International Plaza Announces 50,000-Square-Foot Expansion as Westshore District Sees Wave of Redevelopment

International Plaza will undergo a 50,000-square-foot open-air expansion designed to create a more walkable outdoor shopping experience. The Tampa shopping center also plans to upgrade Bay Street with new outdoor dining and gathering spaces.

Construction starts later this year. Simon Property Group owns the property and has similar upgrades planned for locations in Nashville and Denver.

"International Plaza is seen as high-end, and as people want high-end shopping, they also want it to be a high-end destination," said Michael Maurino, executive director of the Westshore Alliance, to Fox 13 News. "The renovations they've planned for that make sure it's not just a place where you go and shop, but also where you can spend the day."

This announcement arrives just over a year after Tampa City Council approved the redevelopment of Westshore Plaza, situated about a mile away. Developers will demolish the existing structure. In its place will rise a mixed-use district with shopping, apartments, offices, and medical facilities.

Maurino says both projects anchor the future of the Westshore District. The Westshore Alliance is working with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa to improve West Shore Boulevard, which will connect the two sites.

"We're working on a plan with Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa to improve Westshore Boulevard and having that be the connection and really the center of the district connecting International Plaza with West Shore Plaza," he said.

City Councilman Charlie Miranda represents the district where both locations sit. He says the changes mirror how shopping habits shift.

"All of a sudden you got Amazon," Miranda said. "Now what's happening to the mall? It's an evolution of things and you have to understand that things change every day of life and that's how it is."

University Mall in North Tampa is also being redeveloped into a mixed-use area with retail, business, and residential space. According to Westshore Plaza's website, plans there are still being finalized, with no definitive timetable set.