Tampa`s Urban Redevelopment Celebrates African-American Musical Heritage

 TAMPA, Fla.----

Here in Florida`s fourth largest city, a shovel-ready development under
consideration for $38 million in federal funding could serve as a national model
for sustainable urban redevelopment through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act later this month. 

The project, called Encore, is also a tribute to the rich African-American
musical history of an area near the city known as Central Avenue. There, jazz
legend Ray Charles once lived and worked and recorded his first song, "I Found
My BabyThere" in 1948. An Emmy-award winning documentary film produced for a
local PBS station, recently showcased the area`s rich musical heritage and
highlighted the many jazz greats who were attracted to Tampa`s lively Central
Avenue in the 1900s. 

"Central Avenue was at the heart of African-American music and entertainment in
the south," said Fred Hearns, president of the Tampa Bay Chapter of the
Association for the Study of African-American Life and History, who notes a
history that begins around 1900 when `Father of the Blues` W.C. Handy performed
in the area, followed by Ella Fitzgerald, Duke Ellington, and Cab Calloway in
the 1930s, Ray Charles` first recording in the 1940s, and Hank Ballard`s
discovery of the inspiration for "The Twist" in the 1950s. 

"This new project gives us the opportunity to bring alive the history of this
district -- the great history many people today may not be aware of," he said. 

In July, a consortium including the City of Tampa, Tampa Housing Authority (THA)
and Banc of America Community Development Corporation (CDC) submitted an
application to receive $38 million in federal stimulus dollars from the U.S.
Department of Housing and Urban Development`s Neighborhood Stabilization Program
2. If approved, $28 million will go directly to build the Encore infrastructure
and another $10 million will be spent on foreclosure mitigation activities in
the surrounding area. 

"This mixed-use, mixed-income neighborhood with housing, businesses and cultural
centers will be located right next to Tampa`s central business district," said
Leroy Moore, Senior Vice President/Chief Operating Officer of THA. "This project
was delayed by the recession, but now it`s well-positioned to be fast-tracked
with the help of federal stimulus funds." 

Encore, whose name is borrowed from a common musical term meaning "to demand a
new performance," will be built on the site of a once-blighted inner-city
housing project. During construction, Encore is expected to create more than
4,000 new jobs. Another 1,000 permanent jobs are expected upon completion,
according to the developers. It`s also expected to be a major catalyst for area
economic recovery according to its financial backers, led by the Banc of America
CDC, which has already successfully developed similar downtown projects in
Charlotte, Miami, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Baltimore. The CDC and THA have
already invested more than $8.3 million in preparation for the development. 

Encore will offer housing for more than 1,700 residents across a broad social
and economic spectrum. It will offer offices, a new hotel, grocery and other
retail space, a middle school, church and community park. It`s also
transit-oriented development, within walking distance of a planned regional
light-rail terminal. 

An African-American history museum will be housed in a 90-year-old church within
the boundaries of the Encore development. 

Those projects selected for federal stimulus funding expect to be notified on or
before Sept. 30. 





Tampa Housing Authority
LeRoy Moore, 813-253-0551 x128
leroym@thafl.com
or
Dani Burrows, 813-228-0652
dburrows@tuckerhall.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009