, 2018)

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

D. Land Use and Development To better understand how E. 131 st Avenue operates and how the corridor is used, the existing land and future land use in the area were examined. Beyond simply the land use, zoning and design standards were also examined as these regulations will shape development in the future. Current permit applications and proposals for development that exist along E. 131 st Avenue were also documented, shedding light on the current development direction of the corridor. I. Existing Land Use The land directly abutting E. 131 st Avenue predominantly consists of multi-family residential; public/quasi-public/institutional and commercial uses, with smaller areas of lower density residential, educational; and communications/utilities scattered throughout the corridor. At the western limit of the project near N. Nebraska Avenue, heavy and light commercial use is prevalent as represented by Robbins Manufacturing Company, Consolidated Electrical Distribution, and the CSX railroad line. Continuing totheeast, themajorityof thecorridor spans multi-family residential properties, with Hillsborough County Fire Station #14 and other commercial and utility facilities concentrated near N. 15 th Street. The HART University Area Transit Center is located on the north side of the corridor between Livingston Avenue and N. 27 th Street. At the eastern limit of the project near Bruce B Downs Boulevard, the James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital occupies the south side of the roadway with surface parking lots designated for employee use located on the north side.

Although the project corridor is generally built- out there are some vacant parcels of land, such as at the intersection of E. 131 st Avenue and N. 15 th Street. The residential parcels that have been developed generally have a density of 7.2 people per acre, while the commercial and manufacturing areas have an intensity of just less than 6,000 square feet per acre. The buildings surrounding the corridor were generally built between the 1960s and the 1990s, with few buildings being constructed after 2005. Figure 2-2 provides a map of existing land use.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Figure 2-2: Existing Land Use Map

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

Page left Intentionally blank

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Two construction cranes over the site of the new bed tower under construction at the V.A. Hospital

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

II. Land Use Regulations

designation is intended to allow broad, general concept plans that permit limited flexibility to accommodate land use changes in response to market changes. All development applications greater than two acres that are located in a Mixed-Use Comprehensive Plan Category are required to be rezoned to a PD, PD-S or a mixed- use standard zoning district. Figure 2-3 provides the current zoning for properties within the study area. Per Part 3.01.00 of the LDC, creation of Special Public Interest Districts is permitted in or adjacent to areas where the character prompts special and specific public interest in preservation or promotion. The project corridor contains properties that are currently zoned as Special Public Interest – University Community (SPI- UC). As shown previously in Figure 2-3 , these sites occur within the eastern portion of the study area, concentrated near Bruce B Downs Boulevard and E. Fletcher Avenue. The University Community District was created to recognize, preserve, and enhance the unique contributions that the University of South Florida makes to many aspects of the county, state, and nation, and provide an appropriate setting, supportive of the university functions. The SPI-UC regulations pertain to accessory uses, excluding the use of secondary structures, and limiting the number of entrances, size of signs, and percent of floor area to be allocated to the accessory use. For specific regulations, please refer to Appendix II.

Zoning The Hillsborough County Land Development Code (LDC) provides the legislative framework for proposed development within unincorporated Hillsborough County. The codes establish regulations for land development in the form of land use restrictions, bulk and density limits, and design standards, which are in accordance with the Future of Hillsborough Comprehensive Plan (Comprehensive Plan). Zoning is the process in which the local government designates certain areas of land for permitted uses such as commercial, planned development, residential, and manufacturing. It canbeusedtofocus landdevelopmentplanningto support the comprehensive vision of a particular municipality, neighborhood, community or district. Unincorporated Hillsborough County has two types of zoning districts: Standard Zoning Districts and Planned Development. The standard residential land use categories along the project corridor generally have an allowable maximum density of 6 dwelling units per acre to 20 dwelling units per acre. The other standard zoning districts have a maximum allowable floor area ratio of .20 for some commercial uses to a high of .75 for manufacturing uses. While the majority of land within the project study area is represented by Standard Zoning Districts such as residential, commercial, and manufacturing, there are Planned Development Zoning Districts scattered throughout. Planned Development Districts are intended to be used when unified, large scale, mixed-use developments are proposed in areas lacking a predominant urban/suburban development pattern. The PD

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Figure 2-3: Zoning Map

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

Page left Intentionally blank

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Western end of the University Mall Redevelopment Site and empty parking lot

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Robbins Manufacturing Site with a Community Mixed Use-12 (CMU-12) designation

