Tampa City Council denies condo tower on Bayshore synagogue property
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: May 12, 2023

Tampa City Council has denied a plan to build luxury condos on a synagogue’s Bayshore Boulevard property.

Six council members on Thursday voted unanimously to reject a rezoning request from Miami-based Related Group for a 50-unit condo tower on a Bayshore site that’s home to Congregation Rodeph Sholom’s preschool. Councilman Bill Carlson was absent from the meeting.

“We are disappointed by tonight’s city council vote,” Lloyd Stern, synagogue president, said in a statement. “The development of a portion of our land would have ensured Rodeph Sholom’s continued presence on Bayshore Boulevard for many generations to come. We will continue to explore our options moving forward.”

Councilwoman Lynn Hurtak moved to reject the rezoning request, saying Related had not met the burden of proof to move forward with the rezoning and that the tower is not compatible with the surrounding neighborhood.

Hurtak’s Seminole Heights home was raided by the FBI on Monday. The councilwoman said in a statement this week that the search warrant was related to her husband’s work as a journalist.

Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission staff found that the project was consistent with the Tampa comprehensive plan.

“The surrounding area contains a mixture of uses. This segment of Bayshore Boulevard, between South Carolina Avenue and West Bay to Bay Boulevard, contains light commercial, single-family residential, public and multifamily residential uses,” planning commission staff wrote in a report. “The Bayshore Presbyterian Apartments and an office are west of the subject site. There are several towers within proximity of the subject site along Bayshore Boulevard, with heights ranging from 15 to 18 stories. There are several taller structures further north of the subject site along Bayshore Boulevard.”

The proposed tower site is less than a half mile from multiple luxury condo towers that are under construction or have been built in the last five years. The Sanctuary at Alexandra Place, Altura Bayshore, Aquatica on Bayshore and the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Tampa, are all within walking distance of the synagogue property.

The majority of opposition to the tower came from the neighboring Tampa Garden Club. Dozens of the garden club’s supporters turned out to rally against the tower, saying it would negatively affect the club’s event and wedding business.

Councilman Luis Viera said he voted against the rezoning “not because of the existence of the waivers, but the extent of them,” and council chairman Guido Maniscalco agreed. The rezoning application had two previously approved waivers and five new waiver requests, including the removal of three grand oak trees. A grand oak is a municipal designation for trees that meet several criteria; the trees must be at least 34.5 inches in diameter at breast height to be considered a grand oak.

City staff who reviewed the project found some inconsistencies between the site plan and the city’s land development regulations. Related would have addressed the inconsistencies between the first and second reading had the rezoning request received initial approval, according to the rezoning staff report.

Eric Fordin, Related senior vice president, told council members that the grand oaks were being removed to create a new access point for the synagogue and that he was willing to relocate the grand oaks.

“We have a sincere desire to continue our investment in the city of Tampa,” Fordin said. “I have no problem spending that money (to relocate the grand oaks).”

Deputy city attorney Cate Wells told council members that a quasi-judicial hearing wasn’t the appropriate place to negotiate a grand tree relocation agreement.

Related entered the Tampa market in the early 2010s with the construction of Pierhouse Channelside and has gone on to become one of the region’s most prolific developers of luxury condos, market-rate apartments and affordable housing. It is the master developer of Rome Yard, a city-owned property just outside of downtown Tampa, and plans to break ground on the Riverfront district in downtown Tampa by the end of 2023. Its projects include the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Tampa, under construction less than a half-mile from the synagogue property.

Related executives consider Tampa Bay their second biggest market outside of their home base of Miami.