By: Cassidy Delamarter, University Communications and Marketing
Christian Wells cleaning up Aaran's Pond alongside his students and other community volunteers.
A $14.9 million grant from the Environmental Protection Agency is set to bring life-changing improvements to the University Area, an underserved neighborhood of about 10,000 residents near the northern edge of Tampa鈥檚 city limits. The funding will help advance years of collaborative planning and previous EPA-funded efforts led by USF and the University Area CDC (Community Development Corp.)
The University Area project is one of 105 selected by the EPA to advance local projects across the country that reduce pollution and increase community climate resilience.
鈥淲e are very excited to partner with the University Area CDC on this historic investment in the community by the EPA. With this funding, the community will gain better access to clean water, new green spaces and an Economic Development Center offering job training and health care all in one place,鈥� said , USF professor of anthropology and director of the revitalization project.
Exterior rendering featuring murals
Interior rendering of offices and common spaces
The new, two-story center
Completing the Economic Development Center, which will make essential resources easily accessible to residents, is the project team鈥檚 top priority. They鈥檙e transforming a vacant warehouse and constructing a new building into a two-story center with workforce development programs, a health care center and an educational garden.
鈥淪ince the pandemic, a lot of people in this area are unemployed or more commonly underemployed,鈥� Wells said. 鈥淭hrough onsite workforce programs, we hope people can get the kinds of full-time, secure jobs with health insurance that they really need.鈥�
With help from local businesses, the redevelopment will feature environmentally friendly elements, including solar panels and recycled materials. Construction of the center is expected to be complete by 2026, with an opening planned for the spring or early summer.
By creating the new center, nearby homes will finally be connected to city water and sewer. Right now, many rely on well water and septic systems, which may be contaminated due to polluted stormwater ponds and other factors. In collaboration with the Hillsborough County Public Works Department, the project will extend water service to 50 multifamily complexes impacted by Hurricane Milton and provide septic-to-sewer conversions at 25 of these properties. The improvements will impact hundreds of residents and the team hopes to expand to additional complexes in the future.
鈥淭his grant is a transformative step forward for the University Area Community,鈥� said Sarah Combs, CEO of the University Area CDC. 鈥淔unding the construction of the Economic Development Center at our Cultural Campus will allow us to deliver critical services and opportunities that empower our residents. Together with USF and Hillsborough County, we are building a stronger, healthier and more resilient future for our community.鈥�
Since 2016, Wells and a team of USF researchers have worked on improving the area鈥檚 stormwater ponds, which contributed to major flooding during the 2024 hurricane season. While the ponds are supposed to prevent flooding, in their current condition they can contribute to flooding during heavy rain events when there is excess debris and overgrown vegetation.
This project will expand on those previous initiatives, including the transformation of a stormwater pond into Harvest Hope Park, by providing the ponds with much-needed upgrades to restore their intended function. New bio-infiltration systems will be installed nearby to prevent debris and contaminants, such as gasoline and heavy metals, from entering the ponds.
鈥淲hen there is a flood, those contaminants get into people鈥檚 properties,鈥� Wells said. 鈥淚t can be harmful to their health, so we are creating nature-based solutions, such as rain gardens and floating wetlands to clean that up and simultaneously improve people鈥檚 health and the environmental health of the area.鈥�
The team will use previous success at Harvest Hope Park as their blueprint while rehabilitating the ponds, to turn the areas into parks that benefit the community. Wells hopes this neighborhood will soon serve as a national example for sustainable and equitable development.
Wells will lead a team of 最新天美传媒 interns, who will also play a key role in the project by providing hands-on help throughout the revitalization efforts. For students interested in applying for an internship, please email Wells for more information at ecwells@usf.edu.