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Oldsmar redevelopment may be moving forward again

 
Last month,Oldsmar City Council members approved the plan put together by Tampa architect Francisco Semsch and Oldsmar developer John Bews. The plans include a boutique hotel, an office building, a standalone restaurant and a park. Plus there will be a mixed-use building on the site of the long-vacant Goodrich building, which was purchased by the city in 2012 and will soon be demolished. There will also be a large monument with a nod to Oldsmar's history. [Photo from video]
Last month,Oldsmar City Council members approved the plan put together by Tampa architect Francisco Semsch and Oldsmar developer John Bews. The plans include a boutique hotel, an office building, a standalone restaurant and a park. Plus there will be a mixed-use building on the site of the long-vacant Goodrich building, which was purchased by the city in 2012 and will soon be demolished. There will also be a large monument with a nod to Oldsmar's history. [Photo from video]
Published March 9, 2017

OLDSMAR — The do-over is about to start.

As an architect familiar with the city is putting his final touches on the approved concept plan for downtown, city staff is preparing to introduce a well-known building to a wrecking ball. All the while they are hoping investors will begin picking out spots for their new eateries and businesses on the 7-acre site along State Street.

Last month, City Council members approved the plan put together by Tampa architect Francisco Semsch and Oldsmar developer John Bews. The plans include a boutique hotel, an office building, a standalone restaurant and a park. Plus there will be a mixed-use building on the site of the long-vacant Goodrich building, which was purchased by the city in 2012 and will soon be demolished. There will also be a large monument with a nod to Oldsmar's history.

"We are now taking what was approved and touching it up so we can use it as credentials for marketing,'' said Semsch, who also designed the Galleria building on State Street.

This isn't the first attempt to redevelop the area. In the past 10 years, there have been several ill-fated projects, including one that ended when the city could not secure a necessary parcel from the landowner and another that hit a dead end during discussion on how to finance a parking garage.

However, one year ago, the city started a new chapter when University of South Florida School of Architecture and Community Design graduate students were hired as consultants. The team of millennials held community discussions, surveyed the area and created a vision that included more walkability, bike sharing, an indoor market and more green space.

Before Semsch began his work on the plan, he studied the students' work.

"They helped organize our final thought,'' he said.

Semsch admitted he also kept in mind the concern that "there's already been a few tries in the last few years,'' he said. "It might seem obvious, but we want this to work. We've put in components based on what we've studied as well as what the city of Oldsmar wants.''

Semsch believes one of the most interesting components of the new design is "the connections,'' he said. For example, the paths and landscaping will link the businesses to the park, and the monument, serving as a welcome point as visitors turn onto State Street from State Road 580, will be visible from a proposed restaurant.

"It will be both an inside and outside experience,'' he said.

Marie Dauphinais, Oldsmar's longtime planning and redevelopment director, is optimistic that this time will be a go.

"Until now there have been a lot of things we couldn't control, in particular the economic downturn. It hit us hard,'' she said. "We couldn't control that, but in a way it has worked out better. We've learned from things, we've watched what other cities have done, we were able to buy the Goodrich building and yet there are still good elements from previous plans.''

Contact Piper Castillo at pcastillo@tampabay.com. Follow @Florida_PBJC.