TEMPLE TERRACE — After years of false starts and vacant lots, Temple Terrace may finally be ready to put some heat under its long-stalled downtown vision.
The Temple Terrace City Council took its most definitive steps to reshape North 56th Street in years, voting June 2 to enter negotiations with developers on two major projects, choosing projects officials are banking will help transform empty parcels into anchors of a walkable downtown district.
The City Council selected Fountain Square TT as the lead developer for the 1.75-acre parcel at 8901 N. 56th St., while Enigma Events LLC was chosen for the 1.74-acre “south parcel” at 8447 N. 56th St., near the planned Riverside Park (on the former site of the Streak-n-Ale and Curry Bowl restaurants.)
Both sites have sat vacant for years despite repeated discussions about making downtown a more vibrant area. Most recently, the city had failed negotiations with a group looking to bring a pickleball and restaurant concept to the area.
Fountain Square TT wins key 8901 parcel
The bidding for the 8901 parcel drew four proposals ranging in price from $1.26 million to $1.65 million.
After listening to presentations, council members gravitated toward Fountain Square’s TT vision, an extension of the existing Fountain Shoppes of Temple Terrace immediately north of the site, which it recently purchased.
Plans call for a two-story Mediterranean-style featuring retail and restaurant space, a shopping promenade, rooftop dining and approximately 12,000 square feet of public gathering space designed to connect the development to surrounding neighborhoods.
“We are focused on this becoming a defined gateway, and so that continuity between the two developments is a very, very core aspect to what we are giving Temple Terrace,” said architect Rachel Marshall.
Also making the project unique was its “360-degree architecture” designed to engage both the 56th Street frontage and the interior corridor of Bertha Palmer Way, helping create the pedestrian-friendly environment city leaders have sought for years.
“We want to focus on not only bringing visitors from 56th into this community and into this environment to share a little slice of Temple Terrace,” Marshall said, “but it also needs to speak to the community that has been developed behind it.”
Representatives from Fountain Square TT may have provided the last bit of convincing the council needed when it also said it would match TMA Investment Group’s high bid of $1.65 million.
TMA’s bid was for a retail-centered concept featuring as many as 20 shops and restaurants.
But Mayor Andy Ross questioned whether the project would truly differentiate itself from existing commercial centers.
“You could throw a baseball and hit 100 more of these within the same spot,” he said. “How are you going to fill 20 more (shops), and how are we going to be assured that it’s not 20 more of the same stuff we already have?”
Council members also expressed concerns about restrictions on alcohol sales included in the proposal, dooming the chances of it receiving the nod.
The council voted unanimously to direct staff to negotiate with Fountain Square TT for 8901, exploring discussions about sharing a portion of the future revenue with the city and ensuring the parking lot area integrates into the city’s multimodal pedestrian master plan.
Enigma selected for south parcel
The south parcel at 8447 N. 56th St. parcel drew three proposals.
The council was unified and ultimately favored Enigma’s “South Gate” proposal, priced at $1 million, citing its potential to physically connect downtown destinations and complement the future Riverside Park.
According to developer Baba Singh, the project will include approximately 20,000 square feet of restaurant and retail space, outdoor gathering area, office space and rooftop dining and lounge overlooking Springdale Pond.
A planned pedestrian corridor connecting a bus stop on 56th Street to the Springdale Pond area was particularly appealing to some council members focused on walkability.
The proposal beat out competing concepts from TMA Investment Group and ALBI Properties.
ALBI proposed a standalone location for Al-Basha, a New Jersey-based Middle Eastern restaurant highly regarded nationally for its Palestinian food. The council expressed concern about relying on a single restaurant tenant and said they wanted a broader mix of dining options downtown.
“We are out of balance in Temple Terrace,” Ross said. “We have tons and tons of dining and it’s all Middle Eastern. … We used to be called the little Epcot, because you could eat around the world here. Well, that’s changed.”
Ross emphasized that his concerns were about variety, not the quality of existing restaurants.
Council wants to avoid repeat
Despite selecting Enigma’s proposal for 8447, council members made clear they had concerns.
Ross delivered a candid and pointed concern about the Enigma Plaza’s slow path to completion and its issues since the land was purchased in 2019 and insisted on strong claw back and timeline provisions if the city were to sell the developers another parcel in the important downtown area.
“This is not our property, this is the people of this city’s property,” Ross said, “and they aren’t happy with us right now. I’m not looking my constituents in the face and saying we sold them another piece of property without some kind of (insurance).”
He insisted to include project completion timelines, performance milestones and clawback provisions allowing the city to recover the property if development obligations are not met.
“How many people have come and stood at that podium and yelled at us about doing something about this building that’s been under construction since ancient Egypt, right?” he said.
The council agreed, including all those mandates in its instructions to staff.
The outlines of the two major potential pieces of the long-muddled downtown project have great promise, the council agreed. The heat has been turned on. Whether or not the project is finally cooking will come down to the negotiating table, and whether the ambitious visions from the renderings shown to the city sizzle their way into reality.