Policy should concentrate on careful placement of specific commercial uses, such as restaurants and shops on the first floor of an office building that would give easy and accessible options for daily patrons employed in the center and additional choices for adjacent residents. The currently approved development for the site could deliver a lower intensity modern suburban pattern relative to its size. Building placement and orientation coupled with street design and spacing could be established through form-based code to deliver a connected suburban pattern with the potential to evolve into a compact urban development pattern for this activity center should the DRI’s range of uses permit this evolution in the future. This potential Compact Urban Center could resemble something like the rendering in Figure 33 , offering a central space where residents, workers, visitors, and tourists can socialize, work, live, shop, dine, exercise, or even see an outdoor concert. Buildings would be oriented outward to the streets; public spaces would be internal to the site while parking would be located to the rear or side of the buildings. 8.2.2.2 Transportation An interconnected network of local streets is needed to support easy to access, non-motorized, multi- modal options, and could provide alternate routes to Big Bend Road, especially for residents living south of the Waterset development. Provisions for enhanced transit service should also be considered. The South Coast Greenway Trail will intersect with Big Bend Road in this area, and a pedestrian overpass is recommended to enhance safety for users of the trail when crossing Big Bend Road. There is an education cluster in this area, consisting of Corr Elementary, Eisenhower Middle, and East Bay High Schools, and the proposed pedestrian overpass will create a safe connection between these schools and the existing and planned residential development of Waterset south of Big Bend Road, in addition to the South Coast Greenway Trail. This linkage to the overall trail network will provide a vital connection to recreational, community, and cultural uses. For proposed typical sections of Big Bend Road, west and east of I-75, refer back to Figures 7 and 8 .
Figure 33. Compact Urban Center
Source: Midtown Commons Rendering, Midtown Tampa
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Hillsborough County • October 2019
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