Tampa Solicits Bids For Hotel, Apartments In Ybor City
Tampa is seeking development proposals for a hotel and multi-family apartments on vacant land in Ybor City. The projects will boost the historic "Cigar City" neighborhood's economy and create jobs. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn says he will do whatever it takes to stimulate redevelopment in Ybor and Tampa.
Infill parcels that have been vacant for nearly 30 years are being marketed to developers to build a hotel and a multifamily apartments in Ybor City.
Tampa City officials are seeking proposals for the hotel at 1212 Seventh Ave, and the apartments on East 12th Avenue between 16th and 17th streets, next to Interstate 4. Bids will be opened on Jan. 3.
“We hope it will be successful and spark new development,” says Vince Pardo, president of the Ybor City Development Corporation, the city agency that oversees Ybor City’s redevelopment areas. “It goes right into our vision plan for hotels for out of town visitors and more apartments for people to live here.”
Proceeds from the land sales will be shared by the city and Hillsborough Community College based on a 1983 agreement when the college’s board of trustees agreed to transfer the lots to the city through quit claim deeds. The agreement has been amended twice, most recently in 1998.
Urban renewal and state highway widening projects sliced through portions of Ybor City leaving in its wake certain vacant parcels that then became the property of the city or the college. And in the case of the parcels now up for sale, there is joint ownership.
County records show the market value of the hotel-designated property is about $173,000; the other parcel’s market value is about $362,000.
Money made on the sale must be re-invested within Ybor City’s redevelopment area, says Pardo. But those revenues aren’t as important as the longer-term economic and jobs benefits to Ybor from the proposed projects themselves, he says.
An unsolicited proposal from a Miami development group interested in building a hotel is what prompted the city’s decision to seek bids on both properties. “The economy is getting better. People are eyeing property,” says Pardo. “Why don’t we go ahead with an RFP (request for proposal) on the second block?”
The hotel is proposed for a corner at Seventh Avenue and Nuccio Parkway that is at a gateway into Ybor City. A building at 1205 E. Eighth Ave also is up for sale by owner, the nonprofit Volunteers of America of Florida, and is potentially usable with the city’s property. Volunteers of America paid $1.2 million for its property in 2004, according to county records.
Sociedad La Union Marti Maceo de Tampa uses the city-owned lot for parking. Pardo said the hotel is going to have to accommodate access into and out of the social club and nearby Chancey Design Partnership.
Other hotels in Ybor City are Hampton Inn and Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn.
The board of the YCDC is in support of the hotel and apartment projects. Once the bids are open, they will be reviewed and a recommendation submitted to the city administration and Tampa City Council.
“As Tampa leads Florida out of the recession, it’s the right time to bring new residential and commercial opportunities to Ybor,” says Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “I will do anything I can if it stimulates development and is good for the surrounding neighborhood, and we believe these projects will do just that. As we continue to foster 24 hour a day, 7 day a week environment in historic Ybor City, both projects will activate spaces that are currently vacant.”
Recent proposal requests already are sparking redevelopment projects in Tampa Heights and downtown Tampa. The Water Works building in Tampa is being leased by Columbia Restaurant Group. Construction is under way and an opening for Ulele Restaurant and Bar is expected in 2014.
Hotel Partners LLC expects to open Le Meridien Hotel in the renovated Federal Courthouse building on Florida Avenue in late spring 2014. And a high-rise apartment tower and shops along the city’s Riverwalk project, at Tyler and Cass streets, is being developed by Intown/Framework Group.
Writer: Kathy Steele
Sources: Vince Pardo and Bob Buckhorn, City of Tampa
Sources: Vince Pardo and Bob Buckhorn, City of Tampa
Author
Related Articles
Ybor updates: Sanchez y Haya restoration, Gasworx music venue
In Ybor City, Sanchez y Haya restoration hits milestone, Gasworx opens second residential building, announces music venue.
Be aware the arts of March
CAMPGround 26, the Gasparilla International Film Festival, and Tampa Bay Design Week are some highlights.
Preserving Ybor City’s past, building for its future
The gut-and-rebuild renovation of Ybor City’s Scozzari Brothers Building includes meticulous preservation of the historic building’s façade.
