TAMPA, Fla. — The sound of voices of those hoping to open a cruise ship terminal to walkers, runners and cyclists amid downtown’s current and explosive growth is getting louder.
But don’t expect that prime piece of waterfront to be accessible to the public when it’s not being used for cruise ships anytime soon.
At a meeting of the Port Tampa Bay’s governing board Tuesday, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor took up a subject that’s the talk of downtown boosters: Opening the space behind cruise ship Terminal 2 as an extension of the city’s popular Riverwalk.
“I think the more we make that (waterfront) available to the community, the better we are as a city as we grow,” said the mayor, who serves on the port board.
Commissioner Patrick Allman, a retired Navy captain, added his support: “I think the port’s concerns with respect to lost revenue, security, safety and liability can be balanced with the public’s right to access its waterfront.”
Terminal 2 sits on prime real estate between the Sparkman Wharf entertainment area and Florida Aquarium in the Channel District and Water Street area. To those championing the city’s boom, it seems a logical extension of the Riverwalk, which ends nearby, as well as an attractive waterside venue for big events — which Terminal 2 has already hosted on occasion.
But that berth remains heavily gated, with port officials citing security, lost revenue, cost and other concerns. Though it’s been previously reported as the least busy terminal, used about 30 days a year, port spokesperson Lisa Wolf-Chason said Tuesday that this cruise season, cruise ships will sail from that terminal on 78 days — “just under one-third of our cruise sailings this season,” she said.
“It’s not a light switch,” Port president and CEO Paul Anderson told the board Tuesday.
Anderson noted the cruise industry accounts for about 20% of the port’s revenue. But he also said they could look at “some concepts that might work.”
Allman had specific suggestions: Open the terminal to the public from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. from May to November, since the terminal is “historically only used” from November to May, he said. Staff it with one or two security guards and use removable fencing or barricades to protect the sky bridges and heavy equipment there. And approach the local Community Redevelopment Area to fund those things.
The mayor noted she didn’t think that access and security were “exclusive.” Her suggestion of getting an independent consultant to meet with the Coast Guard, port officials and the community to explore possibilities did not make it to a vote.
The Riverwalk, 2.6 miles from Tampa Heights north of downtown to developing Water Street, has been a focus in the debate. Perhaps downtown’s most popular amenity, it’s used by more than 100,000 people a month and serves as backdrop for events including the annual St. Patrick’s Day River O’ Green Fest.
“Someone described (the Riverwalk) at a holiday event the other night as the city’s charm bracelet,” Castor said at the meeting.
The issue of exploring opening Terminal 2 was brought up earlier this year by Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen, who was then on the port board. The heads of both the Florida Aquarium and the Tampa Downtown Partnership also expressed enthusiasm for looking into the possibilities.
“I think we can work together on what the options are,” Anderson said.
“Today’s meeting demonstrates there is strong support on the Port board to open the Riverwalk,” Florida Aquarium president and CEO Roger Germann said via email after the meeting. “And the appropriate next step is for the Port board to set a public timetable to accomplish that goal in 2023.”
———
