Developer closes on land for townhouses in heart of Westshore
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jan 29, 2016

A developer is moving forward with plans to build townhouses on the southernmost portion of the former Without Walls church property in Westshore.

Icon Residential, based in Largo, paid $6.4 million for the 5-acre site in a deal that closed Thursday. Chris Bowers and Ryan Sampson of Eshenbaugh Land Co. represented the seller, Richman Group, in the transaction.

Richman Group acquired 13 acres on West Columbus Drive in fall 2014, paying $14.3 million. It has since sold off 2.2 acres fronting West Columbus Drive for a Miller's Ale House restaurant.

Richman is building 357 rental units between the restaurant and townhouses.

Icon is planning 93 townhouses on the site, in a development named West Village ranging in size from 1,700 to 3,000 square feet, priced between $325,000 and the mid-$500,000s. View the photo gallery for renderings of the townhouses.

"We believe the introduction of a high-end single family townhome product for sale in this area will provide a new urban living opportunity within this mixed use corridor that currently does not exist," Michael Horner, who represents Richman, said in a statement.

Construction is slated to begin in mid-2016.

Traditionally a business and shopping district, Westshore has seen an influx of residential development in recent years, as developers target major employment centers for multifamily projects.

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