As part of the transformation plans for Downtown Tampa, the 28 acre area formerly known as Central Park Village has been redesigned by Baker Barrios Architects and is being reconstructed as Encore Tampa.  The Encore, a mixed income community, is a public private partnership between the Tampa Housing Authority and the Bank of America Community Development Corporation.  The first section of the Encore, the Ella, a 160-unit apartment building for seniors named for Ella Fitzgerald, is set to open November, 2012 and will feature a number of units designed specifically for seniors who are raising young children.

To accommodate the development of Encore and in partnership with the Housing Authority, on April 24, 2007, the Board finally approved the sale of Meacham Alternative Education site located in Central Park Village.  As part of this transaction, the Board received a 2 acre parcel on the northern portion of the Encore development.  At the March 13, 2007 Board meeting, the proposed middle school planned to be built on this site was named the Christina Meacham Middle School (Attachment A).

Due to the economic slow down that has occurred since 2007, the Encore development and the need for the middle school has been delayed.  Current projections indicate the Christina Meacham Middle School will be built in approximately 6-10 years.  In the interim, as part of our partnership with the Tampa Housing Authority and the University of South Florida, a community garden is being proposed for the land to make the best use of the land and serve students who live in the Central Park/Ybor Choice Neighborhoods.  This land proposal has been included in the Choice Neighborhoods Grant and, if awarded, will come to the School Board and the Tampa Housing Authority for agreement and approval.

The Encore development will revitalize this downtown area with not only the mixed income housing, but a bustling retail and commercial district (Attachment B).  In addition to the nearby Saunders Library, which will be reconstructed, Hillsborough County Public Schools will be prominently featured.  Booker T. Washington Elementary School, Christina Meacham Middle School and Blake High School will primarily serve the Encore development, along with the myriad of school choice options provided to all Hillsborough County students.

Encore Tampa is an example of a community development which will provide an opportunity to spotlight many partnerships, public and private, that will ensure a quality life experience for the residents and visitors of Encore and a positive impact on the entire city.