Tampa City Council okays $7.5 million sale of city block to hotel, apartment developer

TAMPA — The City Council voted Thursday to sell a vacant block next to City Hall to a New Orleans developer for $7.5 million — the most paid for a downtown block in recent memory.

Source: www.tampabay.com

The city of Tampa has decided to sell a vacant block in downtown Tampa for $7.5 million to HRI Properties.  HRI plans to build a 21-story apartment tower with a 223-room Hyatt Centric Hotel, 225 apartments and a 408-car garage on the block, which is at the southeast corner of E Kennedy Boulevard and N Florida Avenue. Seven thousand square feet of retail space at street level will include a restaurant and a Starbucks.

 

The project will be the first of its kind for the Tampa area and HRI paid well over market value for the site.

Dunedin Commons, a $43 million multi-family project, breaks ground in Dunedin

The groundbreaking for Dunedin Commons Apartments took place on Wednesday, December 14 at 10 a.m. at 375 Patricia Ave. Dunedin Commons will be Dunedin’s first substantial high-end luxury multi-family project to open in more than 15 years. The collaboration between the developer and the City…

Source: www.tampabaynewswire.com

Primerica Group One recently broke ground on Dunedin Commons – a 23+-acre mixed use project with 280 apartment units and 8,600 square feet of retail space on 13.8 acres. This will be Dunedin’s first substantial rental project in nearly 15 years and should be a great addition to the community. 

Dinerstein Cos. pulls out of plans for Bayshore Boulevard tower – Tampa Bay Business Journal

Other groups are interested in the property.

Source: www.bizjournals.com

Dinerstein Cos. has pulled out of a development deal along Bayshore Boulevard in Tampa, Florida.  They were proposing a project height much higher than previously negotiated and approved with the neighborhood association and it was no surprise to local market experts this was going to be an extreme uphill battle, if not impossible altogether.   The site is owned by Crescent Communities who developed the adjacent 2Bayshore Apartments which they subsequently sold and decided not to pursue and 2nd phase to the original project.

Rosemary projects a work in progress | Sarasota | Your Observer

Sites with blank walls in the booming neighborhood will give way to more engaging architecture — eventually.

Source: www.yourobserver.com

The Rosemary District continues to undergo massive redevelopment highlighted by the Urban Flats project along Fruitville Road.  A joint venture between Tampa based Framework Group and Vertica Partners, the 228 unit project is well under construction with the first units expected to be delivered in summer 2017 and wrapping up in late 2017.

South Tampa church property to be redeveloped into new retail center – Tampa Bay Business Journal

A Tampa developer has a new vision for a prime corner of Kennedy Boulevard.

Source: www.bizjournals.com

WPG, a Tampa-based developer, is asking the city to rezone the half-acre property at 3702 W. Kennedy Blvd. so it can build two multi-tenant strip centers totaling 22,600 square feet with surface parking, according to site plans filed Monday.

 

This site had been previously proposed for a mixed-use development with several stories of residential over retail, however, was challenged from the beginning from a feasibility standpoint.  

Clearwater’s downtown waterfront one step closer to a major makeover – Tampa Bay Business Journal

​The city of Clearwater is one step closer to a sparkling new downtown waterfront.

Source: www.bizjournals.com

Clearwater City Council members approved a draft master plan for “Imagine Clearwater” that includes a vision for bringing more people and energy to the city’s downtown.  Downtown Clearwater has been struggling to find its identity and the hopes are this plan can be a giant leap forward in the continued effort to redevelop the struggling downtown area.

Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center Ribbon Cutting & Official Opening Ceremony

The Tampa Jewish Community Centers & Federation will hold its ribbon cutting ceremony and official opening of the Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center. WHAT: A crown jewel of West Tampa, the completely renovated historic Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory will open as the Bryan…

Source: www.tampabaynewswire.com

A crown jewel of West Tampa, the completely renovated historic Fort Homer W. Hesterly Armory will open as the Bryan Glazer Family Jewish Community Center with more than 100,000 square feet of community space with a ribbon cutting on December 8, 2016.

Tampa leads job demand in Florida – Tampa Bay Business Journal

The Pacific Northwest has become the pacesetter for U.S. job growth, according to new employment data released Friday morning by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Source: www.bizjournals.com

The Tampa Bay area added 33,600 new private-sector jobs between October 2015 and October 2016, while unemployment is down 0.1 percent over last year to 4.7 percent.  Additionally, Tampa Bay has nearly 47,000 job openings which leads Florida for job demand.  

