TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Tampa wants to hear from people who use the 15th Street corridor from Columbus Drive to Lake Avenue.

City leaders want to improve that area.

For five years, Horatio Wright has cut hair at Sho-Nuff Barbers & Beauty on 15th Street.

“I saved my money and got my own shop,” Wright said.

Wright was born and raised in East Tampa. He calls it the heart of the city, but said times have changed.

“Nothing has been invested in the community at all,” Wright said. “Besides just building stuff and giving scooters that just wasn’t enough. I just feel like they need activities going.”

The city’s planning department is studying the 15th Street corridor from Columbus Drive to Lake Avenue trying to figure out how they can improve the area.

Wright has a few ideas of his own, including more opportunities for young people, and changing the design of the road.

“A bored mind is a dangerous mind, but when you occupy the mind with something positive or productive they don’t have time to think about nothing negative and not know what to do,” Wright said.

The planning department is studying both sides of the streets, which includes the V.M. Ybor, Ybor Heights and North Ybor neighborhoods. More than 65 percent of households in the area are low income.

The planning department has already studied areas in South and West Tampa, and plans are already in place to make improvements, including pedestrian safety. The focus now is East Tampa.

“What can we do to make it easier for them and to help the area improve,” Director of City Planning Stephen Benson said. “Housing, transportation. What is the really long-term vision that 15th Street wants to be in the future and then how can we put programs or processes in place to help them get there over the years.”

Wright believes more has to get done in East Tampa.

“Companies and corporations are swooping in, buying these houses, raising the prices up, but you’re not doing nothing for the community that you’re raising the prices up in,” Wright said.

There will be a series of roundtable discussions Wednesday starting at 3:00 p.m. at Ragan Park Center located at 1200 East Lake Avenue.