DREW PARK - Confusion about zoning regulations and bruised feelings of business owners slapped with city code violations have prompted a review of Drew Park's unusual history and future growth pattern.

The neighborhood goes back to a 1920s grassy air strip leased by the city from John J. Drew. It became a military air base in World War II and eventually part of the site evolved into Tampa International Airport.

The city bought about 720 acres east of the airport to construct a sports complex. The complex never was built and the land was sold for private development in what became known as Drew Park.

It grew haphazardly as a mix of warehouses, auto shops, light manufacturing and clusters of single-family homes.

Zoning officials are considering changes to a city code specifying what is allowed in areas classified as light industrial - uses such as warehouses, light manufacturing, and heavy equipment and vehicle repairs. Many properties in Drew Park fall within that classification.

The city's code defines heavy industrial as including most businesses linked to activities at the Port of Tampa and those involving hazardous emissions. Auto salvage and junkyards also are in this category.

Last year Drew Park business owners said they began noticing an upward trend in citations unlike any they had experienced. They received letters notifying them of violations, they said, but often they had not spoken directly with code enforcement inspectors.

In August 2009 code enforcement had more than 100 active cases in the Drew Park area involving nearly 350 violations of city code.

Often the citations dealt with zoning issues, said Jake Slater, the city's code enforcement director. Code enforcement inspectors were trying to clean up Drew Park while also responding to complaints about the number of strip clubs and other adult-use businesses.

"We're trying to see if we have a partnership," said Maritza Astorquiza, chairwoman of the Drew Park Community Redevelopment Area's community advisory committee. "We don't want to be adversaries, but we do want clean safe places."

Slater said that as of Aug. 23 there were 34 open cases with about the same number of violations, most involving overgrowth, trash and inoperable vehicles. On zoning issues, Slater said his inspectors were consulting with city zoning officials before issuing citations.

"We're trying to work with business owners more than we have," said Slater, who attended a recent meeting of a code enforcement subcommittee appointed by the volunteer advisory board for Drew Park's special tax district.

"We're not the bad, bad people," Slater said. "You're either doing too much or not enough. It's a fine line."

Slater supports the city's review of its code and definitions of light industrial which have not been changed since the 1980s.

Workshops to discuss code issues might be scheduled in September or early October, said Zoning Administrator Gloria Moreda.

One business category that needs review is the distinction between junkyards where vehicles are warehoused for long periods, and auto salvage yards where vehicles are dismantled and the parts are re-sold.

Business owner David Jessen said he was among those cited for inoperable vehicles. His family has operated an auto repair shop, next to the family home, since 1951. The code citations were a first for him, Jessen said.

Maybe the city needs a "medium" industrial category, he said, somewhere between light and heavy.

"It's important to a lot of people's livelihood," Jessen said. "We don't want to make a mistake."

Reporter Kathy Steele can be reached at (813) 259-7652.