Tampa Rising
Water Street Tampa reimagines the city’s downtown.
It’s impossible to talk about Florida right now without mentioning Tampa. Once a sleepy backwater of a city, it’s boomed of late into a hot spot for millennials and Generation Z, tech startups, and people of all ages and ilk who’ve moved here from around the country and world for an enviable quality of life served up with plenty of sunshine (not to mention water, water, everywhere).
At the heart of downtown’s renaissance sits the landmark $3.5 billion Water Street Tampa project, financially backed by Bill Gates and Jeffrey Vinik (owner of the city’s professional hockey team, the Tampa Bay Lightning). The 55-acre mixed-use development project at the heart of the city’s downtown corridor recently received designation as North America’s first WELL Certified Community, thanks to its sustainability and livability standards. And Water Street Tampa plays a key role in redefining what was once a languishing downtown that now booms with restaurants, retail, urban parks and food halls that take advantage of the city’s prime waterfront setting.
Josh Taub, CEO, Strategic Property Partners, Water Street Tampa’s developer, called 2023 a “monumental year” for the project.
“Many of our retailers opened this year, from beautifully designed sit-down restaurants to creative grab-and-go lunch spots to rooftop cocktail bars and more,” he said. “We also hosted even more community events and programming, including our incredibly successful monthly local vendors and farmers markets and our Arts in Motion pop-up event, which brought two world-renowned art installations to Florida for the first time.”
Visitors of the leisure and meeting and conventions variety flock to new hotels in the district such as The Tampa EDITION — the city’s first true 5-star property, designed by Ian Schrager — and linger over meals at diverse restaurants like French brasserie Boulon; The Pearl (a fabulous import from Ohio’s Cameron Mitchell Restaurants); and Lona
by Chef Richard Sandoval, known for its authentic Oaxacan flair.
Water Street Tampa is also home to the waterfront park and street food/beer garden hangout Sparkman Wharf; the largest collection of hotel rooms and meeting space in the Tampa Bay area as well as the region’s largest hotel ballroom, at JW Marriott Tampa Water Street; and the Tampa Marriott Water Street. Visitors should bookmark dinner reservations at the city’s first Michelin-starred restaurant here, too — Lilac, inside The Tampa EDITION.
Quality-of-urban-lifeenhancing elements define the district, such as double-wide sidewalks, bike lanes and plazas that form the neighborhood’s foundation, with a focus on infrastructure that makes sense for the future. “It was vital for us to invest in placemaking and ensure the neighborhood that we were creating could not only support, but also enhance, a downtown live-work-play experience,” Taub said. “The result is a beautifully crafted yet functional place that balances a lively urban environment with lush landscaping and moments for respite [in order] to create thoughtful spaces where people actually want to spend their time.”
Santiago C. Corrada, president and CEO, Visit Tampa Bay, said Water Street Tampa is part of a “remarkable renaissance” in the city that’s expanding Tampa’s cachet to a diverse range of travelers. And there’s much more to come in 2024 as SPP unveils initial plans for upcoming buildings that will expand the neighborhood and continue to attract new residents, tenants and visitors with the promise of vibrant, walkable urban life.
“Water Street Tampa continues to stand out for its transformative lifestyle offerings,” he said.