University Area CDC Receives Nearly $15M Grant For Cultural Campus

TAMPA, FL — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a $14.9 million grant to Tampa’s University Area Community Development Corporation, a news release from the CDC said.

The grant, made available through the EPA’s Community Change initiative, was awarded to the CDC for collaborative projects with the University of South Florida and Hillsborough County.

The bulk of the funding will be used to build an Economic Development Center at the CDC’s University Area Cultural Campus at 1916 E. 136th Ave. Some of the money will also be used for water, sewage and stormwater projects in the community, as well as Brownfields redevelopment of contaminated properties.

The CDC will host three community meetings for the public to discuss the grant and funding on Feb. 27, May 28 and Aug. 27. Each session will take place from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. at Harvest Hope Park, 13704 N 20th St, Tampa.

“It’s so exciting, just the things coming together like that. It’s just truly a blessing,” Dr. Sarah Combs, the CDC’s CEO and executive director, told Patch. “It’s such an amazing opportunity to reinvest in the community and really focus on the things that we’ve already been focusing on. It keeps us moving forward. The beauty of the timing (of the grant) is we don’t need to stop working (on these projects.)”

The University Area CDC already offers programming and initiatives - related to health and wellness, families, neighborhood development, and other community revitalization projects - throughout the area.

In recent years, the CDC has raised money for and launched its Cultural Campus, which is being built in phases.

Phase I included purchase of four parcels of land — also made possible through an EPA grant — and the remediation and rehabilitation of the site for the future campus. The CDC’s current Phase II is focusing on the renovation of existing structures on the property, including a warehouse, as well as additional site work.

The newest EPA grant allows the CDC to move into Phase III, building and establishing the Economic Development Center, which will serve as the cornerstone of the Cultural Campus. The center, which will be a LEED-certified facility, will serve as a state-of-the-art hub offering workforce development, a small business incubator and health care services.

The EDC is being developed based on community feedback, which highlighted better job opportunities, small business support and access to health care as the biggest needs for the neighborhood, which is one of the county’s most disadvantaged areas, Combs said.

“One of our strengths is how many small businesses are in the community and it’s also one of our weaknesses,” she added. “We’re focusing on small business, offering support and an incubator there. It’s an opportunity to help them with what they need to scale (their business) and what support they need to get to the next level.”

A new workforce program will focus on training and job opportunities partners in the University Area, including Moffitt Cancer Center, AdventHealth and the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital.

“There are so many jobs available for residents that we want to hone with our health care partners,” Combs said. “Research shows that if you have a workforce living in your backyard, it’s more productive and there are more benefits.”

Community members also emphatically shared the need for affordable, day-to-day health care in the neighborhood.

“There was an overwhelming response that they want a small clinic so they can be seen by a doctor and also pick up prescriptions, somewhere they can walk or bike to,” she said.

It’s “a very exciting time” in the University Area with so many development projects and new opportunities for residents and USF students, Combs added.

This includes the mixed-use redevelopments of the Claw, the golf course property at USF, and at University Mall, as well as the expansion of MOSI and other housing projects.

“This is a great opportunity for us to link arms with these institutions to create a plan and figure out how we do this development in concert with each other,” she said, adding, “The power is in partnership and we plan to bring partners in for this (EDC) project.”