#channel district

[alltblightning]

Are you ready, Bolts Nation?

[downtownemily]

Jeff Vinik plans to clear the rooftops of his Tampa development by going underground | Tampa Bay Times

Jeff Vinik plans to clear the rooftops of his Tampa development by going underground

Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik wants to have bars, restaurants and dog parks on rooftops in downtown Tampa.

The first steps to achieve that will happen underground.

Tampa's City Council will discuss at its regular meeting today whether to approve an agreement with Strategic Property Partners to lay pipes under downtown roads and begin constructing a chilled water distribution plant. The central cooling plant will be used to provide air conditioning to dozens of buildings that will come online as part of a $2 billion overhaul of 40 acres in Tampa's urban core.

SPP, the real estate company owned by Vinik and capital investment firm Cascade Investments LLC, will begin $35 million worth of road work construction next month that tentatively includes the chilled water plant, a key part of Vinik's vision for a walkable, sustainable urban district designed to make those who live and work there more healthy.

"It is the wise choice to provide AC to any large area being developed at once, because it saves energy, is more sustainable and frees up building roofs for other uses," said Jeff Speck, a city planner and acclaimed "new urbanism" advocate who helped design the plans for Tampa's redevelopment.

This central cooling plant will house 20 to 25 water chillers at a distribution center that will be built at the northwest corner of E Cumberland and S Nebraska avenues. Cold water will run to buildings including the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute, a new hotel and Amalie Arena, through a series of underground pipes and will be used to control temperatures inside.

"Our goal is use this distribution center to cool the entire project, including USF and Amalie, which we do not own," said Courtland Corbino, vice president of development for SPP. "The underground piping will allow us to connect to existing downtown buildings and new ones we develop at any time once we lay this framework."

This system frees up the rooftops, which are usually obstructed by traditional air conditioning units. That means rooftop spaces could become parking garages with solar panels on top, or parks, or even restaurants, Corbino said.

SPP will construct, maintain and operate the chilled water plant. The city is considering a 30-year agreement that would require SPP to pay a fee based on how much pipe it lays. If SPP decides to sell chilled water services to other developments, the city will get a cut of the revenues.

The new cooling system will be installed by Tampa Bay Trane, a local air conditioning company that has installed other plants in the area. The cooling plant design is in line with Vinik's vision for a health- and wellness-centric district for Tampa. The central cooling plant will use 30 to 40 percent less energy and water than more typical units used to cool buildings. Because it's more efficient, it will also reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

Chilled plants cool water to 40 to 45 degrees Fahrenheit and then pump it throughout a building that is connected to air handlers.

Florida has more than 30 cooling plants in operation, including a few in the Tampa Bay area. A $14 million chilled water plant was built in Clearwater in 2014, which was billed as saving Pinellas County $4 million in operating costs and repairs on traditional air conditioning units. Another one in Ybor City provides water to Hillsborough Community College and Ybor Square.

SPP announced a partnership with Delos, a New York-based real estate company that develops health and wellness strategies into its projects, in September. Vinik said an estimated $20 million in public and private funds will be invested in health- and wellness-focused design for the district. Earlier this summer, the Tampa Marriott Waterside unveiled a new "Stay Well" program, which dedicated an entire floor of rooms to include Delos amenities such as air purifiers, "circadian rhythm" lighting, aromatherapy and showers with Vitamin C in the water.

Vinik's plan also calls for a new 400- to 500-room luxury hotel, a 650,000-square-foot office tower and more than 300,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space. The University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute will be built in downtown Tampa, as will an adjacent office building to house health-related businesses.

The roadway construction, headed by Tampa-based Kimmins Contracting Corp., is the first step of many to come in Vinik's plans to transform Tampa's downtown into a walkable community. A formal name for the project hasn't been announced yet.

Contact Justine Griffin at [email protected]. Follow @SunBizGriffin.

 Source: http://www.tampabay.com/news/business/realestate/jeff-vinik-plans-to-clear-the-rooftops-of-his-tampa-development-by-going/2285115

[downtownemily]

Tampa developer buys prime corner of Channel district | TBBJ

Ashley Gurbal Kritzer is a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.

A Tampa developer has acquired one of the most visible vacant parcels in downtown's Channel district.

A corporate entity tied to Liberty Group paid $3.25 million for the .95-acre lot at the corner of North Meridian Avenue and Kennedy Boulevard, according to Hillsborough County property records.

 "As of this moment, we have not confirmed any development plans and are evaluating our highest and best use for the site," Liberty CEO Punit Shah wrote in an email. "We recognize the importance of this very visible downtown parcel and we remain diligent in ensuring any potential development compliments the residents of the Channel District community. With the success our Aloft hotel development in downtown Tampa, we believe this property may also be a great opportunity to add another hotel project to our growing city and will keep you apprised of future plans as they materialize."

The transaction closed in early May.

The seller, BP Property Management, had owned at least a portion of the site since 1986, according to Hillsborough County property records.

The corner is among the best located in downtown Tampa, in the heart of an already dense residential district. It is within blocks of two new developments: The rapidly rising eight-story apartment building Florida Crystals has under construction as well as the Channel Club, which will include a new tower and downtown Tampa's long-awaited Publix Super Markets Inc. store.

