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ASSEMBLING a Car-Free St. Pete Southside Greenway
Multi Modal Transportation Connecting the Pinellas Peninsular
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Become a Kindred Supporter
Becoming a Kindred and Active Supporters is as simple as signing up! Please select whether you would like to join as an Individual or as an Organization. (A Business, Neighborhood Association, or Non-Profit Organization) The website will take you to a corresponding form for you to enter your information, so we can better manage the support groups and help preserve the Salt Creek Estuary.
You may also share my (our) information with the Friends of Salt Creek demonstrating also your additional support for their organization AND to also receive a free downloadable digital copy of their wonderful published work by the students in the English Program and College of Arts and Science class taught by USFSP’s English, professor Thomas Hallock, and funded by generous support from the USFSP Center for Civic Engagement. We hope that you too, like us, will want to help to spread the word!! To learn more about how their work has led to the creation of our project, please see our ABOUT section.
...If you haven’t heard of Salt Creek, you’re not alone. The old creek traverses the southern tip of Pinellas County from Bayboro Harbor on Tampa Bay to Clam Bayou, Gulfport’s own nature park on Boca Ciega Bay, but its convoluted path is a hard one to follow. Perhaps long ago it was navigable, but today it’s forgotten, barely visible and nearly lost as it flows through concrete culverts on its way to Lake Maggiore, then, onward in its tortured journey westward. Nano Riley
“Venice is the first city built to demonstrate what Florida can do to produce a community that is at once a fine resort of great charm and refreshment and a city serving all the everyday needs of a soundly constructed municipality. The result is an inspiration to those who would make this world a better place to live in.” – John Nolen, 1927
People
Additional St. Petersburg Map Resources
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Introduction
For nearly a 100 years the City’s land use and economic development plan efforts have been based upon the concept of supporting primarily those areas with direct water views of Tampa Bay and/or are at least in close proximity to them. We certainly agree that these areas most certainly a very valuable asset from downtown…the Pier… and the waterside parks and athletic facilities adjacent to more affluent Northeast Saint Petersburg neighborhoods are of course most certainly very valuable assets.
The City government, with input and assistance from the business and political leaders, have in most cases utilized City personnel and/or the services of outsourced-non-resident experts funded by City tax revenues collected from ALL City property owners in order to then create its many plans over the years.
Case in point-in-point, the SAINT PETERSBURG DOWNTOWN WATERFRONT MASTER PLAN (adopted June 4, 2015)
When the residents of Southside Petersburg, without their own experts and independent sources of funding, were then solicited by the City for their input, what occurred was basically a reluctant rubber stamp approval from these, its more financially challenged residents.
We do, however, now wish to thank Mayor Kriseman for very wisely gauging the mood and ongoing concerns of the City Council led very ably by Gena Driscoll (2020 Vice Chair of City Council and Representing City Council DISTRICT 6). His decision in deferring the Council’s vote on his request to amendment to the City’s current zoning regulations of the waterfront properties in the Coastal High Hazard Area has shown the proper concern for some more public education and conversation concerning this very important issue.
His delay has also allowed our grassroots assemblage (local, regional, and national) the additional time to also identify any future potential and/or currently realized negative impacts of the original of SAINT PETERSBURG DOWNTOWN WATERFRONT MASTER PLAN (adopted June 4, 2015) upon we Southside residents. Although on July 30th the City Members voted 7-1 to now, at the Mayor’s request, again advance the proposal to a full City Council meeting later this August. Gina Driscoll, District 6, 2020 Vice Chair of City Council, casting the lone no vote.
Finally because of these current actions by the Mayor and then by City Council, we will NOW in fact be preparing to FORMALLY and PUBLICLY ask that before any vote requiring changes to this amendment to the existing land use regulations can occur that our group first be granted the formal opportunity to first have City Council review our written plan and have it discussed in the Council’s appropriate committee(s).
We then would expect that the City Council members would then also first grant the Southside residents the opportunity to present their plan PUBLICALY to them BEFORE again formally considering any potential request from the Mayor for an admendment to existing zoning and land use regulations.
Given our city’s currently very fragile and challenging situation resulting from the increased racial sensitives from the May 25 death of George Floyd with the subsequent mass national demonstrations, we truly believe that Mayor Kriseman will, in fact, be very sensitive to our request.
We further believe that he too will realize that our City’s very first step now requires even greater attention to create a meaningful dialogue on a subject so very important to the residents of Southside Saint Petersburg.
Next Steps to be taken by the City to Truly Explore
The Southside Residents’ Alternative Plan
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The Mayor should immediately WITHDRAW his current request to have the City Council address HIS request for their considering HIS amendment to the existing City zoning provisions until Southside Residents’ Alternative Plan can be completed and presented FIRST to City Council for their decision.
