Tampa’s long-running battle over broken-up, dead-end sidewalks is headed back to City Council, where a small tweak to the city code could have a big impact on how new walkways get built. The proposal would close a loophole that has let builders skip installing sidewalks in certain situations by cutting a check instead, leaving blocks that abruptly end in grass, curb or ditch.
Supporters say tightening the rule would finally start stitching those gaps together, making it safer and more practical for people who walk, bike or roll to actually get where they are going without playing dodge-the-traffic.
What the council will vote on
The change is wrapped into an amendment to Section 22-103 of the city code, which governs when developers can pay into a sidewalk fund instead of pouring concrete on-site. According to a Business Impact Estimate from the City of Tampa, the amendment would scrub out the “impracticable” test that staff currently use to decide whether a builder can opt for the in-lieu payment.
As reported by Tampa Bay 28, the item is on the agenda for a City Council meeting Thursday. City staff say that without the “impracticable” escape hatch, there would be fewer situations where a builder can write a check instead of putting in a sidewalk along the property.
Why advocates back the change
The city’s mobility office estimates Tampa has about 1,300 miles of streets with no sidewalks at all, a shortfall that safety advocates say leaves a lot of residents walking in the gutter or the grass, according to the Sidewalks program run by the City of Tampa. For them, every little stretch of new concrete is a long-term investment, even if it looks pointless at first glance…