Tampa’s City Council rejected a plan Tuesday evening that would have allowed Congregation Rodeph Sholom and the Related Group to move forward with a new tower built on the synagogue’s land along Bayshore Boulevard.

Tampa City Council members voted 4-3 against a mediated settlement that would have allowed for a rezoning of the property to make way for the tower.

With the city’s decision, it is expected that lawsuits that had been put on hold because of the settlement talks and the agreement that came from them will move forward.

While some opponents of the plan argued that the tower would change the character of the neighborhood, many speakers pointed out Tuesday that the immediate neighborhood includes a growing number of residential buildings that have popped up over the past several years including the 30-story The Ritz-Carlton Residences about a half-mile away.

Among those in opposition are some residents of Altura Bayshore, a 24-story tower that was completed in June a few hundred feet away from Rodeph Sholom. A lawyer for the building’s association argued Tuesday against the synagogue’s proposal citing, without apparent irony, it’s incompatibility with the neighborhood.

The pretense was obvious to at least one council member: Allen Clendenin, who represent District 1.

“I know people disagree,” Clendenin said before voting to approve the settlement, “but I do find it ironic that people that live in high rises are complaining about other high rises.”

This was the third time in about two years that City Council voted against the project. It voted unanimously against it in May 2023 and 5-2 February 2024.

The plan turned down at the 6 hour and 17 minute meeting Tuesday was far different from the original proposal two years ago that asked for a 29-story tower with 60 units.

 What was rejected was a revamped plan for a 16-story tower with 38 units.

The tower would have been built on the synagogue’s existing preschool and parking lot on Bayshore Boulevard. The temple itself would remain.

The plan was the result of a two-day mediation between the city and the congregation.

Along with other changes, the developer’s new plan also enhanced a landscaping buffer between the tower and neighboring properties, including the Tampa Garden Club, a vocal opponent of the project. That includes increasing the number of trees to 91 from 84 and greenspace to 35,995 square feet from 34,176 square feet.

Rodeph Shalom, which was founded in 1903, has sat along a stretch of Bayshore since 1969.