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The Mayor should immediately appoint Deputy Mayor Dr. Kanika Tomalin as the of head of a City task force to assist the residents of Southside to have immediate access to the City resources that they may require to complete their plan in a very timely fashion.
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The Southside residents, working through their Neighborhood Associations, will then choose their representatives to manage this plan development completion process.
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The 1st order of business will be to develop the necessary steps required for plan completion AND to also to agree upon an accompanying budget for the CITY to fund in the event that any outside experts are deemed necessary to complete the plan.
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Upon the completion of the plan to the satisfaction of the Southside residents, there will then be their formal presentation to City Council in a FULLY public meeting without unreasonable time restraints in a very large public facility to allow for a safe AND truly public hearing. A highly restrictive electronic only meeting will NOT be acceptable.
What Are Kindred Supporters?
We are seeking the moral support of individuals, businesses, and/or other non-profit organizations for this very important opportunity to partner with the City to assist in developing the linkage of the Southside Greenway to our community’s exciting collection of eco assets....
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an extensive & well managed parks-recreation system
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access to a vast collection of accessible waterways: creeks, bayous, bays, & the Gulf of Mexico
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an ecosystem centerpiece of the natural environment in South St. Petersburg’s greater Lake Maggiore and Boyd Hill Preserve area.
....with our superior & fantastic urban assets
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internationally renowned museums
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our exciting Innovation District
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vast entertainment collection of culinary, arts, and unique shopping in our specially defined Districts: Central Avenue, Warehouse Arts, Deuces Live, Tampa Bay Waterfront areas of Beachdrive and St. Pete Pier & Park
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a current advanced transportation infrastructure supported by dedicated past & current commitments to support research & development adhering to the Complete Streets philosophy & policies
Additionally, we desire these new enhanced and heathy recreational opportunities not only or our local residents, but also to create new economic benefits by attracting many new Urban Ecotourism visitors.
For our efforts to be successful, the community at large must be willing to show its interest in supporting this exciting plan. This process will, in fact, be one where the number of supporters will greatly influence our ability to work in partnership with the City to more effectively attract potential additional external state, federal, non-profit organizations, and corporate funding.
Therefore, please show your moral support by completing the simple form above. Should there in fact be multiple adults in your residence, please have EACH enter. Many times the impact of support is best determined by the number of individuals and not households. If you live within the City limits of Saint Petersburg, please also include the identification of your Neighborhood Association. (If unsure which group represents you, our CONA digital map will help you identify it by mearly entering your street address.)
In the case of nonprofit organizations that have not yet formally said that they support us, we have assumed by their publicly stated organizational goals that they will NOT object to their inclusion as we all share very similar goals. We will now, however, begin our efforts to solicit their active support. We in turn WILL BE also be actively supporting them.
For our business supporters will also ask for your web site URL or a business email address so we hopefully may generate some interest for you.
Neighborhood
Association
Phase Two Goals red lines = new trails
November 19, 2020 our plan in the Forward Pinellas Active Transportation Plan in combination with the 18th Ave So/Salt Creek Extension was listed as number one out of ten county-wide priority projects. Though details such as funding timing or limits had not then yet been established, there is a current commitment from Forward Pinellas to fund and otherwise advance that list of ten projects.
Current design & construction cost studies will be required to develop a formalized plan to extend Westward 18th Ave So corridor from 49th St So connecting with the Skyway Trail.
Design and construction studies will also be needed utilizing the City’s Southern Pinellas Peninsular's existing bike trailways to link a newly branded South Bay Trail connecting the Skyway & Skyway Bridge Trails to our North Bay Trail & the Weeden Island Preserve.
Greenways...
...typically are corridors of land recognized for their ability to connect people and places. These ribbons of open space are often located within linear corridors that are either natural, such as bay’s, streams, creeks, lakes, river, or man-made, such as abandoned railroad beds and utility corridors. In urban areas with existing parks and/or with other environmentally interesting assets, specifically landscaped and calmed streets can be most effective.
...as vegetated buffers protect natural habitats, improve water quality and reduce the impacts of flooding in floodplain areas. Most greenways contain trails, which enhance existing recreational opportunities, provide routes for alternative transportation, and most importantly improve the overall quality of life in an area.
...provide participants a variety of trails designed to accommodate fun and healthy uses including bicycling, hiking, walking, jogging, running, skating, rollerblading, etc.
...provide a variety of benefits that ultimately affect the sustainability of a region’s economic, environmental, and social health. These benefits include:
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Creating Value and Generating Economic Activity
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Improving Bicycle and Pedestrian Transportation
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Improving Health through Active Living
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Clear Skies, Clean Rivers, and Protected Wildlife
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Protecting People and Property from Flood Damage
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Enhancing Cultural Awareness and Community Identity
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Improving the Environmental & Social Justice for our Neglected Neighborhoods
Baltimore Greenway Trails Network • Atlanta Beltline • Boston Emerald Necklace