In my opinion, that ridiculous proposal was the SRIA trying to maintain relevance. PB is pretty much built out, as I'm sure Seaoat knows. It also means I'm definitely not anti-development. I've been driving past that old plant 3 or 4 times a week lately...my daughter lives not far from there. It's huge...looks bigger than Covenant Hospice, which is right up the road. That thrift store is Loaves & Fishes...funds their soup kitchen and temporary lodging for the homeless under I-110...run by the former owner of Child's Restaurant...anyone remember that? He often gave away food to people who couldn't afford to buy it...right down the block from what was then Levin, Warfield et al...(now Levin, Papantonio)
It also probably means I didn't just fall off the turnip truck and can recognize flim-flam when I see it.
I remember, for instance, when they tore down the old San Carlos Hotel...had friends who worked on the federal building they built in its' place...the walls leaked. When the old Bayfront Auditorium was demolished...and not replaced with another building. When the Civic Center was built, and had acoustics issues. When a large number of houses were demolished to clear the way for Gulf Power's bayfront offices...where a 5-star hotel should have been built. When the City built their offices...when the ugly monstrosity of a courthouse went up. This is an old city, and...well, you can only work with what you have...but, even though I'm told there's a master land use plan...couldn't prove it by some of the results we see. Yes, there is a downtown revival, which would be even greater if they stopped trying to gouge people for parking...and actually had implemented a comprehensive plan for the bayfront as a whole...if the port was considered an asset instead of a spoiler for commercial development, which it definitely is not...if...
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