TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – There’s an urban renaissance happening in cities like Tampa and St. Petersburg – and it may be far from over. There are several projects still in the works.
In Downtown Tampa, construction crews are already doing foundation work for the “Nine 15” building. It’s another high-rise that will be added to the city’s skyline.
That means more people will be living in Downtown Tampa.
It’s a trend being repeated in major cities around the country. “You are seeing people, especially millennials, want to move back to the urban core. They like the idea of a live, work, play in a walking environment,” Bob McDonaugh with Tampa’s economic opportunity office said.
The newest Downtown Tampa high-rise project will break ground later this year. It’s a 34 story residential tower that will be built next to the Straz Center and near the Hillsborough River.
“I am all for growth, but let’s put growth in the right place,” Bill Prevatt said of the project. Prevatt has seen the growth in Downtown Tampa and the traffic that goes with it since moving there six years ago.
“There are so many other places that it could be placed in the city to serve the same purpose and not bring the tangible things that go along with it to drag on this area,” he said.
Others believe the high-rises and their residents can bring increased life to the area. “If it can help lower the rents and get more people downtown where we can make this a more vibrant downtown, than I support it,” Shawn O’Malley said.
And those involved in Tampa’s development don’t believe it’s about to slow down. “I think in the near term, the next two to three years, I would not be surprised to to see another five to six buildings built in our downtown marketplace,” McDonaugh said.
In addition to the half-dozen high rises that are or will soon be under construction, there are several low-rise residential projects that will also add to the population here in Downtown Tampa.
