An 11-story apartment tower rising on a former city maintenance yard in West Tampa has reached a major construction milestone, marking the first visible phase of a broader redevelopment project that aims to bring nearly 1,000 apartments, commercial space and workforce programs into one of Tampa’s fastest-changing urban corridors.
Developers will hold a topping-off ceremony Friday for Gallery at Rome Yards, a 234-unit mixed-income apartment project at 2309 N. Rome Ave. The building is the first phase of the planned 18-acre Rome Yards redevelopment, which is expected to include 954 residential units and more than 33,000 square feet of commercial space.
The project arrives as developers continue pushing deeper into West Tampa, where proximity to downtown, Midtown Tampa and the West River district has accelerated redevelopment activity and increased pressure on housing affordability across historically working-class neighborhoods.
About 80% of the apartments at Gallery at Rome Yards are designated as affordable housing, while the remaining units are set aside for workforce housing, according to Related Urban Development Group, the mixed-income housing division of Related Group.
The development will also include ground-floor retail, co-working space, a fitness center, a dog park and an on-site workforce training center focused on job readiness and small-business support.
Read the latest Tampa business news and updates
The project also carries broader economic-development goals tied to public participation in the redevelopment. Related Urban said the development is the first major publicly supported Tampa project tied to a Community Benefits Agreement, which commits at least 40% of project participation to women- and minority-owned business enterprises and requires that 40% of new hires be Tampa residents.
City leaders and housing officials increasingly have pushed developers to incorporate workforce housing and local hiring provisions into large redevelopment projects as rising land values and construction costs reshape Tampa’s urban core.
Tampa Mayor Jane Castor and Tampa Housing Authority President and CEO Jerome D. Ryans are expected to attend Friday’s ceremony alongside project partners and development officials.
Read More Tampa Bay Business News
Explore the latest Tampa Bay business news, real estate deals, development projects, executive moves and company updates shaping the region.