By the time the Magnolia Hotel vote came up, Tampa City Council had already been listening for more than five hours.
Near midnight Thursday, council voted 4-3 to deny a Comprehensive Plan amendment tied to the $136 million Magnolia Hotel & Residences redevelopment in Hyde Park.
The decision blocks Copperline Partners’ request to change the future land use on a full block at Swann and Magnolia avenues, near Bayshore Boulevard, from Residential-35 to Community Mixed Use-35.
The developer had planned a 122-room hotel, 21 condominiums, eight townhomes, a restaurant, a spa, structured parking and a public gathering space facing Bayshore.
Because council denied the land use change, the planned development rezoning tied to the project was automatically withdrawn.
How council voted
Council members Guido Maniscalco, Lynn Hurtak, Bill Carlson and Naya Young voted to deny the amendment. Council members Luis Viera, Charlie Miranda and Alan Clendenin voted in support of the change.
“This is about intensity,” Hurtak said during deliberations.
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Carlson said council must follow the Comprehensive Plan, which guides where the city allows different types of growth.
The Hillsborough County Planning Commission recommended against the amendment. Planning Commission staff said the request conflicted with policies that steer higher density away from coastal high-hazard areas and evacuation zones.
What was on the table
Copperline planned to replace aging office buildings and surface parking lots with a mixed-use project spanning the entire block.
Developers said the project would bring stormwater upgrades to a site that currently sheds runoff into surrounding streets.
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Plans called for underground vaults to capture and filter rainwater before releasing it slowly into the system.
The development team also committed to preserving and reusing a historic home on the property as office space.
During the hearing, attorney J.D. Garner urged council to focus on the facts of the application.
“Facts overcome fear,” he said. “And I’m confident that the facts are on the side of this project.”
Residents who opposed the change argued that the mixed-use category would allow development out of scale with the neighborhood and could increase residential intensity in a flood-prone area.
Alley request moves ahead
In a separate vote, council approved on first reading a request to vacate a remnant alley behind the site.
The approval includes easements to preserve access for neighboring properties and continued solid waste service.
Council scheduled the second reading for March 5.
What stays in place
The denial leaves the site under its existing land use framework.
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