Tampa narrows developers for West Tampa's prime Rome Yard site to three

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The City of Tampa has narrowed the pool of potential developers for the prime Rome Yard site in West Tampa. Related Urban Development Group, a subsidiary of Miami's The Related Group, has partnered with TAMPA HOUSING AUTHORITY on the West River redevelopment. For Rome Yard, Related and THA propose a mixed-use redevelopment that includes apartments and townhouses, commercial space, structured parking and plenty of outdoor gathering areas. Their proposed plan provides enormous opportunity for jobs, affordable housing, and the sustainable transformation of one of Tampa's historic downtown neighborhoods. BDG is fortunate to be on their team.

Tampa Bay Business Journal

Tampa has narrowed the pool of potential developers for the prime Rome Yard site in West Tampa.

The following three developers are finalists for the 18-acre city-owned site in the West River area:

InVictus Development LLC
Related Urban Development Group with Tampa Housing Authority
TRS Development Services/Onicx LLC

Their proposals are embedded below. The city said it is scheduling interviews with the three development groups for the week of March 8.

The names of the development teams differ slightly from the list released by the city in December, when proposals were due. Related Urban Development Group, a household name in real estate circles, was revealed as "Rug LLC." TRS Development Services, which has also submitted a proposal to be the master developer of the Tropicana Field property in St. Petersburg, was not listed with Onicx in December.

The Rome Yard property, which is immediately west of the Hillsborough River, east of Rome Avenue, south of Columbus Drive and north of Spruce Street, could be a catalyst for further redevelopment of the west bank of the Hillsborough River. Finding a suitable developer for the property has taken years; former Mayor Bob Buckhorn's administration rejected all of the responses it received to a 2019 RFP.

“We are very pleased with the progress of this RFP,” Rob Rosner, the city's director of economic opportunity, said in a statement. “We received excellent proposals from candidates that understand the needs of the West Tampa neighborhood and how we can address those needs through strategic and thoughtful developments. The city has carried out a fair and transparent process which we believe will result in a successful project that benefits the West Tampa community.”

Related Urban Development Group, a subsidiary of Miami's Related Group, has proposed a multiphase project totaling more than $263 million in development costs. The group is also partnered with Tampa Housing Authority on the West River redevelopment, which includes the redevelopment of North Boulevard Homes. Related is also moving forward with a luxury apartment development, Manor West River, and bringing in a retail developer to build a Publix Super Markets Inc. store in the next phase of the West River redevelopment.

For Rome Yard, Related and THA propose a mixed-use redevelopment that includes apartments and townhouses, commercial space, structured parking and plenty of outdoor gathering areas, from gathering space to a pocket park to a dog park to a fitness trail with distance markers as well as a "resort-style" 5,000-square-foot pool.

In total, their proposal adds 954 mixed-income housing units "all designed to a market-rate standard."

A new West Tampa Cultural Center and a job training center are also part of the vision.