TEMPLE TERRACE \u2014 If anything, the Enigma Plaza has certainly lived up to its name.<\/p>\n
For years, residents have peppered social media with the same questions: When will it open? Will it open at all? Even city officials don\u2019t have clear answers.<\/p>\n
Mayor Andy Ross said the long-delayed project has repeatedly raised hopes, only to stall again.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hesitate to say anything,\u201d Ross said, \u201cbecause every time I start to get hopeful, it seems to bog down.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enigma, indeed.<\/p>\n
However, in recent months, the long-awaited plaza has been shedding its start-and-stop nature and appears to be slowly stirring to life.<\/p>\n
Construction materials now sit in what will be the parking lot. Workers go in and out of the spaces carrying ladders, others work on the lifts, and trucks come and go. And permits taped to storefront windows suggest multiple tenants have begun interior work.<\/p>\n
At least one tenant is eager to spread the word: Arwa Yemini Coffee, a Texas-founded franchise that has posted signage announcing that it is coming soon. If it resembles other Yemeni-style coffee shops that have opened in Temple Terrace over the past year, patrons can ornate d\u00e9cor, rich pastries and specialty drinks featuring pistachio and nutty, chocolate flavors.<\/p>\n
Other tenants are lining up as well.<\/p>\n
Aker Sweets, planned foe the rear of the square-shaped building facing the Springdale pond area, has filed permits for signage and electrical work, with its other applications still in the review chain.<\/p>\n
Qi Foot Massage has been approved for interior buildout, and already has its website set up. A nail salon is also in permitting.<\/p>\n
And three restaurants appear to have begun work inside:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Nashmi, a fast-casual Jordanian street-food joint, specializes in kebab and shawarma sandwiches.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Meat Moot, which bills itself online as the \u201cWorld\u2019s Finest Smoked Meat Restaurant,\u201d features slow-smoked brisket, ribs and lamb. The international chain has locations worldwide and in a handful of U.S. states, but this will be its first in Florida. The company announced on Facebook last year it was coming to Temple Terrace, promising a luxury Hilal family experience.<\/p>\n
\u2022 Al Manakeesh, a Palestinian restaurant that announced its plans last year via Instagram. The business has a location in Bridgeview, Illinois, near Chicago\u2019s so-called \u201cLittle Palestine.\u201d Its menu centers on manakeesh, a traditional Middle Eastern flatbread topped with za\u2019atar, cheese or other ingredients, often compared to pizza.<\/p>\n
Other storefronts at Enigma remain dark, with no visible signs of future tenants. It remains unclear whether the plaza is fully leased or whether all the businesses will open this year.<\/p>\n
The property is owned by Enigma Events LLC, led by developers Bhavandeep and Dolly Singh, who purchased the 2.44 acres for $1.5 million in May 2019. The owners did not respond to repeated requests from the Beacon seeking updates on the project\u2019s timeline, tenant mix or anticipated opening date.<\/p>\n
The City Council approved site plans for the Community Redevelopments Area property in 2021. Progress has lagged well behind initial expectations, at one point enduring a monthslong stop-work order for deviating from that original approved site plan.<\/p>\n
The delays have frustrated residents and downtown revitalization advocates, who have long viewed the plaza as a key piece of Temple Terrace\u2019s redevelopment efforts.<\/p>\n
Ross said residents have often reached out to the city to see if anything could be done.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s their property,\u201d he said. \u201cWe can\u2019t make them develop it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Described in the past as a boutique retail and dining destination, the 34,000-square-foot building at 8633 N. 56th St., just south of the Winn-Dixie Plaza, has been repeatedly cited by city leaders as a crucial component of downtown\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
That importance may be heightened as the city prepares to spend millions on the nearby Riverside Park, hoping visitors will mix walks in the park and a sunset view on the Hillsborough River with dinners, desserts and coffee at the nearby Fountain Shoppes of Temple Terrace and, eventually, the Enigma Plaza.<\/p>\n
While Ross and others may still be in wait-and-see mode, expectations may be back on the rise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe building looks good. The building inspectors tell me it’s really well constructed,\u201d the mayor said. \u201cI think it’s going to be good, and I hope it keeps going like it is.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TEMPLE TERRACE \u2014 If anything, the Enigma Plaza has certainly lived up to its name. For years, residents…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":132254,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[22631,3081,3082,2152,65061,17525,688,17523,3078,3079,276,135,137,136,8609,17522],"class_list":{"0":"post-132253","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tampa","8":"tag-asian-cuisine","9":"tag-cooking","10":"tag-cuisine","11":"tag-development","12":"tag-enigma-plaza","13":"tag-european-cuisine","14":"tag-food-and-drink","15":"tag-food-and-drink-preparation","16":"tag-food-watchlist-articles","17":"tag-foods","18":"tag-hillsborough-county","19":"tag-tampa","20":"tag-tampa-headlines","21":"tag-tampa-news","22":"tag-temple-terrace","23":"tag-western-cuisine"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132253","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=132253"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/132253\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/132254"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=132253"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=132253"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=132253"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}