0.75, the future land use designation of CMU-12 has a maximum density of 12 dwelling units/acre with a maximum FAR of 0.5, and a maximum cap of 650,000 square feet for the retail commercial component. If the CMU-12 property implements a Traditional Neighborhood Development project, a maximum density of 20 du/a and a maximum FAR of 1.0, with a maximum square footage of 750,000 for the retail commercial component is possible. The northwest quadrant of the intersectionwithN. 15 th Street may also transition from commercial/ services and residential to light industrial use. At the eastern limits of the project from Livingston Avenue to Bruce B Downs Boulevard, the future land use is shown as residential while many current uses are commercial. These uses are still consistent with the future land use, as locational criteria allow residential supportive commercial uses in some areas with residential future land use.

Future Land Use Future land use is a limitation of density and intensity and a general landuse designation. While the majority of the future land use approved along the proposed corridor did not differ considerably from existing patterns, there are areas where change is possible. Figure 2-4 provides the future land use designations for the areas located within 1,500 feet of E. 131 st Avenue. The map indicates that the majority of the heavy commercial uses now present at the western limit of the project near N. Nebraska Avenue could potentially change to Community Mixed Use-12 (CMU-12). The CMU-12 designation is very permissive in terms of allowable uses and could incorporate residential, commercial, office, research corporate parks, light industrial or other mixed-use projects. While the current zoning designation of Manufacturing allows for a maximum Floor Area Ratio (FAR) of

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Figure 2-4: Future Land Use Map

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

Page left Intentionally blank

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

The UCA regulations categorize streets in the zoning districts into Main Streets (which include N. 22 nd Street and E. 131 st Avenue, and Neighborhood Streets, which include all other streets. UCA MS permits General Commercial (CG) and Conventional Multi-Family Residential with a density of 20 dwelling units per acre (RMC-20) but prohibits single family detached and two-family attached dwellings. UCA NHO permits Professional Office Businesses (BPO) and RMC-20, with CG uses allowed on parcels with Main Street frontage. These allowed uses govern the area, height, bulk, and placement requirements to an extent, but can be further altered in the relevant portions of the code. While all regulations for Main Streets are applicable and pertinent to the PLAT study, some may have more relevance than others. For example, parking minimums are lower than other parts of the county as the minimum parking requirements for non-residential uses is the maximum allowed. Non-residential parking requirements may be reduced by 50 percent. As a Main Street, off-street parking lots for buildings along E. 131 st Avenue must be behind the façade of the Main Street frontage building. Except for vehicle entrances, the ground floor must be developed with enclosed commercial, office, or civic floor space at a minimum building depth of 30 feet along the entire building. Trash and recycling receptacles, loading docks, service areas, and other similar areas must be located in parking areas or locations that are not visible from Main Streets or Neighborhood Streets. Service areas shall be screened by a masonry wall and landscape buffer. Along a designated Main Street, such as E. 131 st Avenue, the building must be oriented towards the street, with the entrance also facing the street and visibly prominent.

Design Standards Area, height, bulk, and placement requirements are provided for the standard districts in 6.01.01 of the LDC. For residential land uses, all categories have a required setback of 20 or 25 feet, a height restriction of 35 feet, with 40 feet allowed for the more dense uses, and a maximum building coverage of 35 percent to 40 percent. Non-residential districts such as office, commercial, and manufacturing have a required setback of 30 feet, height restrictions of 50 feet, except for neighborhood commercial which has a maximum of 35 feet and manufacturing which has a maximum of 110 feet. Maximum building coverages for the non-residential districts also vary widely from 20 percent to 27 percent for most office and commercial uses to 75 percent for manufacturing and intensive commercial uses. In addition to conventional zoning categories, the E. 131 st Avenue corridor also contains two groups of special zoning categories, The Special Public Interest University Community Districts (SPI UC), and University Community Area Development Regulations (UCA). Both groups of zoning categories occur on the eastern portion of the corridor between N. 20 th Street and Bruce B Downs Boulevard. The two groups of designations focus on different parts of zoning regulation contents. The SPI UC designation, further broken down into SPI UC 1, 2, and 3, sets accessory use requirements and is governed by Part 3.01.04 of the land development codes. The UCA Development Regulations, broken down into the Main Street District (UCA MS) or the Neighborhood Office District (UCA NHO), is governed by Part 3.13 of the land development code and sets specific guidelines for development designbeyond the standarddesign requirements.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Assessing the effectiveness of the UCA design standards in creating an aesthetically pleasing and well planned environment is difficult as only one parcel in the zoned districts has redeveloped since the standards were adopted in 2005. III. Current Development In order to understand current development trends along the corridor, re-zoning applications and new building permits were examined. These factors were used to indicate not only the type and intensity of development along the corridor, but potential future development trends. In addition, the growth potential of the corridorwas analyzedby examining opportunity zones, planned infrastructure improvements, and the previously completed market analysis. James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital An expansion of the James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital will include a new six-level, 220,000 gross square foot bed tower, providing an additional 100 Medical, Surgical, and Nursing inpatient beds, 40 Intensive Care Unit beds, support space, a lobby area, public amenities, main security office, and a patient drop-off/ entry area. Construction began on July 31, 2018, and the anticipated completion is in 2021. Although no further expansion is currently planned, surface parking areas on the north side of E. 131 st Avenue have been identified to accommodate current unmet need. 1 1 U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, “Supplementary Environmental Assessment for Phase 4 New Bed Tower and Infrastructure Improvements Project, James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital Tampa, Florida” (September 11, 2015)

