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Features
22nd, 21st Street Enhancement Project Slightly Behind Schedule
These drivers are traveling south on 21st Avenue.
Redevelopment Of ‘The Heights’ Ready To Go
Due to Tampa’s sometimes unpredictable weather, the 22nd and 21st Street Enhance- ment Projects have run slightly behind schedule.
However, according to East Tampa Development Man- ager, Ed Johnson, the proj- ect should be completed by the end of the year or sooner.
“The project has had very little impact north of I-4, with the exception of a lot of heavy equipment moving around.
“The only part of the project that will impact north of I-4 will be new sidewalks, light fix- tures, and other aesthetic im- provements.”
The vacant lot on the corner of 22nd Street and 21st Av- enue that’s been used as a staging area for the project was vacated Thursday per the agreement with the city.
“We told them they had to have all of their equipment
and materials off the lot by June 30th,” said Johnson. “That was part of a signed agreement.
“As far as the vacant lot is concerned we will continue to make an effort to acquire adja- cent properties for a proposed grocery store on that corner.”
A cleaners on the corner of 21st and 21st is up for sale, and as far as homeowners are con- cerned, there are still a couple who haven’t come to terms with the city on the sale of their land.
It was also brought to Johnson’s attention that the roadways have become littered with construction debris and other items. He said it is the responsibility of the construc- tion company to clean up be- hind themselves, and if that’s not happening, they will take action on it immediately.
THE NEW ARMATURE WORKS BUILDING WITH WATER TOWER
For almost two decades, a 43-acre parcel of land bor- dered by the Hillsborough River, Palm Avenue, Tampa Street, and Water Works Park, has sat empty.
Now, according to SoHo Capital LLC, they have re- vealed plans for The Heights, a huge redevelopment project that will begin with the trans- formation of the historic Ar- mature Works building.
The Armature Works building, 73,344-square-foot structure, will combine a 21,000-square-foot market hall with multiple event spaces in a building that was once used for the storage and maintenance of the city’s street cars.
Renovation of the building will cost $16.5 million, and will be paid for in cash by SoHo Partners, Chas Bruck and Adam Harden, and a
small group of private in- vestors.
The value of the commer- cial space inside the Arma- ture Works building has been estimated at $820 million.
If SoHo Capital is success- ful with this project, it could create a dense urban neigh- borhood on the northern end of the Riverwalk that would bookend the downtown wa- terfront with two mixed-use districts. On the southern end of the urban core, Strategic Property Partners is planning a $2 billion development, with plans for office space, residential units, retail, and hospitality.
The partners spent years assembling the acreage, clos- ing on the last parcel in late 2012. They started working on their vision for The Heights immediately after that.
The first phase of the proj- ect will involve retail, residen- tial, and the Riverwalk. Besides the Armature Works building, the first phase also will include an apartment- and-retail building named The Pearl, and infrastructure construction that will expand the Riverwalk to The Heights. The Riverwalk extension will include a snack bar and rental office for bikes, paddle boards and kayaks.
A water tower that the SoHo partners acquired from a Ben Hill Griffin, Incorpo- rated citrus grove will be erected on the site with a pavilion area underneath.
The Pearl will be a 314-unit apartment complex wrapped around a parking deck and in- clude 28,500 square feet of retail space on the ground floor. It is slated to cost $67 million.
PAGE 2 FLORIDA SENTINEL BULLETIN PUBLISHED EVERY TUESDAY AND FRIDAY TUESDAY, JULY 5, 2016