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Riverwalk Parcel Has Potential
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Published: May 14, 2008
Now that the Platt Street Bridge segment of the Tampa Riverwalk is open, pedestrians can amble six-tenths of a mile to Cotanchobee Park - and take in those postcard vistas. And maybe stop and sip a few along the way.
The starting point is actually USF Park. But before proceeding under the bridge and past the convention center and the Tampa Marriott Waterside, notice what's wedged between the park and Platt. It's 239 S. Ashley Drive, a weedy, triangular-shaped parcel. It's nondescript; it's tiny; it's intriguing. It's in a very high-profile location across from the Tampa Convention Center.
To Al Hoffman, the Riverwalk's development manager, it could be a "prime" staging area for vendors as downtown's critical mass grows and the Riverwalk becomes its own destination.
"It's fairly small about 1,750 square feet and very limited," says Hoffman. "I think we have to be creative, and we have to maximize every opportunity. It could also be a kayak rental and storage area - or even bike rentals.
"The key is that it can be something that can help activate the Riverwalk," Hoffman says. "A way that keeps people coming back."
But if you're Donald L. Torina, the owner of that parcel, and your asking price is $800,000 - or more than $450 per square foot - you're thinking of scenarios more ambitious than that. (He'll also consider a long-term lease at $4,000 a month.)
Broker-owner Torina, 72, has held 239 S. Ashley for 25 years. He says he has already turned down an offer of $200 a square foot from the city. He thinks the right entrepreneur will see what he foresees: a "restaurant, cafe/lounge, package store/lounge, high-end retail or residential flat," according to his real estate flier. In fact, Torina once thought of putting in a restaurant himself, one designed around the bow of a ship.
"This is the apex of the Riverwalk," Torina says. "It's the prime spot, with hotels nearby and 800 convention center garage parking spots across the street. And you can with limited air rights go up three or four stories. I'd like to see something special. I can see a classy restaurant with a lounge on top - with a canopy."
Torina acknowledges that the parcel is pricey, and he says he has "no problem" waiting for the entire 2.2-mile Riverwalk - from Tampa Heights to the Channel District - to be completed in 2010. "I want somebody with the wherewithal to do it right," he says.
"The Riverwalk will absolutely make downtown Tampa," he asserts. "The mayor has the right idea. It will tie everything together."
Including, presumably, a certain odd-shaped, undersized sliver of real estate.
Dundee Sighting
You never know who you might run into at the Italian Club in Ybor City. The characters are likely to be as colorful as Tampa's Italian heritage would suggest. On a recent Friday night, it was an adopted son of Ybor, Angelo Dundee, who was holding court.
Dundee, 86, and still quick with the salty quip, is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. The native Philadelphian is best known as Muhammad Ali's trainer - but he also trained Sugar Ray Leonard, George Foreman and scores more. He even worked with actors Will Smith ("Ali") and Russell Crowe ("Cinderella Man").
Now an Oldsmar resident, Dundee was posing for photos, critiquing videos of Ali, spinning fistic yarns and signing copies of his book (written in collaboration with fight historian Bert Sugar), "My View From the Corner."
Some outtakes from the appearance:
•Early Ali: "He was an introvert."
•"What did I teach (the physically gifted) Ali? How to move in the ring. But I made him think it was his idea."
•"You know all that poetry that Ali was famous for? It was mostly mine. And it stunk."
•"What would surprise people about Ali? How tough he really was."
•"What did he lose after being out (Vietnam draft) of boxing in his prime? He lost his edge. He never regained it."
•"The Muslims didn't really affect me. I did my job. I don't get involved with things like a person's religion."
•"Greatest boxer ever? Willie Pep. Greatest impact on the sport: Ali."
One other item. Word is that Dundee will be making one more prominent appearance in the ring as a trainer. It will be an upcoming, high-profile Las Vegas fight.
Joe O'Neill is a Tampa writer who can be reached at moesez@aol.com or
www.opinionstogoonline.com.
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