Re-zoning A property owner must seek a modification to the approved zoning district, or “rezone” the property, if they want to change the allowable land use. A rezoning requires a noticed public hearing before a Land Use Hearing Officer (LUHO) and final approval by the Hillsborough County Board of County Commissioners. There are four rezoning applications currently under review within the study area. Only one of these is associated with parcels located directly along the E. 131 st Avenue corridor. The one re-zoning application along the corridor indicated at least some desire to combine parcels and increase density or building heights present in the community. This also indicated that moderate growth was evident in the study area. For more information about re-zonings in the E. 131 st Avenue area, please see Appendix III . Growth Potential The project corridor is within the Urban Service Area, part of the 730-acre University Redevelopment Area and within the planning area of the Innovation Place (!p). The University Redevelopment Area Market Analysis published in May 2018 identified parcels along the E. 131 st Avenue corridor with the greatest redevelopment opportunity (or “catalyst sites”). These include 42.31 acres of land owned by Robbins Real Estate (1003 E. 131 st Avenue) and a 5.38 acre parcel owned by Verizon Florida, Inc. (1410 E. 131 st Avenue). Most of the E. 131 st Avenue corridor is within one of three Opportunity Zones. Opportunity Zones were established as part of the Federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act of 2017 and provide tax incentives for investment in qualified businesses and properties within the zones. The aim of the program is to encourage investment and job creation within the zones, which are either low income census tracts or contiguous with such tracts. The presence of Opportunity Zones throughout the study area could act to increase redevelopment in the corridor.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Robbins Manufacturing sign with railcar in the background

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

View of redevelopment taking place at the University Mall site

Residential permits along the E. 131 st Avenue corridor included a new structure permit for an 80 unit apartment complex (recently constructed) at the intersection of E. 131 st Avenue and N. 15 th Street. In addition, there were a number of residential permits scattered between N. 15 th Street and N. 22 nd Street that were mostly demolition permits. A cluster of commercial building permits is present near the western end of E. 131 st Avenue: these included one demolition permit and two new structure permits connected to the Robbins Manufacturing properties; a new structure for the Family Dollar at the intersection of E. 131 st Avenue and N. Nebraska Avenue; and a demolition permit for DMI Nebraska, LLC further to the west. Two additional permits were also issued to Robbins Manufacturing for building demolition. The first of the institutional permits was for renovations to the fire station, and the second was for interior renovations at the Heritage Manor Assisted Living Facility.

New Building Permits A review of available new building permit data was conducted. Figure 2-5 shows the current building permits located within 1,500 feet of the project corridor. Most of these permits represented projects that have already been completed, but the data provides insight to the general direction of development in the area. The building permits were broken down by type and valuation. The types of permits generally followed existing patterns of development in concert with existing land uses, with commercial permits consistent with the higher valuation properties such as those found along E. Fletcher Avenue, N. Nebraska Avenue and Bruce B Downs Boulevard. Residential permits trended toward lower valuation along nearby streets with lower traffic volumes. Only two public, quasi-public, or institutional permits were identified, and were located along the E. 131 st Avenue Corridor.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

Figure 2-5: New Building Permits Map

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

Page left Intentionally blank

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION ASSESSMENT

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

E. Community Characteristics I. Demographics

The following infographics show the demographics for the study area (in blue, above, or to the left), and Hillsborough County (in orange, below, or to the right). More information and maps can be found in Appendix IV . As can be expected in urban areas, population densities along the entire E. 131 st Avenue corridor were generally higher than Hillsborough County as awhole. Themoredense concentrations of population and residential uses generally occurred towards the center of the corridor, as industrial uses and institutional uses dominated the west and east ends of the roadway.

