City leaders break ground on Rome Yards development in West Tampa area

TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa city leaders broke ground Tuesday on a new project that’s part of the continued development of the West Tampa area. 

Construction on Rome Yards, the 18-acre City of Tampa maintenance yard between Rome Avenue and the Hillsborough River, will start soon. 

"This is waterfront property close to downtown. And it deserves something better," Tampa city councilwoman Gwen Henderson said. "And now, we are here today, and that is the reason why we are all celebrating."

READ: Tampa breaks ground on new affordable housing towers in the West River development

Officials with the Tampa Housing Authority, City of Tampa and the Related Urban Development Group unveiled renderings at a news conference on Tuesday.   

"You see it happening at Water Street. You see it downtown. You see it at Midtown," Tampa city council chair Guido Maniscalco said. "But here in West Tampa [is] something beautiful that we can all be very proud of that’s going to be beneficial to a lot of people."

Construction on the first phase of Rome Yards will include building an 11-story residential tower called the Gallery, which is expected to be complete in December 2026. Eighty percent of the 234 units will be reserved for households at or below 80% of the area median income. The rest will be workforce housing.

MORE: West River redevelopment plan making progress, Tampa officials say

The Tampa Housing Authority told FOX 13 Tuesday that 16,238 Hillsborough County families are currently on the waitlist, looking for affordable housing. 

"We’re providing everything from affordable housing to market rate here in West Tampa," Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said. "So West Tampa will stand as the example for the entire city of Tampa."

Plans also call for five "live/work units," which represent a unique opportunity for business owners. 

"An artist can live here and also have their studio within that same space," Henderson said. "And providing an opportunity like that, it’s very important."

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Crews will also begin building a workforce training center that will provide financial literacy and other services. 

Rome Yards sits just north of the ongoing West River development in what used to be the North Boulevard Housing Project. A new Grow Financial Federal Credit Union branch opened in the ground floor of one of the towers in March. In addition, a new Publix grocery store is expected to open in the area. 

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