Water Street Tampa project secures key roadway partnership connecting downtown and Channel District
By Alexis Muellner
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 26, 2018

Strategic Property Partners LLC and Ardent Mills LLC, in partnership with the City of Tampa and Tampa Hillsborough Expressway Authority have partnered to create an expanded roadway network.

The plan connects Tampa's Central Business District and downtown Tampa's Channel District. The City has secured the rights to connect Cumberland Avenue from Meridian Avenue to Brorein Avenue, making an important link through the Water Street Tampa neighborhood and connecting to the downtown Tampa core.

"This has been a long time coming,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn in a statement. "We have worked tirelessly to transform downtown Tampa into a thriving neighborhood where people can live, work and visit daily,” he said, thanking SPP, Ardent Mills, THEA, and all involved in reaching a consensus to ensure the "needed point of connectivity.”

As of November 1, 2020, Ardent Mills, which operates a working flour mill on-site, will terminate leasing rights to the rail spur south of Cumberland Avenue, allowing for construction to begin on the street connection at Cumberland Avenue through Meridian Avenue.

The City of Tampa will contribute $2.25 million towards securing the crossing rights.

The crossing, which will be open to the public and is on property owned by THEA, is part of a larger, three-acre parcel of land that SPP acquired from Ardent Mills for just over $13 million to eventually expand Water Street Tampa's 50-acre mixed-use master plan.

"Water Street Tampa is being developed on the principles of connectivity and enabling walkability,” said James Nozar, CEO of SPP. "Restoring a downtown street network has been a priority of ours since we initially envisioned the creation of this transformative neighborhood, and the Cumberland crossing is an important milestone.

With the acquisition of the property, we can now look towards the future and plan for additional points of connection for pedestrians, cyclists, and motorists.” Privately-held Ardent Mills, the flour milling and ingredient company, provides grain-based services to Tampa and the State of Florida, as well as nationally.

The transaction enables Ardent Mills to continue serving its Florida customers and the region from its current location, while building a new mill to serve its customers' current needs and their future growth, a release said. Ardent Mills expects the new mill to be operational by 2021.

"We are committed to our expert Tampa team, the opportunity to continue to delight our customers, and serve our great neighbors in Tampa and Central Florida,” CEO Dan Dye said in a statement. "We have enjoyed this privilege for more than three decades and look forward to supporting the Tampa community, Central Florida, and customers across the state for many decades to come with a new state-of-the-art mill capable of growing with our customers.”

Water Street Tampa is SPP's first project and is being developed on over 50 acres of land in downtown Tampa along the waterfront. The development project is revitalizing the currently underutilized tract of land to create an urban, mixed-use waterfront district comprised of approximately 9 million square feet of new commercial, residential, hospitality, cultural, entertainment, education, and retail uses, totaling over $3 billion in private investment from SPP.

It is designed to integrate principles of walkability, sustainability, connectivity, design quality, and wellness, while also elevating the city's national prominence.