DOHRING GROUP STREETWISE! - PERSPECTIVES AND OPPORTUNITIES
(by Dohring Group CEO, Brenda Dohring Hicks & Team)
Perspectives and Opportunities! gives you information, vision and insight about the vitalization occurring in cities across the United States and how you can be a part of current and exciting initiatives in commercial real estate.
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European Countryside Drive Test
By Josh Dohring, Vice President Brokerage Division
Having focused Dohring Group's Real Estate and Development business on Tampa's Urban Environment for a number of years, I often find myself in conversations with people who question the importance of a Downtown Revitalization. They ask me how it affects or benefits them and why it matters to our city. I was recently reminded of a life-changing trip I took, which illuminated exactly why our Downtown and Urban Core is so vitally important to our city, our region, and maybe even our country.
Only a couple months after Anndrea (my wife) and I met, she was sent overseas for a year with the U.S. Army for her final middle-eastern deployment. While it was a challenging split, it provided some amazing travel experiences for this Caribbean explorer from Tampa.
After a short visit with family and friends in Dubai, we took off on our own and ended up getting engaged in Prague, Czech Republic during the most enriching travel experience of my life. After four days of expensive hotels, amazing sky scrapers, and riding camels in the desert of Dubai, we were immediately awestruck by the depth, character, and beauty of Prague.
Between the rich cafes, historic castles, and the Charles River slicing through the city, Prague was breathtaking. As exciting as it was, the part of the adventure that we remember most (besides my bended-knee marriage proposal on the Charles Bridge between the silvery moonlight above and white swans dotting the misty river below) was when we rented a car and took off into the countryside of South Bohemia to check out other towns, castles, historic sites and landscapes.
We would target a spot on the map (usually written in larger bold letters where the streets were drawn closer together) and drive towards it, looking for the tallest building or steeple we could find. Time after time, we landed in the town center exposing the excitement, heart, and soul of each of these varied villages, towns, and cities. We found historic and brand-new buildings, castles, churches, restaurants, shops, people, culture, and breathtaking photo opportunities. 
Our absolute favorite was a picture perfect town called Český Krumlov. It was a small town surrounded by mountains with a gorgeous river that encircled the immediate city center that had become a thriving home to character rich restauranteurs, shop keepers, and artists.
When I returned home and drove from Tampa International to my home near downtown, I tried to imagine what happens when someone, who has never been to our city, drives into Tampa?
Like most people exploring a city for the first time they start by going where the tallest buildings are and it is usually where all the action is centered. People come into an area in search of what makes that particular city tick...its excitement, heart, and soul.
There's good news and bad news for Tampa.
The bad news is that for a long period of time our tallest buildings were not associated with Tampa's excitement, heart or soul, and we had a business, political, and ecological climate not quite up to muster for this particular argument. Over the past 30 years, our development was focused on other less-expensive outlying areas such as North Tampa, Wesley Chapel, and Brandon. Meanwhile, our Downtown and its physical assets like its Waterfront and its stock of unique, historic buildings were ignored. These buildings were left to deteriorate as the traffic patterns in and out of Downtown brought workers in at 8am and sent them home at 5pm. The lingering effects of this culture of Downtown Tampa as a "place you go to work and leave alone after 5 and on weekends" are still felt today.
Fortunately, there has been a shift in this culture due to many hardworking individuals who see Downtown's potential to be more than a place to work. As promised, the good news is that our Downtown is experiencing a renaissance. We have created a renaissance that is changing and improving the fabric, character, and quality of our city center. Since taking office, Mayor Buckhorn's actions have made a loud and clear statement about his love of and the importance of our Downtown. He has carried the Iorio torch forward and has sped up the pace of our Downtown redevelopment. Like the great towns in Europe and the United States that are geographically located on or around waterways, focusing on the Hillsborough River as one of our best assets and resources at the center of our city has inspired this sense of urgency for redevelopment by our city leaders. Private industry leaders such as sports teams, financial institutions, universities, and utilities providers are also involved in the vision and investing their time and capital. At a quick glance, we now can boast about Curtis Hixon Park, a thriving and picture perfect University of Tampa, Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa History Museum, Glazier Children's Museum, Trophy Office Towers under new ownership, and the state-of-the-art CAMLS facility. Very soon we'll have new owners at Channelside Bay Plaza, more waterfront restaurants, dock development, and artistically lighted bridges through the center of our city.
 In only six months, we will step onto the world stage through the Republican National Convention and will host thousands of new visitors who will see our city through fresh eyes. Additionally, the world's business and political leaders will have a television view of our city center. The national and world-wide impressions we leave them with will be a tell-tale sign of our future potential as a thriving competitive city on the move.
The immediate economic impact estimated is equal to five Super Bowls, but it's really the underlying plan to use the convention as a launch pad for a long term Business and Residential Economic Development Engine that energizes me.
The convention is the equivalent of the world driving into our city focused on finding our tallest buildings and landing in Downtown Tampa. What they find here will reflect on and give value to the rest our city, our region, our state, and even our United States of America. I find myself excited to be a part of the action and proud of what visitors will see and remember. How about you?
See our Commercial Listing below for current opportunities.
For Sale and For Lease Opportunities
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InVision Tampa
"As Tampa moves decisively forward on business and job creation strategies, we also recognize that being a vibrant, livable and sustainable community depends upon connecting its people, redefining its places and igniting progress. Over the next few months, we will study how to make this happens in downtown and its adjacent neighborhoods and business districts. And when complete, we will have a master plan that will serve as a living "workbook" of initiatives in core areas of land planning, transportation, public spaces, and economic development."
If you would like to share your ideas, please check out the InVision Tampa link. For those individuals who want to participate in this project you are welcome to attend the following meetings:
May 16, 2012 at Tampa Convention Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
May 30, 2012 at Tampa Convention Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
June 20, 2012 at Tampa Convention Center from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
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CONTACT US
Abbey Dohring Josh Dohring
T: 813.223.9111 T: 813.223.9111
C: 813.416.7155 C: 813.784.2732
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 FEATURED OPPORTUNITIES
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PROPERTIES FOR SALE
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* Featured Property * Office Building for Sale
1901 W. Cass Street, Tampa
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3,080 solid block construction on Corner lot totaling 9,984SF of land  -
Ample parking and/or room for vehicle storage
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High security and utility efficiency
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Little to no deferred maintenance
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Cleanly finished interior build-out
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Prime location minutes from Downtown Tampa and South Tampa with immediate access to I-275
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* Featured Property *
Commercial Investment, North of Downtown Tampa
4634 N. Florida Ave., Tampa, FL 33603
- Bank Owned, Mixed Use, Owner User opportunity to own 7,908SF on Florida Ave. in Seminole Heights
- Only minutes north of Downtown Tampa.
- The property consists of two buildings used for warehouse and commercial space with 4 rooms upstairs finished out as office space.
- Property has parking and 129' of frontage on Florida Ave. The rear of the property has a hydraulic lift, ample parking, and rear access through open alley.
- Property is located in Seminole Heights neighborhood along Florida Ave. just north of MLK Blvd
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PROPERTIES FOR LEASE
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| * Featured Property * Retail, Channelside
The Slade, 201 N. 11th St.
- Spaces from 1,000 SF - 6,000 SF
- Centrally located and Highly Visible Location in the Heart of Channelside
- Thriving Urban Residential Community
- CRA Incentive available to Lower Tenant Costs
- Great need for Quality Retail and Neighborhood Services
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