New 4,300-seat music venue headed to prominent Tampa mixed-use project

Ybor City developer Darryl Shaw’s forthcoming Gasworx District is getting a harmonious boost: the project will now include a 4,300-seat live music venue. 

The developers behind the heavily-followed project announced the addition in a statement sent this morning. 

The venue will be built by Washington, D.C.-based KETTLER, a national real estate investor, developer and property management company that has partnered with Shaw to build Gasworx, the 50-acre mixed-use development connecting Ybor City to downtown Tampa’s Channel District. The venue, which has yet to be named, will be operated by Live Nation and designed to complement Tampa’s “growing live music ecosystem while honoring the unique culture, energy and historic character of Ybor City,” the release says. 

The mid-sized venue is scheduled to open in late 2028, the release says, and be located on North 15th Street, near the site of Gasworx future marketplace. That location is steps away from the 7th Avenue entertainment corridor, the Centro Ybor parking garage and a future TECO Streetcar stop along Channelside Drive.

“Ybor City has a distinct character and a long tradition of nightlife and live music,” says James Nozar, President of Development at KETTLER, in the release. “Our goal is to create a venue that carries that legacy forward by adding a new destination for residents, visitors and artists."

The venue will combine modern design with a vintage-style marquee, lit up by exposed lightbulbs, the release says. The building’s brick facade and second-level balcony will echo the architecture of Ybor City’s while its interior will draw inspiration from historic theaters. Inside, the venue will feature a stage proscenium and rich, green tones, the release says, with state-of-the-art lights and sound and “thoughtfully designed” backstage spaces. The vision for the new venue is a collaboration between Blueprint Studio, Live Nation’s in-house design and development group, and Atlanta-based TVS Architecture and Interior Design.

The venue, which will also be available for private and corporate events, is expected to support about 440 jobs and contribute roughly $6 million each year in state and local tax revenue. 

Gasworx is Shaw’s third mixed-use development in and around the Ybor City area, alongside Ybor Harbor and a new, 30-acre development that encompasses the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. 

Once Gasworx is completed it will offer about 5,000 new residences, more than 500,000 square feet of office space and 120,000 square feet of ground floor retail space. That includes a 28,000-square-foot marketplace scheduled to open next year and include restaurants, retail and a variety of market-style vendors along with a one-acre park. 

Gasworx is a joint venture between KETTLER, Shaw and international property company PPF Real Estate. Live Nation Entertainment operates hundreds of venues worldwide with more than 150 venues in the United States and 18 new venues currently in the works.