Strategic Property Partners, LLC Celebrates Monumental Year for Water Street Tampa Neighborhood
SPP looks forward to future milestones in 2019 with the unveiling of two additional residential projects, six groundbreakings, topping out of the JW Marriott Tampa and more 

Tampa, FL (December 20, 2018) – Strategic Property Partners, LLC (“SPP”), the Tampa-based commercial real estate development firm, is closing out 2018 with a monumental record of progress on Water Street Tampa, the visionary 53-acre development that is re-inventing the city’s downtown waterfront.

A testament to Tampa’s prosperous future fueled by the city’s unprecedented economic growth, SPP has invested significantly in connecting the Central Business District to Tampa’s historic waterfront, bringing a host of new residential, hospitality, office, retail and cultural offerings to one of the nation’s fastest-growing cities.

“Within three years of announcing the vision for Water Street Tampa, SPP has made significant progress towards the initial phase of the neighborhood,” said James Nozar, CEO of SPP. “Since beginning vertical construction in April, we’ve seen an unprecedented level of activity on-site. We look forward to what 2019 has in store, with groundbreakings planned on six additional buildings, celebrating the topping out of the Tampa JW Marriott hotel, and the continued renovation of Sparkman Wharf, ultimately bringing us closer to the comprehensive and forward-thinking urban neighborhood that we’re creating here.”

In 2019, SPP looks forward to sharing new details on two new residential projects, 1010 Water Street, designed by Morris Adjmi Architects, and 1077 Water Street, designed by COOKFOX, with both project’s planned to break ground before year’s end.

In 2018, an incredibly successful year for Water Street Tampa, SPP accomplished numerous construction milestones, including breaking ground on three signature projects, including the Tampa JW  Marriott hotel, designed by Nichols Brosch Wurst Wolfe & Associates and Champalimaud Design, the host hotel for Super Bowl LV in 2021; 815 Water Street, a dual-tower residential offering designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and Cecconi Simone, with inspired landscaping by Raymond Jungles that includes a new eastern gateway to the Tampa Riverwalk; and an innovative Central Cooling Facility, which will begin service in 2019; and, the grand opening of the park, biergarten and outdoor food garden at Sparkman Wharf.

Sparkman Wharf, a highly anticipated initial feature of Water Street Tampa, opened it park, bandshell, biergarten, and dining garden in November.  Since opening, it’s drawn throngs of guests and been regularly programmed with local musical talent, movies on the green, outdoor fitness activities, holiday events, and even a mayoral debate.  Sparkman Wharf features ten restaurants from some of Tampa’s best chefs and restaurateurs, establishing Tampa as a sizzling culinary destination. In 2018, SPP also began work on the interior space at Sparkman Wharf, a complete renovation of the former Channelside Bay Plaza retail center.   When completed in early 2020, Sparkman Wharf will house 180,000 square feet of new high-ceilinged, waterfront lofty office space and 65,000 square feet of reimagined ground-floor retail space that will complement the existing outdoor amenities.

Renovations on the Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina have also continued, with renovations to all of the 727 guest rooms completed earlier this year. Improvements to the hotel’s lobby, common spaces, restaurant, and outdoor waterfront terrace are currently underway.  As part of the newly updated hotel, SPP tapped acclaimed restaurateur Richard Sandoval to program two new restaurant concepts that set to open in mid-2019.

To further enrich the extensive hospitality and culinary offerings at Water Street Tampa, SPP announced its partnership with Marriott International and the esteemed Ian Schrager Company to create the city’s first five-star hotel, the Tampa EDITION Hotel & Residences, complete with 173 hotel rooms and 35 condominium residences, to the neighborhood.  The Tampa EDITION Hotel & Residences is planned to break ground in early 2019 and complete in the Spring of 2021.

Thoughtfully designed to bring people together, the 519-room JW Marriott Tampa hotel began construction in April 2018. The hotel, planned to open to guests in the Fall of 2020, will offer multiple social spaces and amenities, including a full-service spa and fitness center; an expansive rooftop pool and sun terrace; a full-service restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, and a rooftop lounge and terrace on the 26th floor boasting sweeping views of the waterfront and downtown Tampa. The JW Marriott hotel will top-out construction in the summer of 2019.

SPP also announced plans for two new trophy office towers at Water Street Tampa, together totaling nearly 1 million square feet—1001 Water Street, which has been designed by COOKFOX, and 400 Channelside Drive, which has been designed by Gensler—that serve the city’s growing professional population and are designed to attract national companies of all sizes and industries.

Additionally, the University of South Florida recently topped out construction on the Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, a new urban campus for the school’s 1,800 students, researchers and faculty with improved proximity to the university’s premier teaching hospital, Tampa General Hospital.

Creating an expanded roadway network connecting Tampa’s Central Business District and Downtown’s waterfront Channel District, SPP successfully acquired the nearby, three-acre Ardent Mills flour mill property and secured the rights to the crossing at Cumberland Avenue and Meridian Street,  which will extend Cumberland Avenue from the Channel District into the Central Business District, thus providing a new long-awaited east-west route through the downtown core and an additional entry point for people coming to Water Street Tampa.

SPP also gained approval from Port Tampa Bay to develop the Garrison Parking lot next to Sparkman Wharf, further connecting Water Street Tampa to the city’s surrounding neighborhoods such as Harbour Island.

To round out a banner year, Strategic Property Partners is also proud to announce the company, as part of its commitment to the greater Tampa Bay community, donated more than $375,000 across 34 organizations in 2018.  These organizations include Walk Bike Tampa, the American Heart Association, and Tampa Bay Businesses for Culture and the Arts. These gracious recipients align with SPP’s vision for Water Street Tampa, which embraces pillars of walkability, wellness, and the arts.

For more information about the development, please visit https://waterstreettampa.com/.