Food Access in Tampa

File No. CM23-79914

April 20, 2023 Regular Council Session

Whit Remer
Sustainability & Resilience Officer
City of Tampa
File No. CM23-79914
• Motion: 02/02/23 (Maniscalco-Viera) That Staff be
requested to partner with the Hillsborough County, The
Hillsborough County Property's Appraiser's Officer, and
any other external partners to identify where in the City
of Tampa food deserts exist; furthermore, that Staff work
with the said partners to identify derelict city and county
owned properties within the identified food deserts, and
to come back with proposals to activate these parcels or
properties in ways that actively combat food insecurities,
such as urban farms, gardens, etc.; further, that said
report be brought back on March 16, 2023 under Staff
Reports and Unfinished Business. Motion carried
unanimously.
Outline
1. Original Motion
2. Presentation from Hillsborough County
• Background and Terminology
• Food Access Research Atlas
• Low Income, Low Access
• City of Tampa and LILA Tracts
• 4 Pillars of Access

3. City of Tampa Resilience Roadmap and Climate Plan

4. Existing Partnerships and Programs
5. City of Tampa Remainder Parcels
 “Food Deserts” &
The City of Tampa
Presented by:
Monica Petrella, Food System Program
Coordinator
Hillsborough County Extension
 BACKGROUND - TERMINOLOGY
• “Food deserts” is a conversational term. It is also controversial.
• It is common among those who work in emergency food assistance
• Popularized prior to the pandemic and exacerbated during
• Recent push among activists and advocates to re-classify the term and
frame it in a more positive manner (deserts = barren, empty, void of
life, etc.)
• Food insecurity is another common term with similar connotations
• Low-
Low-income, low-
low-access is a technical term
• Can be shorthanded as “LILA”
• Specific in its meaning; measured
• More info can be found in the Congressional Research Service report
titled “Defining Low-
Low-Income, Low-
Low-Access Food Areas (Food Deserts)
 FOOD ACCESS RESEARCH ATLAS
(FARA)
• USDA Economic Research Service
• Developed in response to the 2008 Farm Bill
• Allows users to compare 2019 and 2015 trends related to LILA
status
• Data is at the census tract level but can be downloaded at the
County and State level as well
• Uses three store types as measure of access: Supercenters,
supermarkets, large grocery stores
• Collectively referred to as “food stores”
• Does NOT include drug stores, dollar stores, convenience
stores
 LOW-
LOW-INCOME, LOW-
LOW-ACCESS (LILA)
• Low-
Low-income: poverty rate of 20% or greater in the census tract,
or median family income at or below 80% of the statewide or
metropolitan area median family income;
AND
• Low-
Low-access: a low-
low-income tract with at least 500 people or 33% of
the tract’s population living more than 1 mile (urban areas) or
more than 10 miles (rural areas) from the nearest supermarket or
grocery store.
• USDA LA data are also available assuming different measures of
distance, ranging 0.5 miles to 20 miles.
The City of Tampa and LILA
tracts

• Simple map created for a

grant
• 2015 data from FARA
• LILA at the half-mile,
not 1-mile
• Shows Opportunity Zones
where investments can be
optimized
 Beyond FARA’s LILA: 4 Pillars
of Access
Components of Access Applicable Solutions
• Available – is it physically
available?
• Affordable – can it be
obtained within your resource
limits?
• Reliable – can you count on it
and plan for it when you need
it?
• Culturally appropriate – will
it be consumed by the end
user?
• Available – support interventions
including food pantries, farmers
markets, mobile delivery,
community gardens, urban farms,
etc.
• Affordable – promote and expand
supplemental nutrition assistance
programs (SNAP, WIC, Fresh Access
Bucks, etc.)
• Reliable - create policy to
attract and retain “food stores”
• Culturally appropriate – supplying
food that is relevant and
appetizing to the consumers
 TAKE-
TAKE-AWAYS AND SYSTEMATIC
SOLUTIONS
• FARA only identifies issues with 1 of the 4 pillars (available)
• Food insecurity/ “food deserts”/LILA is a function of income
• The City of Tampa is limited in its ability to control income
levels, therefore, must look to other interventions as
solutions
• The City of Tampa can provide support by encouraging community
organizations to work with food system experts to create and
implement strategies covering all 4 pillars of access.
• Provide resources for planning and implementation (professional
services, access to land, financing tools, etc.)
 POSSIBLE RESOURCES
• Professional services to support community organizations – grant
writing, communications and promotion, designated food system
staff member (s), task-
task-force/advisory council, integrated
programing
• Access to land – increase local production within the city
(available)
• Community gardens and urban farms can be a solution but
involve a major commitment from the neighborhood to be
successful
• Financing –
• The CDFA Food Systems Finance Resource Center outlines
development finance tools that can be used to support local
food systems, such as bonds, tax increment finance, tax
credits, revolving loan funds, and other tools. Traditional
development finance tools provide necessary capital for
establishing food industry participants, supporting local
farming, investing in agriculture infrastructure, financing
food scarcity challenges, and starting small food-related
businesses.
 Homegrown Hillsborough
• Food system program initiated
and supported by Hillsborough
County Extension
• Essential that COT delegates a
representative and
participates in development
• Phase 1 – Data collection &
Community Engagement (2023)
• Phase 2 – Planning &
Prioritization (2024)
• Phase 3 – Implementation
Outline
1. Original Motion
2. Presentation from Hillsborough County
• Background and Terminology
• Food Access Research Atlas
• Low Income, Low Access
• City of Tampa and LILA Tracts
• 4 Pillars of Access

