Proposed Tampa Heights Overlay Code Amendment

Hillsborough Planning Commission voted to unanimously support the creation of the overlay on 8/14/23.

Tampa City Council will now vote on the initiative on Thursday 9/14/23 at 5:00 PM.

If you support this initiative, please sign the petition below.

After years of unfulfilled promises from the City of Tampa to protect the neighborhood’s unique urban character and promote walkable development, THCA wrote its own code between 2019-2021. It was formally submitted to the City in July 2021 and has been working through the review process.

This code is not meant as a cure-all for incompatible development practices. It is a stop-gap measure while the complex, comprehensive Transit Oriented Development overlay makes its way through the planning process over the next several years.

Key Points

  • Goals:

    • Reduce reliance on automobiles and promote transit oriented development

    • Allow the free market to determine parking needs, not arbitrary minimums

    • Preserve Tampa Heights' character by creating a more walkable/bikeable development pattern

    • Add to the housing supply to boost affordability

    • Encourage small-to-medium scale commercial development by reducing amount of land required for parking

  • Details:

    • Creates a new zoning district that covers all of Tampa Heights except the CRA area (Armature Works development) which has its own master development standards

    • Allow adjacent on-street parking to count toward overall parking requirement (both residential and commercial)

    • Allow Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs, aka in-law suites, garage apartments, etc.) with a Special Use permit

    • ADUs may be taller than 15 ft. and up to 1,100 s.f. in size which allows traditional garage apartments to be built

    • Front porches may encroach 10 ft. into the setback (currently 8 ft. is allowed)

    • Allows townhomes to design around courtyards without a Design Exception

    • Exempt any property under 20,000 s.f. that fronts Franklin Street from required parking minimums

    • Drastically reduce parking requirements for commercial and mixed-use projects under 20,000 s.f. to 2 spaces per 1,000 s.f.

    • Eliminate all parking requirements for commercial projects under 1,500 s.f. (i.e. Lee's Grocery)

    • Allow bicycle parking to offset up to 10% of required parking spots at a rate of 5 bikes per 1 parking space

Use the links below to learn about the Code Amendment and its intent.

After reading the FAQ, if you have questions, don’t hesitate to email tampaheightscivicassociation@gmail.com