TAMPA, Fla. — Donna Craig’s next-door neighbor is frustratingly loud. Her home near Robles Park — north of Tampa’s downtown interchange — is just feet away from I-275.
“I am the closest house to 275 that there is,” said Craig. “We’re close, close. Their property line and my property line share.”
For Craig, the noise has never become so routine that it’s unnoticeable.
“I’ve never gotten used to it in the eight years that I’ve been here,” she said.
And noise isn’t her only complaint. Accidents, litter, and air pollution are also concerns.
Craig believes all of these issues could be reduced or eliminated by a noise wall, but unlike other neighborhoods, the one surrounding Robles Park doesn’t have a noise wall shielding it from the bordering I-275.
After pressure from elected leaders, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) found a way to cut through the red tape that it said had made a noise wall at Robles Park impossible until now.
Now, it’s planning a 14-foot wall between I-275 and the park.
But Lena Young Green, a neighbor and founder of the Tampa Heights Civic Association, isn’t thrilled about that plan.
The neighborhood leader believes a wall will further divide a community already divided by I-275.
“Perhaps the inequity has given us an opportunity to do something better that’s going to be more impactful to my community,” she said.
She believes a buffer of trees between the neighborhood and I-275 would more effectively limit noise and trap pollutants.
“The impact of having trees is so obvious. I mean, to me, that’s a no-brainer,” she said. “We have the opportunity right now, particularly behind this park, to do what’s best for this community, and that’s not a wall.”
Craig, however, has a different take. Trees won’t block I-275’s sometimes unbearable noise.
“A tree’s not going to do that. Tree’s not going to block that noise,” she said. “It sounds good and, yes, it would be great if trees would resolve the issue, but it doesn’t.”
What will be built near Robles Park is still undecided. FDOT has paused work on any potential wall to first get feedback from neighbors through both a survey and going door-to-door.
