Tampa Demolishes Robles Park Village for $800M Mixed-Income Redevelopment

Demolition of Robles Park Village Underway

• 🏗️ Demolition has begun at Robles Park Village, a 35-acre public housing complex built in the 1950s, making way for a significant redevelopment project.
• 💔 The demolition brings a mix of emotions for longtime residents, with some expressing sadness for the loss of their homes and others seeing it as a step toward a safer neighborhood.

History and Redevelopment Plans

• ⚠️ Experts determined in 2019 that Robles Park Village was built on top of Zion Cemetery, Tampa's oldest African-American burial ground, with potentially hundreds of unmarked graves.
• 💰 The site is being redeveloped into a mixed-income community with nearly 2,000 housing units, a grocery store, educational services, and a community hub, representing an $800 million investment.
• 🏛️ Mayor Jane Castor, who initiated the tear-down, recalled her past experiences as a police chief responding to violence in the neighborhood and expressed optimism for the new development.

Honoring History and Future Housing

• 🕊️ The new community will feature a memorial and genealogy center to honor Zion Cemetery and the individuals buried there.
• 🏡 City leaders state that former tenants with housing vouchers will be given priority to return to the new development, with rent determined by income.
• 🌱 Construction on the new development is anticipated to start next spring, following the completion of demolition.