10 projects to watch in 2022 as building boom continues in Tampa
83 Degrees
As the building boom continues in Tampa and the surrounding area, several architecturally significant developments in Hillsborough County -- from West Tampa to Ybor City to Plant City -- are worth watching in 2022.
In the works:
- affordable housing for West Tampa,
- more apartments for the Ybor City area, and
- a brand new hospital to replace the old one in Plant City.
“The trend is still for people to relocate,” says Jerel McCants, President of American Institute of Architects Tampa Bay. “All that is playing a factor with development on the west coast of Florida.”
Below are 10 development projects listed by the AIA Tampa Bay when asked by 83 Degrees to name the Tampa Bay Area's most architecturally significant projects for 2022.
West Tampa seeing growth surge
One project that is expected to transform the West Tampa area, and provide affordable housing, is Rome Yard, a $500 million mixed-use development by the Tampa Housing Authority and the Miami-based Related Urban Development Group.
Rome Yard is planned as a pedestrian-friendly neighborhood with multiple modes of public transportation, a Workforce Training Center, a Cultural Center, and an Art Pavilion highlighting West Tampa history. In about a year and a half, the Tampa Riverwalk is expected to cut through the property.
Related has made a commitment to hire at least 40 percent minority or women-owned businesses in the construction; that amounts to an estimated $75 million in contracts.
Rome Yard is to include 900-plus apartments and roughly 50 townhomes, which will be available for purchase, says Pete Van Warner, Related’s development manager in Tampa.
Though the townhomes will be “affordable,” it is too early to provide pricing, he adds.
Construction is expected to begin as early as June at an 18-acre site owned by the city of Tampa west of the Hillsborough River, east of Rome Avenue, south of Columbus Drive and north of Spruce Street in the West Tampa Community Redevelopment Area. The project is expected to take five to seven years to complete.
A virtual community outreach discussion about Rome Yard is planned from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 24. Interested persons can learn more and signup here.
“We’re looking for community feedback -- what kind of amenities, what kind of retail spaces you’d like to see,” Van Warner says.
Related has been busy in the neighborhood. It recently received three certificates of occupancy to begin leasing for the Boulevard at West River, another project being done in partnership with the Tampa Housing Authority, and situated about a half mile away. More apartments are planned at the adjacent Canopy of West River Towers, with opening anticipated in the third quarter of 2023.