We Started with a Dream

Harmony Terrace began as a Cohousing Interest Group in 2018 as when a group of friends wanted to discuss designing a new and different kind of neighborhood that would not follow the isolated model of traditional available housing. After researching, we found the models of Intentional Communities, Cohousing and “Pocket Neighborhoods”. We have been dreaming, organizing, and planning together since that time.

In early 2021, our dreams moved toward reality when we were able to buy nearly 5 acres of land that we had our eyes on, adjacent to the existing Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa campus that seemed like a good match. UUCT has 4.5 acres of natural land with 3 buildings on the North side of our 4.5 acre Harmony Terrace site. There is also another church directly to our South, St Mark’s Mar Thoma Church.

Harmony Terrace is not officially associated with any church, and members are not expected to join UUCT. Co-housing and UU values are completely compatible, as are the spiritual values of many churches.

Before Covid, the UUCT campus had book groups, singing groups, discussions, classes sponsored by OLLI from the University of South Florida, in addition to the on-going spiritual activities of the Church. We expect such activities to restart and be available to HT members if they so choose.

For more information about the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tampa — Google it. There is a broad wealth of information about the history of this congregation, the religion and its history.

The Journey Begins

Our group has been steadily working together for more than 3 years to make the dream a reality — and it has surely been a journey!

* In 2021 we purchased and raised funds from private investors, acquiring a beautiful 4.78 acre site on the edges of Tampa, Florida.

* In 2022 we hired an architect and began the site planning, house designs, and rezoning process to bring our dream and idealism to reality. We also learned why it’s so difficult to bring a new way of living to the light of day.

* In 2003 had a preliminary site plan ready to go and we achieved our rezoning to a Planned Development earning unanimous approval by the Hillsborough County Board of Commissioners. We then moved forward to update our house plans, site plan, legal documents, membership processes, etc. etc. etc.

Then came the Summer of 2023.

We experienced a really long, hot summer and realized that Climate Change is real and our world is warming up. It no longer seems prudent to park our cars in grouped garages and to walk to our houses. It’s just too dang hot to walk distances in the summer heat. We are now planning to have a garage or carport at each home.

In addition, we discovered that our existing plan had no arrangements for water catchment of our own water run-off and additionally our neighbor’s water overflow. Thus we decided to start fresh in our planning. We’re not starting from scratch, but we are starting anew with many lessons learned. Many of our early members withdrew from the process, because although they are still interested in living in and belonging to the community, they are weary of continuous work and weekly meetings.

This fall, (2023) we hired Civil Engineers to do the design of the infrastructure (water, sewer, electric, internet, water drainage, road construction, sidewalks, common areas, etc.). This required us to completely change our site plan we had been working so hard on for 2 years.

Harmony Terrace is Back on Track and Moving Forward in 2024