Phase two of Sulphur Springs Neighborhood Action Plan begins
City reviewing plans to revitalize Sulphur Springs
FOX 13's Kylie Jones shares the longtime concerns that the Tampa city leaders are looking to improve in the Sulphur Springs area.
SULPHUR SPRINGS, Fla. - The City of Tampa is moving into the second phase of its long-term Sulphur Springs Neighborhood Action Plan.
The 14-month action plan to revitalize and improve the Sulphur Springs neighborhood is now underway.
On Tuesday, the city discussed feedback it received from neighbors during the first phase of the action plan at the Sulphur Springs K-8 Community School.
The backstory:
The city began the Sulphur Springs Neighborhood Action Plan in December 2024, by surveying neighbors about their biggest concerns within the community.
City leaders held their first public meeting in the spring.
Over the last five months, the city gathered data and surveyed the neighborhood to identify the top priorities and areas of improvement.
City leaders say some of the concerns were related to the neighborhood's aesthetic, safety and perception.
"So, have the neighborhood be beautiful, cared for, safe to walk around and safe for kids," Lauren O'Neill, the city's senior planning coordinator, said.
According to the survey results, the top request was for homeownership programs. The city says 62% of residents in Sulphur Springs are renters.
"We heard about having trouble paying rent or mortgage, having homes being repaired, whether that be landlord owned or homeowner-occupied owned homes," O'Neill said.
The city says 70% of people who responded to the survey want food shops or grocery options, 64% are concerned about environmental damage, 62% are worried about crime and sfaety and 49% want access to the river.
"There's not fresh food available within a quarter-mile," O'Neill said. "Sulphur Springs is very constrained, transportation-wise."
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Local perspective:
Some neighbors who have moved to Sulphur Springs over the last few years say they were drawn to the area for different reasons.
"It's close to the expressway, and I could get anywhere and get to work in like 15 minutes, and the price was right, it was new construction," resident Tyler Roberson said.
Roberson says he's had ongoing concerns about littering and illegal dumping throughout the neighborhood.
"Dumping has been a problem, and it kind of comes and goes," Roberson said. "I've seen it so bad where they would just line a block of the street, and it's just piled to the hill with furniture and mattresses."
City leaders say this is one of the concerns they're trying to address with their long-term action plan.
"Facilitating vacant site redevelopment," O'Neill said. "There's a lot of vacancy and illegal dumping in Sulphur Springs. So, what can the city do to help mitigate that issue?"
Roberson says he would also like to see some more grocery stores and beautification efforts around the neighborhood.
"I think some revitalizing some shops and some stores and maybe a few more streetlights on the corner," Roberson said.
What's next:
The city is beginning the second phase of its action project with a new survey for residents to identify steps they'd like to see taken to address some of their concerns.
City leaders say some of these efforts could include beautification projects and infrastructure projects.
"Improving infrastructure, meaning sidewalks, streets and the drainage in the area," O'Neill said.
O'Neill says they can also explore ways to expand rental assistance and down-payment assistance programs, as long as funding allows.
"Supply side, increasing the supply of housing to stabilize the neighborhood and demand side solutions, which would be that rental assistance, kind of easing the demand directly addressing that," O'Neill said.
The city hopes to begin some of these projects as early as the beginning of next year.
"I'm just glad that the city has got their eyeball on the neighborhood," Roberson said.
City leaders say they're looking into different ways to fund these major projects.
"We're looking at, is there a certain amount of funding that we can request from City Council as a seed fund to begin?" O'Neill said. "Funding some of these big projects that will likely be coming out in recommendations and our Phase Two report."
The city says there will be a third community meeting. A date has not been announced yet.
You can find more information about the Sulphur Springs Neighborhood Action Plan here.
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The Source: Information for this story was gathered by FOX 13's Kylie Jones.