TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Housing Authority is holding a community meeting Wednesday evening to update former and future residents about redevelopment plans for Robles Park Village.

The meeting will be held at the Sacred Heart School Community Center at 3515 North Florida Ave. in Tampa on July 10, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. A barbecue dinner will be served, and fun activities are planned for children.

The goal behind having the community meeting as a fun, family-friendly event is to get everyone involved, Tampa Housing Authority President Jerome Ryans said. The agency plans to give the latest updates on the redevelopment project, answer questions and get feedback from the community.

Redevelopment plans previously released by the city include roughly 1,900 units of mixed-income housing, with more than 66% specifically for affordable housing. A federal grant for $4 million will also pay for a new community hub in the neighborhood that will offer educational, financial and social services to residents.

Ryans said the agency has learned a lot since public housing complexes like Robles Park were first built in the 1940s and 1950s.

“When we were building public housing many years ago, we had a situation on our hands where it was a different time, and the mistakes that we made are not the mistakes we’re making today,” he said. “We think mixed-income neighborhoods are the best way to go and building large developments throughout the community just don’t work.”

To date, roughly 85 families remain at Robles Park out of the 432 total units. Over the past few years, families have either moved out or been relocated. The vacated units remain boarded up. 

When the new redevelopment is complete, families who previously lived at Robles Park will be invited to move back in.

Anyone in the Tampa community interested in attending Wednesday’s meeting is welcome.