Tall & Urban News

Construction on Water Street Tampa, a new downtown neighborhood, started in 2016 and project leaders say the first phase is almost finished.

There are about 5 million square feet (464,515 square meters) of residential, office, retail, and education space that's either already completed or currently under construction.

Project leaders say there will be more than 70 unique retailers, a range of more than 1,300 apartment homes and Tampa Bay’s first four and five star hotels.

Officials say the goal of Water Street Tampa is to create a forward-thinking, urban neighborhood.

They have plans for the downtown neighborhood to support the economic growth of the city while offering new opportunities for people to experience and enjoy downtown.

All 10 buildings that are part of the development’s first phase are set to be finished in early 2022.

Project leaders say they’re planning for several milestones over the next year including: opening the new JW Marriott, opening the Cumberland Avenue connection between downtown and the Channel District, and welcoming the first residents to live in the neighborhood.

Here’s the status of all the projects in Water Street Tampa’s first phase:

Sparkman Wharf
At Sparkman Wharf, façade work is complete and new retailers are opening their doors to visitors. F45 recently announced their opening and JoToro, the Mexican eatery conceived by Michelin-star Chef Joe Isidori, opens in early November. Upstairs, the build-out of the loft-style office space with views of the waterfront is nearly complete.

JW Marriott Tampa Water Street
With construction nearing completion as furniture and finishings are steadily put into place, the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street encompasses 519 hotel rooms across 26 floors with four new restaurants, a full-service spa, 100,000 square feet of new ballrooms and meeting space, and multiple other social spaces and amenities.

East Cumberland Avenue
Construction is on schedule to begin removing the existing railway crossing at Meridian Avenue in early November, with East Cumberland Avenue opening between Channelside Drive and downtown in early 2021, providing an east-west connection through the downtown core to Port Tampa Bay, and an additional point of access for people coming to and from Water Street Tampa.

Cumberland Garage
Opening in early 2021, Cumberland Garage will provide parking for visitors, residents, office workers, and staff of the University of South Florida Health's Morsani College of Medicine. It's connected to the residences at 1011 E Cumberland via a plaza, which envisions the street as a social space, where pedestrians, cyclists, and drivers co-exist in a curbless environment while offering a streetscape with outdoor dining and activities for residents and visitors.

Heron
Heron, located at 815 Water Street, is a dual-tower residential building and includes a new eastern gateway to the Tampa Riverwalk and GreenWise Market. The GreenWise Market grocery store will open in spring 2021.

1001 Water Street
The 20-story mixed-use building features approximately 380,000 square feet (35,303 square meters) of trophy office space and ground-floor retail, located at the intersection of Water Street and Channelside Drive. 1001 Water Street will deliver in the summer of 2021.

1011 E. Cumberland Avenue
Rising 23 stories at the southeast corner of the intersection of Water Street and Cumberland Avenue, the residences at 1011 E Cumberland recently topped out. There are 388 new rental homes. The building is planned to deliver in late 2021.

The Tampa EDITION
The Tampa EDITION will be the city’s first five-star hotel, featuring 172 hotel rooms and 37 for-sale, hotel-branded residences on floors 10 through 27. The Tampa EDITION Hotel & Residences is planned to top out in January 2021, with construction completion on schedule for the end of 2021.

1050 Water Street
Located along Water Street north of The Tampa EDITION, 1050 Water Street broke ground in 2019 and will top out in early 2021. The 497 rental residences are on schedule for completion in early 2022.

Strategic Property Partners
Strategic Property Partners, LLC (“SPP”) is a partnership between Cascade Investment LLC, and Jeff Vinik. SPP’s first project, Water Street Tampa, is being developed on over 50 acres of contiguous waterfront land the company controls in downtown Tampa.

Project leaders say the phased Water Street Tampa development project is revitalizing a currently underutilized tract of land into an urban, mixed-use waterfront district consisting of approximately nine million square feet (836,127 square meters) of new commercial, residential, hospitality, cultural, entertainment, education, and retail uses, totaling over US$3 billion in private investment from SPP. Integrating principles of walkability, sustainability, connectivity, design quality, and wellness.

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