It is also surrounded by existing buildings that are well positioned. Grand Central at Kennedy, which is marketing dozens of condos for sale after operating them for apartments during the Great Recession, is across the street from the site.

 The Slade, a retail-and-residential building that was purchased by a joint venture in November 2015, is adjacent to Liberty's site.

[downtownemily]

Vinik on Tampa project: 'We're building half a city' | Herald Tribune

By Michael Pollick

Published: Wednesday, October 14, 2015 at 9:46 p.m.

When Jeff Vinik bought the Tampa Bay Lightning hockey team in 2010, he was not thinking about becoming the lightning rod for redevelopment of the nation's 20th largest metro area.

But that's the way it has worked out, as Vinik — who is going to be a part-time Sarasota resident with the construction of a mansion on St. Armands Key — explained Wednesday evening at a "Meet the Minds" event organized by the Sarasota-based Argus Foundation at the Hyatt Regency Sarasota.

Vinik, 56, is now the front man on a planned $2 billion project that will transform the south side of downtown Tampa by redeveloping a 40-acre swath of land surrounding Amalie Arena, where the Lightning nearly won the league's equivalent of the World Series, the Stanley Cup, before being bested by the Chicago Blackhawks.

“We're building half a city. That's really what we want to do here," Vinik told the group in Sarasota.

“The idea of what we are doing comes from the word 'gathering,' ” Vinik said in an interview with the Herald-Tribune earlier on Wednesday. "In this age of electronics and cell phones, people actually want to gather and enjoy experiences together. As much as anything, our district is going to provide that opportunity."

“We've got this great city that has not fully realized its potential. We've got a critical mass of people, we've got great waterfront, and we've got a significant corporate presence. But we lack a central gathering spot for people to celebrate events, and for people to walk down the street and have a nice dinner, then go to a jazz club.”

The project "has the potential to transform Tampa for generations to come," Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn told the Herald-Tribune. "With access to C-level executives all over the country and with (Microsoft founder Bill) Gates making an investment of over a billion, then the capital markets and real estate markets take notice."

Opportunity emerged over time

After buying the Lightning, the former fund manager began snapping up properties around Amalie Arena, simply because Vinik thought they were available at bargain prices.

He and his wife, Penny, have since bought two adjacent properties on St. Armands, and are now completing construction of their own home on the one-acre waterfront site.

Vinik joked that another adjacent lot just went on the market on St. Armands, and that he was going to have to hide the for-sale sign so his wife doesn't see it. 

While they will continue to keep their primary residence in south Tampa, they consider the Sarasota property their "getaway home," perfect for family get-togethers.

Meanwhile, the more investment property he bought in the Channelside District, the more he started thinking that big-picture redevelopment would make sense, Vinik said.

“The real estate opportunity emerged over time,” Vinik said.

To take advantage of it, Vinik said he needed a bigger umbrella. In early 2014, he formed Strategic Property Partners LLC, with Gates as a key investor, to share in the development property and costs going forward.

Strategic acquired the land lease to Channelside Bay Plaza in August 2014.

The last big piece of the land puzzle fell into place in December when Strategic Property Partners acquired the Marriott Waterside Hotel and Marina for about $150 million.

There are plans to break ground next year on the $1 billion first phase of the redevelopment project.

"A year from now, we hope cranes will be in the air," Vinik said.

The University of South Florida's Morsani College of Medicine and the allied Heart Health Institute will be relocated to the property. The plan also calls for a 650,000-square-foot office tower, more retail, restaurant and entertainment space, and a second 400-to-500 room hotel.

Without naming any corporate names, Vinik has said that he is figuring on at least one corporate relocation to Tampa from the Northeast as part of the city's newly growing critical mass. That could mean a headquarters move or a good-sized division, Vinik's team said.

"The idea is to bring recognition to this area, especially corporate recognition," Vinik told the Sarasota gathering.

At the 2015 Clinton Global Initiative meeting held in New York last month, Strategic confirmed that it has enlisted Delos, a pioneer in wellness real estate, to make the development into the world's first "Well Certified" city district. Wellness elements include low-pollen trees, abundant green space, sound barriers to support acoustic comfort, enhanced walkability and access to healthy foods.

"I come from the New York area and Boston," Vinik told the Herald-Tribune. "You can have a lot more effect and have a bigger impact in the Tampa Bay area than in those regions, and it is kind of fun to do that.”

Source: http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20151014/ARTICLE/151019805/2055/NEWS?p=1&tc=pg

[bill-gates-feed-nonissue-blog]

Tampa mayor kicks off Startup Week, says city will be transformed in next 5 years with a little help from Bill Gates - GeekWire

http://billgatesfeed.nonissue.com/2015/02/03/tampa-mayor-kicks-off-startup-week-says-city-will-be-transformed-in-next-5-years-with-a-little-help-from-bill-gates-geekwire/ - #BillGates #Microsoft

Tampa mayor kicks off Startup Week, says city will be transformed in next 5 years with a little help from Bill Gates - GeekWire

Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Photo via Chase. Editor’s Note: GeekWire has partnered with UP Global and Chase to cover four Startup Week events around the coun