Where community and convenience meet
The live, work, play concept is more of a lifestyle than a location. It is a place where strangers become neighbors and foster a deeper sense of community.
Usually comprised of restaurants, shopping, residences, office buildings and cultural attractions, residents in these innovative communities have everything they need just a stone’s throw from their doorstep. There is no need to hop in the car and navigate through traffic to go to work, to go out to eat, take dogs for a walk, go shopping or even go to a farmers market or pop-up events — all of these activities are just a short walk away.
Live, work, play neighborhoods are designed to maximize quality of life. Artwork and beautiful outdoor common areas decorate every corner in many of these developments. Events and common areas bring residents together and enrich the cultural scene. A myriad of dining options, proximity to urban attractions and endless opportunities to enjoy active lifestyles ensure residents never run out of things to do.
With many existing communities to choose from and more on the way, new residents might not only find their dream home, but their dream job and neighborhood all in the same place. Here are just a few of Greater Tampa Bay’s most comfortable and convenient communities.
Water Street Tampa — downtown Tampa
Water Street Tampa is a multi-phased, mixed-use development transforming 56 contiguous acres on Tampa’s waterfront into an entirely new neighborhood. The development is bringing 9 million square feet of brand-new commercial, residential, hospitality, entertainment, cultural, retail and educational spaces connected by a pedestrian-focused street plan and public green space.
Water Street Tampa is built on the idea that the city of the future can be designed in a more comprehensive, cohesive and people-centric way. It is connecting Tampa’s central business district to its waterfront and linking residential neighborhoods to the city’s retail and business districts, creating a balanced urban experience that reflects the way people want to live in cities today.
This development is spearheaded by Strategic Property Partners, LLC, a partnership between Cascade Investment LLC and businessman Jeff Vinik, owner of the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team. SPP has brought together the world’s best talent in architecture, design, landscape architecture, urban planning, placemaking and community design to realize the vision for Water Street Tampa.
The community is designed with an emphasis on health and wellness. Outdoor common areas, including space along the waterfront and pedestrian trails, as well as sustainable buildings and technology, benefit both residents’ and the environment’s health.
Water Street Tampa’s first phase of development comprises:
- 600,000 square feet of new office space, including downtown Tampa’s first trophy office tower in over 30 years
- 1,300 new residences, including rental and for-sale options and the city’s first five-star hotel-branded condominiums
- 1,515 new and renovated hotel rooms
- Sparkman Wharf, a mixed-use waterfront destination with a dining garden, event lawn, retail space and offices
- SPP donated the land where the University of South Florida has relocated their Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, enabling the university to create a new 330,000-square-feet facility that serves more than 2,000 faculty and students.
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Residences
Water Street Tampa introduces a diverse range of residential offerings including rental apartments to for-sale condominiums. Brand-new residences feature stunning design by some of the world’s leading architects and interior designers.
Residences include:
- The Residences at The Tampa EDITION, the city’s first five-star hotel branded-residences
- Three multifamily rental buildings are currently leasing:
- Heron
- Cora
- Asher
Hospitality
SPP is bringing diverse, unprecedented hospitality options including the city’s first five-star hotel, The Tampa EDITION, and the first JW Marriott. Anchored by three hotels, Water Street Tampa is creating a one-of-a-kind hospitality experience that will be an important cornerstone for the new neighborhood and the evolving business district.
Hotel options include:
- 172 keys at The Tampa EDITION
- 519 keys at the JW Marriott Tampa Water Street
- 727 keys at the Tampa Marriott Water Street
- 97 extended-stay rooms at ROOST Tampa
Work
Offices at Water Street Tampa will accommodate the large influx of STEM and start-up companies relocating to the city from across the U.S. The spaces are cutting-edge, highly amenitized and sustainably designed, ranging in style from waterfront loft-style space to a trophy office tower with wellness-oriented amenities.
Current office spaces include:
- 20-story tower with office space at Thousand & One
- Tampa’s first new downtown office tower in more than 30 years
- 180,000 square feet of spacious loft-style office space at Sparkman Wharf
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Entertainment
Visitors and residents of Water Street Tampa enjoy a location in close proximity to several of Tampa’s top destinations. It is all just a short walk away. Sparkman Wharf features a one-acre park with a recreation lawn that is regularly programmed with community events.
