The Encore development starting to emerge on the northeast corner of downtown Tampa will be one of the biggest redevelopment efforts in the region in years. We're following it from the start and will periodically update it progress and look at different angles in how the project -- a public private partnership between the Tampa Housing Authority and Bank of America Community Development Corp. -- is shaped, and shaping the larger neighborhood. The introductory story ran in the St. Petersburg Times here earlier this month. (Aerial photo courtesy of Encore.) Check back. We'll check on Encore this summer.

Here's a brief architectural note of news on the project. Encore's Baker Barrios Architects was the recipient of an honor award for "Master Planning and Urban Design" at the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission’s 29th Annual Community Design Awards. The Community Design Awards honors some of the best in planning and community design in Hillsborough County. Shown at left is a rendering of the first of Encore's buildings to start construction. It's an apartment building called Ella (shown left), named for singer extraordinaire Ella Fitzgerald, in keeping with Encore's local musical history theme. Ella starts going up next month. Stay tuned.

-- Robert Trigaux, Business Columnist, St. Petersburg Times