Lafayette Place in no hurry, developer says

For a project that could total 1.7 million square feet — roughly equivalent to the 42-story 100 North Tampa, SunTrust Financial Centre and the Tampa City Center skyscrapers combined — Hillsborough River Realty Co. doesn't appear to be in any rush to break ground.

In fact, Hillsborough River Senior Vice President John LaRocca says the company, an affiliate of Jeffries Travis Realty Corp., is anxious to see other, seemingly competing projects — namely Strategic Property Partners' $2 billion Channelside redevelopment; Feldman Equities and Tower Realty Partners' 52-story Riverwalk Tower; and Related Group's revamp of the Tampa Tribune site, to name a few — succeed.

“We're not pressured to make something happen immediately,” LaRocca says. “For those projects already in the pipeline in downtown Tampa and those that are close to getting permits, we want them to be successful, because that will mean our project stands a chance of being successful. Success will breed success.”