21-story apartment building to rise on Harbour Island in downtown Tampa

By the end of October construction on a 21-story upscale residential tower on Harbour Island will begin on a prime parcel of land at Knights Run Avenue and South Beneficial Drive.

Completion is anticipated by early 2016 on 235 luxury studios, 1-and 2-bedroom apartments and 2-story townhomes. The building will have a seven-story parking garage with more than 400 parking spaces.

The tower is a partnership between Forge Capital Partners and Intown/Framework Group. 

Greg Minder of Framework Group and Phillip A. Smith of Intown Group are developers of Element and Skypoint in downtown, and Meridian Lofts in the Channel District. And construction is under way on 4310 Spruce and Varela, both in the Westshore Business District.

Minder and Smith also are partners in The Residences at Riverwalk, a proposed 36-story, 380-unit apartment building next to the Straz Center for the Performing Arts. A parking garage and about 10,000 square feet of first-floor shops and restaurants also are planned.

Developers have yet to choose a name for the latest Harbour Island tower. County records show Harbour Island Residential LLC purchased the vacant parcel in December for about $2.9 million.

"Harbour Island epitomizes a high-end, master-planned community," says Minder in a prepared statement. "The addition of this modern apartment building brings new excitement and renewed interest to this thriving community."

Most apartments will enjoy scenic vistas of the waterfront and downtown. An infinity-edge pool, state-of-the-art technology and upscale amenities comparable to those provided at luxury hotels will be included in the building's design.

Other partners in the project are BBVA Compass, a bank holding company; Reese Vanderbilt & Associates, architects; Kimley-Horn and Associates, civil and landscaping engineers; and Multi-Family Construction, general contractor and an affiliate of Batson-Cook Residential.
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Read more articles by Kathy Steele.

Kathy Steele is a freelance writer who lives in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa. She previously covered Tampa neighborhoods for more than 15 years as a reporter for The Tampa Tribune. She grew up in Georgia but headed north to earn a BA degree from Adelphi University in Garden City, NY. She backpacked through Europe before attending the University of Iowa's Creative Writers' Workshop for two years. She has a journalism degree from Georgia College. She likes writing, history, and movies.