MetLife completes 32-acre MetWest development in Westshore

MetLife Investment Management completed the 32-acre MetWest International development Wednesday with the opening of Emerald at MetWest, a 375-unit apartment community in Tampa’s Westshore Business District.

Developed with ZOM Living, Emerald includes an eight-story apartment building with 3,300 square feet of ground-floor retail. The project completes a mixed-use campus with 1 million square feet of Class A office space, more than 56,000 square feet of retail and restaurants and the AC Hotel by Marriott Tampa Airport. Amenities include coworking space, a fitness center, a resort-style pool, bike and paddleboard storage and a dog park.

The development sits next to International Plaza and Bay Street, placing apartments within walking distance of offices, restaurants and retail and minutes from Tampa International Airport.

“With the completion of Emerald, MetWest International has evolved from its beginnings as a MetLife operations center into a mixed-use destination positioned to support the Tampa Bay community for decades to come,” Scott Sandberg, senior director of asset management at MetLife Investment Management, said.

Mayor Jane Castor said the apartments complete the development’s original vision of combining housing, jobs and services in one location.

“This is exactly the kind of connected, mixed-use development we envisioned for Westshore, where people can live close to where they work, shop and gather,” Castor said.

MetLife Investment Management manages $736.3 billion in assets and has operated in Westshore for more than 50 years. MetWest began as a MetLife operations center before expanding into a mixed-use development with offices, apartments, retail, restaurants and a hotel.