At Midtown Tampa, more office buildings could be on deck
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 19, 2021

Midtown Tampa has made significant progress on the leasing of its office space — so much so that it could break ground on another building within 12 to 15 months.

Between the 22-acre mixed-use district’s two office buildings — the eight-story, 152,000-square-foot corporate-style Midtown West and the more boutique The Loft at Midtown — 80 percent of Midtown’s office space is leased, said Nick Haines, CEO of New York-based Bromley Cos.

Two sites within the Midtown district could accommodate additional buildings that would total up to 600,000 square feet of space, Haines said.

Bromley is the master developer of Midtown, which sits at the intersection of Interstate 275 and North Dale Mabry Highway. It has partnered with Raleigh, North Carolina-based Highwoods Properties on the development of Midtown West. Highwoods is one of Tampa Bay’s largest office landlords; its portfolio here also includes Truist Place in downtown Tampa.

Among the tenants to commit to Midtown West are Primo Water, a Tampa-based publicly traded company, which is moving from nearby Westshore and nearly tripling its office space. Kforce Inc., which is also publicly traded, has leased just over 22,000 square feet in Midtown West after selling off its Ybor City headquarters and committing to an “office occasional” work environment.

Midtown includes more than 200,000 square feet of retail space anchored by Whole Foods Market and REI, as well as hotel rooms and apartments.

Haines says Midtown’s mix of uses and on-site conveniences — including a pharmacy that will deliver to office tenants, as well as amenities like restaurants and retail — is a “compelling environment” for office tenants.

“What we’re seeing is that high quality office space is standing out for companies,” he said. “Companies are really thinking about providing a really elevated experience that’s compelling.”

In the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, which sent many office-based employees to remote work for more than 18 months, decision-makers are re-evaluating how much office space they need — and if they need any at all.

Mixed-use projects like Midtown can provide an argument in favor of office space, said Lauren Coup, senior director of leasing for Highwoods.

When CEOs tour Midtown’s office space, Coup said, “they feel that they can compete with the couch with a product like this.”