$200M apartment and hotel project planned for this growing Tampa neighborhood

A $200 million development slated for downtown Tampa will add apartments, hotel rooms, stores and restaurants to a burgeoning section of the city.

Miami-based developer LD&D unveiled plans this week to build a 28-story, 365-unit luxury apartment building in Tampa’s Encore redevelopment district. Located at 1101 East Harrison St. the project will also include a 178-key hotel, 32,500 square feet of ground floor retail and a 586-space parking podium.

LD&D said it plans to buy the two-acre parcel from the Tampa Housing Authority, though the sale has not yet been recorded by the Hillsborough County Property Appraiser’s Office.

Diego Bonet, Managing Partner of LD&D said the site’s proximity to Ybor City, Channelside, Water Street and the riverwalk make it an ideal location for young professionals and new families who want to live in the urban core without sacrificing comfort and style.

“All these neighborhoods, with the growth that Tampa is seeing, are just going to converge and Encore is literally going to be in the middle of everything,” he said.

Bonet pointed to amenities like a 4,500-square-foot wellness area, 10,000 square feet of co-working space, and a residential sky-lounge on the 26th floor.

“We’re probably going to have some of the best views in Tampa,” he said.

The development marks a new chapter for Encore, a massive urban renewal effort more than a decade in the making. It was designed to replace the former Central Park Village public housing complex with a mix of affordable housing, market rate housing and retail.

The district faced some setbacks — a contractor working on one of the apartments was fired, deals with retailers like Publix and Walmart fell through. But now, every lot in the community is either developed or under contract.

“This is the realization of the dream for Encore,” said Leroy Moore, chief operating officer of the Tampa Housing Authority. “This live, work, play combination is what most communities strive to have.”

Other projects planned for the district include condominiums, medical offices and a grocery store.