A group of Tampa residents have asked for the city's assistance to stop the I-275 expansion project.
A crowd of Bay area residents gathered at Tampa's Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA) Meeting Thursday.
They asked city council members, who make up the CRA, to help them stop the transportation project.
The current plan would create express lanes and tear into the Tampa Heights community.
A new community center, that's housed in an old church, would have to go. The nearby community garden would have to relocate too.
"We feel like we can ease the congestion in Tampa, but also have it be a win, win situation for the community as well," said FDOT spokeswoman Kris Carson.
But after hearing concerns from residents, Tampa city leaders decided to weigh in on the project. They agreed to try to speak to transportation leaders.
"We've all been to the church," said Tampa councilman Harry Cohen. "We've all been to the community garden so we know how successful all of this has been. Let's see what we can do to reason with them and try to see what our options might be. I really think dialogue is going to be the most important thing."
City council members also asked their legal department to review whether the CRA can file a Title 6 complaint with FDOT to launch a review of the project.
Residents were pleased with the outcome of the CRA meeting.
"I think it's a start," said Patrick Sneed, executive director of the Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association. "Got to start from the local government and go to the state and that's what we're here to do."
FDOT does own the building that's being used for the Tampa Heights Community Center.
Community leaders said they leased the property from FDOT several years ago because they couldn't find another location.
"We had to sign something," explained Tampa Heights Junior Civic Association Chair Lena Young Green.
Those community leaders also recently poured a million dollars into rehabbing the rented building.
They said they had no idea the expansion would happen so quickly.