Adjacent attractions include:
- Amalie Arena, which hosts Tampa Bay Lightning hockey games, concerts and other large-scale events
- Sparkman Wharf
- Tampa Bay History Center
- The Florida Aquarium
Retail and Dining
A wide variety of curated retail concepts are coming to the neighborhood, including restaurants, local boutiques, a full-service grocery store and more. Sparkman Wharf, the neighborhood’s mixed-use waterfront destination, has become a cultural hub and the new epicenter of Tampa’s thriving dining. Sparkman Wharf’s central park is home to an intimate dining garden that features 10 restaurant concepts housed in refurbished shipping containers.
There are 50 unique retailers and dining options throughout Water Street Tampa, including:
- Anchor & Brine
- Boulon Brasserie (coming soon as of press time)
- GreenWise Market
- The Joyful Notion
- Edison’s Swigamajig
- Wagamama
- Jeni’s Ice Creams
- Noble Rice
- BODYROK
- Jotoro
- LightHaus
- The Modern Paws
- Toastique (coming soon as of press time)
Midtown — Westshore District, Tampa
West of downtown Tampa, in the Westshore District, is Midtown Tampa, a community that calls itself a city within a city — and they mean it. Apartments, office spaces and celebrated restaurants and stores accompany hotels, common spaces and scenic walking trails. City living has never been so local.
This contemporary, sleek, self-sustaining community offers every modern convenience in itself, but factor in its location right off Interstate 275 and adjacent to Dale Mabry Highway, and getting around truly becomes a breeze.
With more businesses, retailers and residents calling Midtown home all the time, this growing community invites the community to come and see what the buzz is all about.
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NOVEL, Midtown’s primary apartment complex, offers studio through three-bedroom sized units and sits above the Retail Plaza and Midtown Commons areas. The complex is replete with top-notch amenities such as a resort-style pool, dry cleaning lockers and co-working office spaces, plus a parking garage right by the residences. For a bite to eat or a cup of coffee, simply head downstairs.
The contemporary and modern Element Midtown Tampa Hotel is an exciting addition to Midtown with 230 rooms. It offers convenience whether visitors are coming and going to the nearby Raymond James Stadium, Westshore Business District or downtown Tampa attractions, or coming to visit Midtown Tampa residents.
Within the Element is the Sal Y Mar Rooftop Bar and Events venue, boasting a bar and restaurant, rooftop pool and lounge area and a ballroom. It is a classy Florida-style venue perfect for wedding receptions, meetings and events or just hanging out.
Work
Midtown is a very attractive place to work and locate a business, with everything professionals need and want all in one place. Major companies are moving into Midtown’s Class A office space in three different office buildings.
In addition to businesses within the community itself, Midtown places working professionals within easy commutes to top employers in the Westshore District, home to the Tampa International Airport, as well as downtown Tampa and the surrounding areas.
Current office spaces include:
- Midtown West, a 152,000-square-foot, eight-story Class A office building
- The Loft, a three-story, 72,000-square-foot boutique office building
- Midtown East, a 16- to 18-story, 400,000-square-foot, Class A office building
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Retail and Dining
The restaurant selection at Midtown Tampa is unrivaled. The first Joffrey’s Coffee spot outside of a Disney location has a place here, along with Tampa’s first Shake Shack and award-winning Italian restaurant BellaBrava. Renowned chef Chris Ponte heads modern American-style restaurant Ponte Tampa, and the Oprah-backed, health-food restaurant True Food Kitchen opened in Midtown as well.
A Whole Foods Market grocery store right there in the community makes healthy eating as convenient — and tasty — as ever.
There are dozens more retailers, restaurants, fitness centers and health and beauty businesses.
Live, work, play communities often take pride in promoting active and healthy lifestyles, and Midtown certainly excels in this area. It is home to Midtown Lake and Watercourse trail, outdoor common areas and GTB’s first REI Co-Op store, which brings outdoor gear, expertise and even a bicycle maintenance team, and several health and wellness facilities such as gyms, fitness centers, a chiropractic clinic and more.
Grassy common spaces perfect for live music, bars and eateries to unwind in are all available at Midtown Tampa. Events and farmers markets fill the common areas with neighborly activity on a regular basis.
Orange Station at the EDGE — EDGE District, St. Petersburg
Orange Station at the EDGE is not expected to open for another couple of years, but this monumental project along St. Pete’s Central Avenue is definitely one to join in on sooner rather than later.
Orange Station will rise 16 stories up within St. Petersburg’s EDGE District, a culturally and historically rich community just west of downtown. This ultimate live, work, play environment adds to the exciting development and growth in this unique part of St. Pete. Orange Station’s expected groundbreaking is first-quarter 2023, and the expected opening is first-quarter 2025.