3. City of Tampa Resilience Roadmap and Climate Plan

4. Existing Partnerships and Programs
5. City of Tampa Remainder Parcels
 ACTION
Nurture Community Gardens that Grow and Distribute
2.2.6 Healthy Food

Partner with communities to expand community gardens, increasing green space

and access to nutritious food.
The City of Tampa will work with neighborhoods and community organizations
to support and expand community gardens. By working to identify available
properties, facilitating efficient permitting, assisting with water access, and
promoting the benefits of community gardening, the City can cultivate the
expansion of gardens across Tampa. The Tampa Heights Community Garden,
the Healthy 22nd Street Demonstration Garden, and Meacham Urban Farm all
showcase successful models that can be replicated across the city.

Responsive / effective
governance
IMPLEMENTATION
City of Tampa Sustainability &
SHOCKS AND STRESSES
THIS ACTION WILL TIMEFRAME Short PARTNER Resilience Office, Coalition of
ADDRESS
Community Gardens
More frequent & extreme
storms / extreme heat
Economic inequality
Outline
1. Original Motion
2. Presentation from Hillsborough County
• Background and Terminology
• Food Access Research Atlas
• Low Income, Low Access
• City of Tampa and LILA Tracts
• 4 Pillars of Access

3. City of Tampa Resilience Roadmap and Climate Plan

4. Existing Partnerships and Programs
5. City of Tampa Remainder Parcels
Existing Partnerships and Programs
Outline
1. Original Motion
2. Presentation from Hillsborough County
• Background and Terminology
• Food Access Research Atlas
• Low Income, Low Access
• City of Tampa and LILA Tracts
• 4 Pillars of Access

3. City of Tampa Resilience Roadmap and Climate Plan

4. Existing Partnerships and Programs
5. City of Tampa Remainder Parcels
 Remainder Parcels
Purpose/ RED
Folio Address Project Width Depth Inventory Zoning CRA
Potential Parcels for Community Gardening
177379.0000 2905 N ALBANY AVE U.R.P. - Commercial50 94 RED CI West Tampa
166184.0000 108 E NORTH BAY ST U.R.P. (not buildable48per E.Cotton)
44 RED RS-50
155271.0000 3200 E SHADOWLAWN AVE U.R.P. 47 54 RED RS-50 East Tampa
156999.0000 4406 N 31ST ST U.R.P. 42 46 RED RS-50 East Tampa
161373.0000 706 E HAMILTON AVE U.R.P. 40 61 RED RS-50

174237.0000 2910 E 28TH AVE U.R.P. 39 95 RED RM-16 East Tampa

155769.0000 4308 N 29TH ST U.R.P. 38 125 RED RS-50 East Tampa
174247.0000 2625 E 29TH AVE U.R.P. 37 95 RED RM-16 East Tampa
174249.0000 2621 E 29TH AVE U.R.P. 36 95 RED RM-16 East Tampa
171973.0000 4404 N 15TH ST U.R.P. 32 55 RED RS-50 East Tampa
155638.0000 2703 E PALIFOX ST U.R.P. 31/26 (irr) 100 RED RS-50 East Tampa

Marginal Parcels for Community Gardening

145096.0100 9721 COMMERCE ST U.R.P. IRR RED RM-16
174302.0000 3505 N 29TH ST To accept escheated26 100URP
property. REDparcel. RM-16
156517.0000 3214 E EMMA ST U.R.P. 25 96 RED RS-50 East Tampa
181731.0000 813 W WEST ST U.R.P. 25 120 RED RS-50
187907.0000 2605 E 23RD AVE U.R.P. 25 95 RED RM-16 East Tampa
155735.0000 2628 E CHELSEA ST U.R.P. 24 100 RED RS-50 East Tampa
149626.0020 8106 N ELMER ST U.R.P. 20 110 RED RS-50
190794.0100 2425 E Stuart St (NEEDS TO BE
U.R.P.
MAPPED) 15 95 RED RS-50
139590.0000 5013 E 112TH AVE U.R.P. 15 100 RED RS-60
165367.0000 4609 N HIGHLAND U.R.P. 15 135 RED RS-50
175638.0000 3413 E 11TH AVE U.R.P. 15 95 RED RM-16
Example Remainder Parcels
Example Remainder Parcels
Questions