CHANNEL DISTRICT - TAMPA- Two developers are at odds over their condominium projects.

Fida Sirdar will ask the city council on Thursday for zoning approval for his third Channel District project, a 38-story condo tower at Kennedy Boulevard and Meridian Avenue.

But at a May 16 community meeting, Miami developer Juan Porro said Sirdar's unnamed project would block some views at his eight-story, retail-condo complex, The Slade, which will wrap around Meridian near Kennedy and Washington Street.

A fuming Porro, who arrived midmeeting from a flight, said he was waiting to see plans provided by Sirdar to determine how his soon-to-be-built Slade would be affected.

'I will not support the project,' he said later.

But city urban planner Wilson Stair said Sirdar's plans have been filed with the city for months. He said the Channel District has quickly become an urban setting, and 'developers need to look at what possibly is going next door and plan for it.'

Porro also said Sirdar's project doesn't include open space: 'The project will hurt the community.'

Wilson said Sirdar's 1.3-acre site is too small for a park.

'We have been working with them Sirdar's Key Developers so this building will activate the street,' he said. 'They have really softened it up, adding landscaping and cafes, instead of something sterile.'

Resident and business owner Henry Lewis brought a letter from the Channel District Council board, of which he's a member, stating that the board doesn't believe Sirdar's project is neighborhood-friendly.

Lewis, who leases space in his City Blue Print Co., 207 N. 11{+t}{+h} St., to Porro for The Slade sales office, said Sirdar isn't contributing to the community in exchange for getting city waivers on the height and density of his project.

Michael Chen, the city's Channel District liaison, said the neighborhood hasn't voted on whether it supports Sirdar's project.

Sirdar, who also is developing The Place at Channelside, said his 259-condo tower will resemble a piece of sculpture in its design.

He also said his decision to bring the project up to the highest certification from the nonprofit U.S. Green Building Council, involving efficient water and energy use, will cost $6 million to $7 million upfront, in addition to the base cost of $120 million for the condo building and garage.

'I'm taken aback by the criticism,' Sirdar said.

In other Channel District news, Chen said street paving and curb work should be finished by August. He said the cost would about equal the $240,000 in local tax dollars set aside for the repair work.

As for hiring a district arts adviser, Chen said consultants first would need to be hired to advise residents on selecting someone to promote the arts.

'This has taken forever,' city Councilwoman Linda Saul-Sena said in exasperation.

Reporter Janis D. Froelich can be reached at (813) 835-2104 or jfroelich@tampatrib.com.