The City of Tampa will officially break ground Tuesday afternoon on its first phase of Rome Yards, the transformative and inclusive development in the West Tampa community. Alongside developer Related Urban Development Group and the Tampa Housing Authority, the partnership will take the first steps in building the Gallery at Rome Yards, the first phase of the mixed-use Rome Yards master plan.
The Gallery at Rome Yards, located south of Columbus Drive between Rome Avenue and the Hillsborough River, will offer a mix of one, two and three-bedroom apartment homes, totaling 234 units. Eighty percent of the units will be reserved for households at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income (AMI), and the remaining 20 percent will be reserved for workforce housing.
“This joint venture between the City of Tampa, the Tampa Housing Authority and the Related Urban Group is the perfect example of public and private entities working successfully toward one goal: affordable housing for all,” said Mayor Jane Castor. “Today’s groundbreaking is just the tip of the iceberg of what will eventually be 18 acres of development that will serve Tampa for generations to come.”
Unique to this phase of development are five live/work units that seamlessly integrate residential space with work space for small business owners. Additionally, a workforce training center will provide workplace training and resume-building assistance.
The development will build upon the City’s visionary approach to affordable housing and create another uplifting and transformative community.
“As Tampa continues to grow, so has our need for affordable housing,” said Nicole Travis, the City of Tampa’s Administrator for Development and Economic Opportunity. “The Rome Yard development is a public-private partnership success story that will put a roof over the heads of more than 1,000 individuals and families.”
As the first phase of the Rome Yards Master Plan, Gallery at Rome Yards will set the stage for the transformational project, converting a vacant 18-acre City of Tampa maintenance yard into a mixed-use neighborhood with 954 units of mixed-income housing. The master plan is a resilient and sustainable hub that will revitalize the area with expansive neighborhood amenities, including new green space, a new community amphitheater, and a brick observation “cigar” tower paying homage to West Tampa’s history.
Gallery at Rome Yards is expected to be completed in December 2026.