Tampa will receive $1 million in federal funding to help with transportation and housing developments.
Most of the money will send people into the community to find what areas need the most help and create project ideas.
Vik Bhide is the head of mobility and said the funding will bring inspectors into the city to evaluate potential projects. Tampa will see how they can support and fulfill the city’s needs.
He said the city will start with projects like the streetcar expansion, high-speed rail, and rapid bus transit routes.
Bhide said the city’s rapid growth is creating challenges in housing and transportation availability. So, unlike what Tampa has done in the past, he wants to see the development bundled to create the most impact.
“There is a need to consider both,” said Bhide
Some areas the city is looking at are downtown to USF and from the airport to downtown to Ybor City. Bhide said that’s where there are more transit demands currently.
“There is a need to consider both our housing and transportation challenges in that context and that context is that in the next 25 years, we anticipate over 200,000 jobs within the city of Tampa,” he said.
Eighty percent of those jobs will be held by people who don’t live in the city, Bhide added.
The city received a similar grant about a year ago, but this new program will provide funding assistance for evaluations to start projects.
“It will help review available real assets,” he said.
