Developer pitches $56.3M plan for west Tampa cultural center

A Tampa development group has submitted an unsolicited public-private partnership proposal to build west Tampa’s planned African American Arts & Cultural Center, offering a financing approach that would require an upfront county contribution and decades of lease payments.

The group, called Legacy Development Association, estimates the design and construction costs for the 50,000-square-foot facility to be about $56.3 million. Including development and financing expenses, the group’s preliminary financial estimates put the total project costs at $68.7 million.

The proposal, submitted Wednesday, remains subject to Hillsborough County Commission approval, according to an announcement.

The county has already earmarked its property at 2103 N. Rome Ave. for the future development of a center celebrating African American history, arts and culture, and held three public meetings about the project in 2024. County plans call for replacing existing buildings on the roughly six-acre site in West Tampa, a neighborhood with longstanding ties to Black homeownership and businesses.

The project has been championed by Commissioner Gwen Myers. The county’s capital improvement tracker currently lists it as in the “design phase,” with a $15.5 million budget and no set construction or completion dates. According to county documents, the design completion was anticipated to finish in late 2026. 

LDA proposes a two-story building with a “quilt-inspired” facade, housing galleries, art studios, a sculpture garden and an amphitheater. The group also envisions school field trips and internships at the center through partnerships with Hillsborough County Public Schools.

“Rather than outsourcing, we formed intentional, community-based partnerships to ensure the project’s economic benefits circulate directly back into our neighborhoods,” LDA Managing Partner Darrick Fullwood Sr. says in the release. A well-known contractor, entrepreneur and community leader, Fullwood is founder and CEO of AAA Builders LLC and senior pastor of The Faith Church in Tampa. His company specializes in commercial and residential construction, renovations, and affordable housing initiatives.

The LDA’s consortium ensures local suppliers and contractors drive the development, the release says. Members include AAA Builders, DuCon, Horus Construction Services, Barr & Barr and FG+M Architecture, among others.

Under the proposed financing structure, a nonprofit would obtain tax-exempt bond financing and enter a lease-purchase agreement with the county. The county would make annual payments covering principal and interest, with ownership of the improvements transferring to the county once the debt is retired.

LDA’s model assumes a $25 million upfront payment from the county and approximately $43.7 million financed over 30 years at 4.75% interest, the release says. It lists annual lease payments of roughly $2.7 million, but cautions that figures are preliminary and subject to change.

Optional maintenance reserves would add an average of approximately $357,000 annually for building systems, repairs, security, cleaning and groundskeeping.

LDA says the partnership could accelerate the creation of the center, targeting substantial completion in September 2027. However, the proposal’s baseline construction schedule assumes work began in February 2026, a date that has already passed.

"LDA's vision has always been to create a world-class facility that is built for the community, by the community," Fullwood says in the release. "We envision the AAACC as a cornerstone for cultural continuity that will inspire future generations."