As can be expected in an area bordering USF, the project corridor has a much higher percentage of residents age 18-21 than Hillsborough County as a whole (23.8 percent for the E. 131 st Avenue versus 5.5 percent for the county as a whole). In addition, the project area has half the percentage of residents age 40-64 compared to Hillsborough County as a whole. These demographic differences illustrate the connection between the E. 131 st Avenue corridor and the University of South Florida.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

The project area appeared to be more diverse than Hillsborough County as a whole. Most census block groups had minority population percentages above the Hillsborough County average, except for the block groups around the hospital and the USF campus. All of the block groups within the study area, except for the block group west of the rail corridor, had higher population percentages of Black or African American residents. Except for several parts in the southwest portion of the study area, most block groups along the corridor had higher Latino/Hispanic population percentages than Hillsborough County as a whole. Population percentages for Asian residents varied throughout the corridor. The majority of census block groups also had a higher percentage of people who speak English “less than very well,” as compared to the average for Hillsborough County of 10.1 percent.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

The E. 131 st Avenue area is a decidedly lower-income area. All census block groups associated with the study area had poverty rates higher than the County average. In addition, the aggregate median household income for the study area had was half that of the County as a whole.

As is often the case with lower income areas, the E. 131 st Avenue study area also had a higher rate of zero vehicle households, more than four times higher than the County. This piece of demographic information illustrates why alternative transportation modes such as walking, bicycling and transit use are so popular in the E. 131 st Avenue corridor. These figures will also form the basis of recommended improvements in section three of the PLAT Study. These recommendations must

support local residents by prioritizing alternative and active transportation modes in the built environment. This demographic informaiton also highlights the importance of community outreach as this area has a lower median family income, higher minority population, and more concentrated population density when compared to Hillsborough County as a whole. These demographics also inform how any roadway improvements should be conceived and designed, with local residents in mind.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

II. Community and Environmental Features As an urban portion of Hillsborough County, the study area contains numorous community features, and a few environmental features. Beginning on the western end of the corridor, a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) analysis identified a 35.4-acre brownfield site at the northeast corner of the intersection of E. 131 st Avenue and the CSX rail corridor. The brownfield site is associated with Robbins Manufacturing storage yard and appears to be occupied by the Toyota of Tampa Bay Vehicle lot and the Royal Palm Key apartment complex. Just to the east of the Royal Palm Key apartment complex is the Veterans Recovery Support Services, a group care facility and a social service parcel located at 1229 E. 131 st Avenue. On the north side of the street, almost directly across from the Veterans Recovery Support Services, is the North Hillsborough Fire Station (Station #14). Between N. 15 th Street and N. 22 nd street, at 1902 E. 131 st Avenue is the University Children’s Center, a childcare facility that was observed on field visits. At 1908 E. 131 st Avenue on the north side of the roadway is Heritage Manor, an assisted living facility and group care facility also known as Beehive Manor. The intersection of E. 131 st Avenue and N. 22 nd Street presents a node of community features. On the southwest corner of the intersection is the University Baptist Church, a religious facility with several structures and a parking area at 2121 E. 131 st Avenue. Just to the northeast of the intersection and off the E. 131 st Avenue corridor, is Arbor Village, another retirement home listed as a healthcare facility and group care facility at 13107 N. 22 nd Street. Just east

of the intersection, on the north side of the roadway, is the Agency for Community Treatment, a social service facility. Further to the east, on the northeast corner of the intersection with N. 23 rd Street is Children’s Discovery, a childcare facility located at 13101 N. 23 rd Street that was observed during field reviews. The east end of the corridor is dominated by the James A Haley Veterans’ Hospital. The hospital represents several different community features including a hospital, cultural center, community center, healthcare facility, veterans facility, and group care facility. The hospital use designations extend to both sides of E. 131 st Avenue, although most of the north side of the roadway is used for parking and stormwater facilities. Within the study area, but not directly abutting E. 131 st Avenue, were several other community features including: 22 possibly historic structures (all to the west of N. Nebraska Avenue), one additional group care facility, one school, six social service parcels, two religious parcels, three hospital parcels, several healthcare facilities, two cultural centers, and one community center. Of particular note were two other environmental features in close proximity, but not directly along the corridor. A site in the Superfund database (representing potential environmental and or contamination issues) is located about 675 feet south of the intersection of E. 131 st Avenue and N. 19 th Street. The Superfund site is listed as Walters Battery House, a potentially contaminated site at 12723 N. 19 th Street. Further to the west is an eagle nest located about 450 feet north of the intersection of E. 131 st Avenue and Livingston Avenue. According to information in the E. 131 st Avenue Technical Evaluation Memorandum, the nest was last used by Ospreys, and has recently been inactive.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

