Tampa Plans Downtown Housing Project With 750 New Units

City planners have set their sights on a bold new project: 750 homes will rise from four acres in north downtown Tampa. The site, which sits where the Army-Navy Surplus Market once stood, will split its units between market rate and affordable housing near N. Tampa Street and E. Ashley Drive.

"The ability to really transform this area is just staring us in the face," said Mayor Jane Castor to Fox 13 News. "We're not just putting a building up here and there, we're creating entire neighborhoods."

Steps away from the Tampa Theatre, Straz Center, and art museum, this mixed-use site will blend homes with shops. Plans call for making the streets safer for people on foot and bikes, even with the I-275 ramp nearby.

"This is just one project that's going to be a catalyst for redevelopment across this entire north end of downtown, continuing beyond the interstate," said Tampa City Councilman Alan Clendenin to Fox 13 News.

Transit plans would stretch the TECO Line Streetcar north to Palm Avenue. This move would link the new site to downtown spots, Tampa Heights, and Encore.

The build fits into Tampa's wider growth push. Work moves ahead on other key sites, too, like the West Riverwalk Extension and the fresh start at Gasworx in Ybor City.

Builders have until June 13 to pitch their ideas to the Community Redevelopment Agency. Officials will pick one winner from the stack.

Three parking lots and an old market building fill the space now. New streets will stitch together parts of town that highways split apart years ago.