Orange Station will pay homage to several monumental events in St. Pete’s history.
The Orange Belt Railway brought St. Pete’s first settlers here in 1888. The railway inspired Orange Station’s name and the establishment of a station along the SunRunner rapid transit line. Orange Station is being built where the St. Pete Police department was formerly located.
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The Orange Station development will offer both condominium and apartment options for residents, plus a hotel for guests:
- 130,000 square feet of total residential space
- 42 workforce apartments, The WYE
- 61 luxury condominiums, The Residences
- 590-space parking garage
- 160-room full-service hotel
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Orange Station will offer office space for the growing numbers of businesses moving to St. Pete each year. Its location in the Edge District places the community close to numerous dining and coffee spots, plus easy access to interstates.
- Four floors with 52,000 square feet total of Class A office space
- 21,400 square feet of street-facing retail
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A European-style plaza will invite working professionals, residents and the public to mingle among the outdoor cafes and art installations. A parking garage with both public and private spaces is not only a convenience for residents and workers, but it improves the public’s ease of access into this buzzing urban area as well.
Located on 1st Avenue in St. Pete, Orange Station will be located right in the downtown area of St. Pete. In this vibrant part of the urban center, there are new places to try and fun things to do around every corner, including several museums, two sports stadiums, parks and the St. Pete Pier.
Wiregrass Ranch — Wesley Chapel
City convenience meets country comfort at Wiregrass Ranch, a 5,000-acre live, work, play community in Wesley Chapel.
Living in harmony with the land is essential to life at Wiregrass Ranch. The community was the vision of the Porter family, who desired to create a family-oriented development on their cattle ranch and citrus grove. After utilizing the land for generations, the Porters brought that vision to life in the 1970s. The family remains stewards of the land so residents can enjoy their home’s natural beauty.
The variety of quality, accessible health care is a strong reason Wiregrass Ranch is such a standout among live, work, play developments. Advent Health’s 148-bed hospital serves residents close to home, while Florida Medical Clinic, North Tampa Behavioral Health and Farina Medical Plaza cater to an array of medical needs. In addition, Farina Medical Plaza contributes the “work” element of live, work, play. The new facility is a Class A medical office building with 16,000 square feet of health care facility space, equipped with advanced medical technology.
Also considering the several schools within walking distance of the community, including Pasco-Hernando State College’s Porter Campus, it becomes clear that Wiregrass Ranch has much more to offer than merely a place to live, work and play. This wholesome community exceeds expectations and meets the needs for almost every aspect of life.
A unique element of Wiregrass Ranch’s design is its multi-generational approach. The dynamic community contains several distinct neighborhoods perfect for multiple demographics. Apartments and townhomes with resort-like amenities are great for younger professionals and young families. Many options for single-family homes ensure there is plenty of room for families to grow in place. Older generations can stay close to their families, with 55-and-older and assisted living communities within Wiregrass Ranch.
- 9 distinct neighborhoods
- Estancia at Wiregrass — townhomes, single-family homes
- Persimmon Park — single-family homes
- Windmere Estates — townhomes
- Esplanade — 55+ resort-style single family homes
- The Ridge — resort-style single-family homes
- The Arbors — townhomes, town estates, manor homes
- Horizon Wiregrass Ranch Apartments — amenity-rich apartment living
- Beachouse Assisted Living & Memory Care — full-service senior residences
Healthy and active lifestyles are a focal point at Wiregrass Ranch. Residents benefit from having a sports tourism destination right there in their backyards. The RADD Wiregrass Ranch Sports Campus is an enormous multipurpose facility that hosts many championship tournaments and sporting events. Just a few amenities within the facility are eight basketball courts, a cheer area, an athletic training and conditioning space and a VIP Sky Deck viewing area. In addition, the several community centers and resort-style pools within Wiregrass Ranch foster an outdoor active lifestyle.
The Shops at Wiregrass meets any resident’s shopping needs, with department stores such as Dillard’s, Macy’s and JCPenney, specialty shops and clothing stores, eclectic boutiques and numerous dining options.
- 67-acre retail and entertainment complex
- 100+ retailers at The Shops at Wiregrass
- 98,000-square-foot Wiregrass Ranch Sports Arena
Hyde Park Village — Hyde Park, Tampa
The Hyde Park neighborhood of Tampa is one of the city’s oldest and most historic. Tracing its roots back to 1886, Hyde Park has seen the decades and centuries come and go, preserved in its antiquity while welcoming and encouraging growth.