The project corridor lies within the Duck Pond Watershed, which drains into the Hillsborough River. The watershed in this area drains into Duck Pond East and Duck Pond West, located directly north of the University Mall, and connected by a pipe. Due to the fact that Duck Pond East drains into the City of Tampa storm sewer system, the Southwest Florida Water Management District (SWFWMD) has previously indicated that any improvements made to the drainage systems at Duck Pond should meet the criteria for closed basins as a method to improve water quality. The project segment of E. 131 st Avenue travels through four sub-basins. The Nebraska Avenue Draining Basin collects stormwater frombetween N. Nebraska Avenue and the CSX railway. The Robbins Lumber Drainage Basin drains the area from the CSX railway to west of Marathon Key Drive, and exhibits pooling on the north side of the roadway due to a lack of positive conveyance. The 131 st Avenue Drainage Basin drains the project corridor from west of Marathon Key Drive to N. 19 th Street, and outfalls into the 131 st Avenue Pond, a large, county owned wet detention pond on the northeast corner of the E. 131 st Avenue intersection with N. 15 th Street. The Mall East and West Basin drain the section of the project corridor from N. 19 th Street to Bruce B Downs Boulevard. Although no wetlands were identified within the study area in either the E. 131 st Avenue Technical Evaluation Memorandum or GIS analysis, there is a large stormwater pond present within the study area located north of the corridor between N. 15 th Street and N. 19 th Street. This stormwater facility was the only water body located immediately adjacent to the roadway, although several others were located to the south of the

Water ponding on E. 131 st Avenue near Key Largo Road

corridor. For the exact location of any of the community or environmental features, please see Appendix V . A review of the currently effective Federal Insurance Rate Map (FIRM) data produced by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) reveals two areas within the Special Flood Hazard Areas along the project corridor. On the east end, much of area around Robbins Manufacturing is within the Special Flood Hazard area, as is a majority of the corridor between N. 19 th Street and Livingston Avenue. Appendix V shows the floodplains within the study area.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

F. Transportation Network and Patterns The transportation network is important to the character of an area, and can shape the way residents andusers interactwithaneighborhood. This section begins with an examination of the E. 131 st Avenue transportation network, including functional classification, speed limits, and typical sections. Analysis of pedestrian, bicycle, and transit facilities and ridership is also important, especially in an area such as E. 131 st Avenue with a high prevalence of zero vehicle households. In addition, this section will delve into traffic volumes, crash statistics and access management to understand traffic and safety conditions along the corridor. Furthermore, by examining travel patterns via GPS data, we can understand the prevalence and distribution of local versus regional traffic. I. Roadway Characteristics Existing Roadway The E. 131 st Avenue corridor is a two-lane undivided east/west facility, classified as an urban minor collector throughout the project limits. The posted speed limit is 30miles per hour (mph) from N. Nebraska Avenue on the west to east of Livingston Avenue, where the speed limit is then reduced to 25 mph. The existing Right- of-Way (ROW) width for E. 131 st Avenue varies from approximately 45 to 89 feet, with ROW generally narrower on the western end of the corridor, and wider around the intersection with Bruce B Downs Boulevard. The typical section also varies significantly throughout the corridor, but generally consists of two 11 to 12-foot lanes,

left turn lanes at the major intersections, and 5-foot sidewalks. The typical section switches between a rural typical section and an urban typical section several times throughout the corridor. In addition to the cross streets, a CSX railroad crossing (#624972U) exists approximately 670 feet east of N. Nebraska Avenue. The crossing includes a railroad signal with post mounted and cantilevered active warning devices (flashing lights), as well as an automatic gate. Pavement markings exist on both approaches to provide advance warning of the crossing. There are currently no pedestrian or bicycle accommodations provided at the crossing. For more information on the existing roadway please see Appendix VI .

