CHANNEL DISTRICT - As a wrap-up to 2006 in this booming neighborhood, the city council approved three residential projects: the 21-story Navio; the 29-story Novare-Intown development; and the 25-story Kennedy Residences of Channelside.

The trio will further change the face of the Channel District, a warehouse area serving the nearby Port of Tampa a mere five years ago.

Projects completed or under construction represent 1,657 residences, said Michael Chen, manager of the district's Community Redevelopment Area. Projects approved but not under construction, he said, could add 2,875 residential units.

Don't look for construction workers and giant cranes to be gone for at least 10 years.

Add all that to a population estimated at 100 to 200 and the Channel District will metamorphose into an urban core like none other in the Tampa Bay area.

The growth has brought a big pain: no parking. But Chen said most of the high-rises slated to open in 2007 will have internal parking for residents and visitors.