Nearly three acres of public land in downtown Tampa are on the table for redevelopment, including a vacant property beside Water Street Tampa and the Tampa-Hillsborough County Expressway Authority’s (THEA) own headquarters, which the agency is willing to relocate to make room for new construction.
The authority’s board voted Monday, October 26, to narrow the field to three developers, SPP, Hines and Gotham, for the two properties near the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway. Apartments, hotels, offices, retail and mixed-use buildings are all possibilities, with THEA considering proposals to develop either property or both together. The agency could sell the land outright or lease it long-term, collecting rent while keeping ownership.
The first site covers 1.41 acres at South Meridian Avenue and East Whiting Street, beside Water Street Tampa, where THEA currently uses the land to manage stormwater and plans to move that system underground at its own expense. The work is tied to the planned Whiting Street Extension, which would also improve street connections around the expressway. THEA President and CEO Greg Slater discussed the surrounding road changes with Tampa City Council in February, including plans to move a nearby ramp and reconnect the street grid to Meridian Avenue.
Moving the stormwater system would free up land beside Water Street for development, with zoning that allows residential and commercial buildings without a formal height limit or maximum floor-area ratio. A hotel is one possibility, as Tampa works to expand its downtown hotel inventory and compete for larger conventions. Tourism studies examined by TBBW in August found that a shortage of hotel rooms within walking distance of the convention center has cost the city business, although no hotel has been proposed for THEA’s property.
The other site, a 1.42-acre property at 1104 E. Twiggs St. near Channelside and Tampa Union Station, presents a different challenge because it houses THEA’s headhttps://tbbwmag.com/2026/07/24/gasworx-rail-crossing/quarters and traffic management center. The existing building covers 27,727 square feet, and redeveloping the property would require finding approximately 20,000 square feet of replacement space with offices, a boardroom, a traffic control room and parking. THEA would also need to keep its operations running throughout any move.
Beyond what gets built, the authority wants developers to consider how the properties would connect to downtown streets, the Selmon Greenway, the Tampa Streetcar and nearby neighborhoods, particularly Water Street, Channelside and Ybor City. Those transportation needs and the financial terms of each proposal will help determine what happens to the land, with SPP, Hines and Gotham now competing for the opportunity. No development plan or land deal has been approved.