The neighborhood is conveniently located west of downtown Tampa, along the Selmon Expressway. Along the beautifully landscaped suburban streets lies a combination of housing options. Homes with 19th-century architecture mingle with newer apartment buildings and condominiums designed to maintain the area’s historic integrity. Beautiful parks and the Bayshore fitness trail beckon residents into the outdoors.
At Hyde Park’s center is the elegant and charming live, work, play development, Hyde Park Village. This all-in-one destination features an incredible mix of restaurants, cafés and retail shops. Hyde Park Village continues to grow with the recent openings of iconic fashion label, Zimmermann and eyewear leader Warby Parker. Other brands soon to join the property include New York fashion label Rag & Bone, fitness sensation Barry’s and California jewelry line, Gorjana.
Village Circle, recognized by its iconic fountain, is the hub of Hyde Park Village. Eateries such as Meat Market, Bartaco, Irish 31 and On Swann, dessert spots including Sorrento Sweets and Sprinkles and watering holes including The Candle Pour and Wine Exchange mix upscale and classy with casual settings.
Clothes shopping can be explored at Vineyard Vines, Lululemon, Social Status or the recently opened Kittenish and Nike stores. Health and beauty stores such as Bluemercury and Clean Juice keep patrons looking and feeling good. These are just a few of the many tenants that make Hyde Park Village such a well-rounded, self-sustaining community.
With a community forward approach, Hyde Park Village also offers a robust events calendar. Look for Hyde Park Sweat for complimentary fitness classes and Fresh Market — one of the area’s best farmer’s markets. Held monthly it brings together over 90 farmers and artisans.
Putting the “work” in live, work, play for Hyde Park, the successful Hyde House coworking facility is a unique blend of stylish socializing amenities, coworking offices and event spaces. It boasts 65 private offices, ample coworking and networking areas, a new creative workspace called Public Studio, five event spaces, an auditorium and a members-only bar and kitchen.
The Heights — Tampa Heights, Tampa
The Heights comprises 50 acres of top-notch Tampa real estate north of downtown and west of Ybor City. One of the oldest in the area, this neighborhood has seen one of the largest swells of development in recent years.
Armature Works, a 73,000-square-foot multi-use facility, houses dozens of new restaurants, bars and hangout lofts that breathe fresh life into Tampa’s history. This impressive space was converted from an old Tampa Electric Company warehouse dating back to 1910. The venue’s updated industrial look remains true to the building’s history.
Restaurants like Southern-inspired Steelbach and Euro American-style Oak & Ola, coffeeshops like local Buddy Brew and event spaces for every conceivable function combine to make Armature Works the model of the play mentality. Networking, events, markets and holiday celebrations bring the community together on a regular basis. These are a few reasons why Armature Works has become one of the area’s most well-known venues.
The Heights Union brings roughly 300,000 square feet of alternative, mixed-use office space to the Tampa Heights neighborhood. This space provides flexible access to offices for a variety of businesses, with most of those being life science companies. The impressive roster of tenants includes Pfizer, Axogen and White & Case.
Within The Heights is The Pearl, a 314-unit luxury apartment complex that opened its doors in 2018. Exemplifying the value of convenience within live, work, play communities, The Pearl is located within easy walking distance of the aforementioned hotspots. The Pearl, with its innumerable amenities, skyline views and sustainability-focused design, accentuates what the Heights is all about — living, working and playing in their highest forms.
Casa Ybor — Ybor City, Tampa
The history and culture of Ybor City is deep and rich. Casa Ybor, a retail, residential and office community, aims to “Celebrate the Renaissance of Ybor City.” Leading the revitalization effort, this neighborhood strives to combine the background of its founding in 1885 with the modern touches of today’s world.
Retail spaces like Buchman, Casa Bomberos and Casa Gomez will feature shops, bars and restaurants in converted historical buildings. Many of these spaces, along with Casa Marti, Casa Oliva and Casa Pedroso, will include apartments above these retail spaces, which overlook the streets below.
Casa Ybor is a stone’s throw away from some of the city’s most celebrated places, including the famed Columbia Restaurant, Gaspar’s Grotto and the Ybor City Museum. Office spaces available for lease have been newly renovated and opened for business. Casa Gomez and the Don Vincente maintain their historic, architectural façades while containing spruced-up, modernized interiors.
This neighborhood inspires the harmonious blend of living, working and playing in one of Tampa’s most historic and culturally rich locations.
By Jewell Tomazin.
