What a coincidence. Just days after I jot down a few thoughts about the prospects for downtown Tampa’s revitalization, Robert Trigaux gets an earful on the subject from Tampa Downtown Partnership head Christine Burdick.

Some favorable signals:

Growing regional traffic congestion is encouraging people to reconsider the benefits of living near where they work.

In the past year and a half, plans were unveiled for more than 3,500 housing units in downtown Tampa. That translates to more than 5,000 people living downtown when all the units are complete.

How to build and keep downtown housing momentum was the topic Tuesday morning at a breakfast held, appropriately, in downtown Tampa by the Tampa Downtown Partnership.

Ben Wacksman, president of Capital Realty Investors and moderator of the breakfast panel, said the influx of new residents downtown was equivalent in size to such giant suburban developments as Westchase or FishHawk Ranch.

The trick, the panel agreed, is creating a mix of affordable housing instead of a downtown crammed only with fancy condos and townhomes.

A downtown Tampa housing market that appeals to young and more adventurous first-time buyers, as well as modestly paid teachers, firefighters and police officers makes for a far more interesting urban scene.

I have to admit, I was unaware of that level of downtown migration. I’m surprised it hasn’t made a more visible difference, though.

Traffic is my personal bugaboo, and a major motivator for wanting to chuck a lengthy commute. It makes sense that people would want to simplify their lives by more closely incorporating work, home and play.

Or does it? Much of the Tampa Bay area is very suburban-like, where people are comfortable having a clear, and lengthy, divide between work life and home life. I don’t see that desire lessening. And I’ll stand by my original contention that, given a choice, most homebuyers will take the homesteads with generous allotment of front and backyards over comparably-priced condos and townhouses. This is especially the case for first-time buyers with families in mind. If anything, the condo market here is seen as having more appeal to older people and retirees.

Downtown renewal certainly needs cheerleading, but it’s going to take more than that to actually pull it off.