Moffitt Cancer Center plans massive expansion – Tampa Bay Business Journal

​Moffitt Cancer Center is planning to fix its growing pains with an $800 million expansion plan.

Source: www.bizjournals.com

Tampa’s Moffitt Cancer Center is set for an expansion, years overdue.  When Moffitt launched 30 years ago it employed just 400 people. Today that number has grown to more than 5,400, and they serve 56,000 patients.

 

Construction for the first phase of the expansion is expected to begin next year with a clinical support building. The new building, expected to be complete sometime in mid-2018, will free up space in Moffitt’s existing footprint and make room for 10 to 20 additional beds.

One of Tampa’s original cigar factories could soon be a boutique hotel

TAMPA — They’ve been turned into offices, schools, restaurants and luxury apartments. And now one of Tampa’s original cigar factories could soon be a boutique hotel.

Source: web.tampabay.com

The former Balbin Bros. Cigar Factory at 1202 N. Howard Ave. was purchased for $1.4 million this week by a partnership between a Tampa hotelier and a Louisiana-based hospitality company. Though still in the early stages, plans call for a hotel with about 70 rooms that likely will be part of a major chain but with a name reflecting its local heritage, partner Mike Desai of My Hospitality Hotels said Friday.

 

The area is undergoing a significant amount of change with the Fort Hesterly Armory being converted to the Bryan Glazer Family JCC Community Center and a proposed apartment project adjacent to the site.  If all of these projects are successful, it would be great for the neighborhood which has been run down for years.

Port Tampa Bay approves lease to help waterfront tiki bar – Tampa Bay Business Journal

A restaurant with an accompanying tiki bar is planning to build a floating dock with 12 boat slips to be used by patrons.

Source: www.bizjournals.com

A new waterfront restaurant and tiki bar is headed for the South Gandy area of Tampa.  Screamin’ Willy’s is planning to build a 1,289-square-foot floating dock with 12 transient boat slips to be used by patrons of the restaurant at no charge.  The restaurant, located at 5411 W. Tyson Avenue and should be a welcome addition as there are a real lack of waterfront dining options in the Tampa area relative to the amount of shoreline.

 

New Indie Market Comes to the Rosemary District

The Rosemary District Indie Market celebrates Sarasota’s artists and small businesses.

Source: www.sarasotamagazine.com

The Rosemary District in downtown Sarasota continues to show why it is the most dynamic and fastest growing district in the area with the arrive of a monthly market.

 

Every third Saturday of the month, a group of artists, farmers, bakers, craftspeople and entertainers  will gather at 701 Cohen Way for the Rosemary District Indie Market. 

St. Petersburg becoming a new museum mecca – Tampa Bay Business Journal

The city’s reputation as an arts destination is growing as the number of museums in the downtown area increases.

Source: www.bizjournals.com

Downtown St. Petersburg is fast becoming a museum mecca for lovers of fine art, with the upcoming addition of the Museum of the American Arts and Crafts Movement (MAACM).  A $70 million construction contract was recently signed that will allow the building of MAACM. Art collector, Rudy Ciccarello of the American Craftsman Museum recently signed the contract with Gilbane Construction. Designed by Ciccarello and award-winning architect Alberto Alfonso, the museum will serve as a repository for Ciccarello’s world-class collection.

Next up for Seminole Heights in Tampa? Craft rum distillery, wine bar

Two friends tackle the renovation of an older building to transform the space into a mixed use development in Tampa’s Seminole Heights neighborhood.

Source: www.83degreesmedia.com

Seminole Heights in Tampa continues to show why it is one of the coolest developing neighborhoods in the Tampa Bay area.

 

A longtime automotive repair shop is giving way to a new wine bar and a craft rum distillery, another step in North Florida Avenue’s transformation from automotive-related businesses to trendy eateries and watering holes.

The Wine Bar Seminole Heights and the Twisted Sun Rum Distillery plans to open next spring at 6428-6430 N. Florida Avenue.

The wine bar, owned and operated by Wes Miller, will be the first tenant of a new two-story building on the southern end of the property where Merino’s Deli used to reside. 

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