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

Electric wheelchair user crossing E. 131 st Avenue in a crosswalk near the VA Hospital

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

2. EXISTING CONDITIONS

II. Multimodal Facilities

Bicycle Facilities Bicycle facilities along the corridor are discontinuous and inconsistently marked. Shoulder striping is present throughout the corridor, and bicycle lanes are marked around the N. 22 nd Street intersection and west of the intersection with Bruce B Downs Boulevard. Away from the Bruce B Downs Boulevard and N. 22 nd Street intersections, these bicycle lane segments transition into paved shoulders, which vary in width from four feet to less than one foot without consistency or warning. Bicycle counts also showed more bicycle activity on the eastern end of the corridor, while field review illuminated much bicycle activity on the sidewalks. For more information on the counts, please see Appendix VI .

Pedestrian Facilities As mentioned in the previous section, pedestrian facilities are present throughout the corridor, but are not continuous. There is a 129-foot sidewalk gap on the north side of the roadway around the CSX railroad crossing and a half-mile gap on the south side at the eastern end of the roadway. The rest of the corridor features continuous sidewalks on both sides of the road between N. 15 th Street and Bruce B Downs Boulevard. Not all of the existing sidewalks appear to meet current design standards. For example, the sidewalks along the Toyota of Tampa Bay parcel are frequently blocked by poles, signs, and sometimes parked vehicles. Other areas, such as along the county-owned stormwater pond parcel, have sidewalks as narrow as three feet in width. Although the eastern end of the corridor has several mid-block crossings, the west end has no crossing for nearly half a mile between N. Nebraska Avenue and N. 15 th Street. Pedestrian facilitites can be seen in Figure 2-6 . Despite the sometimes substandard pedestrian facilities along E. 131 st Avenue, there is no lack of pedestrian activity. Pedestrian counts revealed the mid-block crossing in front of the V.A. Hospital to have the largest pedestrian volumes along the corridor. An especially high number of motorized wheelchair users were also observed on multiple field visits. Throughout the corridor are sidewalks that are cracked, raised, sunken or not ADA compliant, and this was further evidenced by a number of wheelchairs operating in the shoulder of the road.

E. 131 ST AVENUE PLAT STUDY PRELIMINARY LAND USE AND TRANSPORTATION STUDY

Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8-9 Page 10-11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18-19 Page 20-21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26-27 Page 28-29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32-33 Page 34-35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38-39 Page 40-41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46-47 Page 48-49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58-59 Page 60-61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64-65 Page 66-67 Page 68 Page 69 Page 70 Page 71 Page 72-73 Page 74-75 Page 76 Page 77 Page 78-79 Page 80-81 Page 82 Page 83 Page 84-85 Page 86-87 Page 88 Page 89 Page 90 Page 91 Page 92-93 Page 94-95 Page 96 Page 97 Page 98 Page 99 Page 100 Page 101 Page 102 Page 103 Page 104 Page 105 Page 106 Page 107 Page 108-109 Page 110-111 Page 112 Page 113 Page 114-115 Page 116-117 Page 118 Page 119 Page 120 Page 121 Page 122-123 Page 124-125 Page 126 Page 127 Page 128 Page 129 Page 130-131 Page 132-133 Page 134 Page 135 Page 136 Page 137 Page 138-139 Page 140-141 Page 142 Page 143 Page 144 Page 145 Page 146 Page 147 Page 148-149 Page 150-151 Page 152 Page 153 Page 154 Page 155 Page 156 Page 157 Page 158 Page 159 Page 160 Page 161 Page 162 Page 163 Page 164 Page 165 Page 166 Page 167 Page 168 Page 169 Page 170-171 Page 172-173 Page 174-175 Page 176-177 Page 178-179 Page 180-181 Page 182-183 Page 184-185 Page 186-187 Page 188-189 Page 190 Page 191 Page 192-193 Page 194-195 Page 196 Page 197 Page 198 Page 199 Page 200-201 Page 202-203 Page 204 Page 205 Page 206-207 Page 208 Page 209 Page 210 Page 211 Page 212-213 Page 214 Page 215 Page 216-217 Page 218 Page 219 Page 220-221 Page 222-223 Page 224 Page 225 Page 226-227 Page 228-229 Page 230 Page 231 Page 232-233 Page 234-235 Page 236 Page 237 Page 238-239 Page 240-241 Page 242 Page 243 Page 244 Page 245 Page 246 Page 247 Page 248 Page 249 Page 250 Page 251 Page 252 Page 253 Page 254 Page 255 Page 256 Page 257 Page 258 Page 259 Page 260 Page 261

www.hillsboroughcounty.org

Made with FlippingBook Learn more on our blog