Tampa approves $8.625M Army/Navy redevelopment with 1,150 homes

Tampa City Council unanimously approved an agreement Thursday that clears the way for the $8.625 million redevelopment of the former Army/Navy Surplus site, a project city leaders hope will help ease Tampa's housing shortage while reshaping the northern edge of downtown.

The five-phase development would bring 1,150 mixed-income apartments to the roughly four-acre site between North Tampa Street and East Ashley Drive, including about 800 affordable, attainable and workforce housing units.

Under the agreement, at least 568 apartments will be reserved for households earning 80% or less of the area's median income, while another 230 units will be set aside for households earning between 80% and 140% of the area median income. Those affordability requirements will remain in place for at least 50 years.

The project, led by Miami-based developers PMG Affordable in partnership with the Tampa Housing Authority, Banc of America Community Development Company and construction management firm DuCon, is one of the city's largest planned mixed-income housing developments and comes as Tampa continues to grapple with rising housing costs and a shortage of affordable homes.

"Today's unanimous city council vote is an important step toward delivering much-needed affordable, attainable and workforce housing for Tampa families," Dan Coakley, a partner at PMG Affordable, says in a release.

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The land disposition agreement establishes a minimum purchase price of $8.625 million for the city-owned property. The city also agreed to contribute $7 million toward construction of a public parking garage with 150 spaces intended to serve downtown visitors and nearby businesses.

Beyond housing, the redevelopment is expected to include significant ground-floor retail, commercial and community space.

Plans also call for public plazas and green space, public art, landscaped sidewalks, bicycle amenities, new streets and infrastructure improvements designed to strengthen connections between downtown, the Tampa Heights neighborhood, the Tampa Riverwalk, the Straz Center for the Performing Arts and nearby employment centers.

The former Army/Navy Surplus property has long been viewed by city officials as a key redevelopment opportunity because of its location at the northern gateway to downtown. The 5.6-acre, city-owned property operated as a surplus store from 1938 until its closing in 2013. The site was acquired by the city's Community Redevelopment Agency in 2020 for $4.5 million. 

Council's approval allows the development team to move into the next phase of the project, including detailed design, financing and additional community planning before construction can begin.

The Army/Navy redevelopment is the latest major public-private housing initiative involving PMG Affordable and the Tampa Housing Authority. The partners are also collaborating on the redevelopment of Robles Park Village, where three fully funded phases are expected to begin construction within the next 18 months.

The project reflects the city's broader effort to increase the supply of affordable and workforce housing through partnerships with private developers while encouraging higher-density residential development near jobs, transit and downtown amenities, the release says.