After decades on the drawing board, the Midtown Tampa development has hit a flurry of activity with the start of vertical construction and the announcement of several high profile tenants.
The mixed-use district between downtown Tampa and Westshore will feature 1.8 million square feet of retail, office, hotel, and restaurant development around a central green space.
Midtown Tampa is expected to be complete when Tampa hosts the Super Bowl in 2021. During the Westshore Alliance’s recent annual development forum, Developer Nicholas Haines, CEO of Bromley Companies, says the bulk of the project -- 1.3 million square feet of space -- will be built in a single phase to create a city within a city.
“The thought is if we are going to provide an experience, it has to be a complete, holistic experience,” Haines says. “The entire experience needs to be complete at the opening.''
Midtown Tampa has been planned for some two decades at Interstate 275 and Dale Mabry. During that time, the Bromley Companies acquired more property to expand the size of the district from 13 acres to 22 acres. Haines says company representatives have also traveled the country to visit the types of integrated and pedestrian-friendly mixed-use developments they envision with Midtown Tampa.
“This is obviously a big project,” Haines says. “It’s a piece of land that we as a company felt a responsibility to build to its full extent … to match the quality of the property, the quality of the site.”
With construction underway, a recent spate of tenant announcements includes dual-branded Aloft and Element hotels with rooftop lounges, a restaurant by celebrity Chef Chris Ponte, and the healthy-food restaurant True Food Kitchen, which has Oprah Winfrey as an investor.
Other previously announced tenants include a Whole Foods Market. The development will also feature three office towers and Novel Midtown Tampa by Crescent Communities, an upscale apartment development.
With the rash of activity, Midtown Tampa was a hot topic of discussion at the Westshore Alliance’s annual development forum.
“It’s an amazing development with a great mix of uses,” says Patrick Berman, the managing director of capital markets and Cushman & Wakefield. “This is a game changer for Westshore and Tampa in general. It’s going to drive growth and prosperity.”
Photo caption: Bromley Companies celebrate the start of vertical construction at $500M Midtown Tampa. (L-R). Tampa City Council members Guido Maniscalco and Luis Viera; Sean Dunne, Senior VP at TD Bank; Bill Haines, Chairman of Bromley Companies; Tampa Mayor Jane Castor; Jeff Cash of Trinity Sky Advisors; Nick Haines, CEO of Bromley Companies; and Tampa City Council member Joseph Citro.
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