®
oundtable:
Female leaders in the Bay Tampa Bay’s female leaders present their views on the region’s advantages, encouraging sustainability and key projects that will help maintain growth and propel the area into the future.
Sandra Bradbury Mayor City of Pinellas Park
What efforts are being made to encourage environmental sustainability in the city? In a partnership with the Wounded Warriors Abilities Ranch, we just started development on a new park called Lurie Park. This park is going to be completely accessible for all handicapped people, from children to the elderly, and will be geared toward our veterans. We also just purchased a four-acre property that was a horse stable, which we are in the process of converting to a farm and is an extension of the existing Helen Howarth Park. Our goal is to work with the U.S.-based network of youth organizations 4-H and bring students to the farm to teach them how to sustainably raise and grow their own food. How are you supporting the growth of local businesses? Businesses come to us all the time because we have a relatively large amount of commercial area that’s available for development. The city council and voter referendum created a package of incentives that we could use to retain businesses that want to grow and expand. These incentives allow businesses the flexibility to move offices or add square footage to their buildings. We are one of the few places that has this ability. It is within our ordinances to allow our economic development manager and her team to offer incentives to local businesses, which revolves around how much they are growing and how many employees they will be hiring with the expansion. So far, the city council has provided seven packages to different companies that have grown in Pinellas Park. 30 | Invest: Tampa Bay 2020 | ECONOMY
Ann Kulig
Executive Director Westshore Aliance
What are the most significant developments for the Westshore’s future? Midtown Tampa, SkyCenter at Tampa International Airport and planned redevelopment at Westshore Plaza are important developments in the changing face of Westshore. The reconstruction of the Westshore Interchange is a catalyst investment that is a springboard to the next phase of Westshore’s growth. Access and location are critical factors in the success of any real estate development, so major changes to improve the transportation network will greenlight projects. What can be done to ensure sustainable growth? Transportation is one piece of it, but a continued focus on quality of life issues is a top priority for employees, employers and residents. A lot of our work is focused on improving walkability, providing more greenspace and creating a more urban environment. These are all amenities that both the current and next generation of the workforce wants. How do you balance the potentially contradictory interests of the corporations and the local community? I believe it is pretty easy because in the end people generally want many of the same things, whether you are a business person or a resident. Walkability, green spaces, those things are not new to us, and we have been leading the charge with the local government regarding changes to the city’s development codes, including design standards that place buildings closer to the street, creating street-front walkability, pedestrian activity, and a more urban environment.
