Midtown Tampa construction ready to go vertical

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - It still looks like a pile of dirt now, but the development of the city's new Midtown Tampa shopping district is about to ramp up.  

Demolition at the future site of the mixed-use development on Dale Mabry Highway near I-275 completed last June. Since then, the developer overseeing Tampa's newest district says construction thus far has been focused on basic infrastructure.

"We've completed all the site work at the site, so all the utilities, electric, cable, water connections," said Bromley Companies chief executive officer Nick Haines. "All the infrastructure of the site is complete."

Now the work is about to begin on the 22-acre, $500-million site that will include retail and office buildings, entertainment, and hospitality. 

"We're going to start building nine buildings and two parking garages, almost all at the same time," said Haines. "The first buildings that we'll start are one of our three residential buildings, followed by the Whole Foods, the office building, and the hotel." 

The renderings of the first office building were released earlier this year, and plans for the others are expected to be released in the coming weeks. 

According to the Midtown Tampa website, there is hope that this new district will bridge the gap between Westshore and downtown. The development is the first of its kind in the city.

"Our desire with Midtown is to kind of unite downtown with Westshore, and help create kind of a common live, work, play environment that can bring the whole city together," explained Haines. 

"With our project, everything is going to open at the same time. When guests and residents and workers come, they'll be visiting a finished product."

Midtown Tampa is about to look a lot different in the coming months. Wednesday, a ceremonial groundbreaking will mark the beginning of vertical construction on the site. 

The project should be finished in early 2021.