Unwelcome Wagon

For the second time in as many months, the welcome mat was swiped from our new home in Old West Tampa over the weekend. Neighbors have had items disappear from front porches, too.

Maybe teenage pranksters are the culprit, or a drug addict in need of items to sell (the first doormat was pretty dirty and worn out, so good luck there). It might even be someone trying to “send a message.”

The last thought occurred to us after an emotionally charged Tampa City Council meeting back on April 26, when InTown Homes sought and won rezoning for their next round of homes to go up in OWT. Those who spoke in favor of the move, like me, talked about the history and diversity that drew us to make our home here. Those who spoke against it seemed resentful of the fact that someone would have the nerve to turn vacant lots into something viable again while potentially making a profit.

Then there was one woman who told the council she was scared that someone would make her sell her residence in the midst of all the new houses being built. Councilman Miranda assured her NO ONE can make her sell her home. She and other longtime residents would be wise to listen to Mr. Miranda and ignore all the other scare tactics under way in the blocks surrounding the InTown Homes models on North Albany.

For the most part, our new neighbors have been friendly and don’t hesitate to say hello whenever we see each other. They also told us any “trouble” comes from other nearby neighborhoods, particularly groups of kids making as much noise as they can or vandalizing InTown’s for sale signs when they can get away with it, almost always after sundown.

We’ve called the cops a few times, but they take their time responding. One of them told us something to the effect of we “should have known what we were moving into,” as if a gated community somewhere farther away would have been more ideal.

Some of our neighbors, who have been in OWT for generations, criticize the small lots the new homes are being built on, but it’s still better than living in a row of townhouses or a cluster of condos. For the price we paid, we’d rather have small setbacks than common walls (years of apartment living will adjust your perspective), and if we’re going to spend a small fortune on a new home it should be on insides instead of dirt.

The neighbors are even more critical of property owners who have bought houses over the years and rent them to people who just don’t give a damn about themselves or the neighborhood. Those houses are easy to pick out, since actual homeowners have a tendency to take care of their yards.

If replacing welcome mats is an added expense of life in OWT for the time being, so be it. Things could be a lot worse, and they’re surely going to get better.