Darryl Shaw closes on first pieces of Ybor Channel assemblage
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 30, 2022

Developer Darryl Shaw has closed on the first piece of property surrounding the Ybor Channel in downtown Tampa that he intends to buy.

Shaw confirmed to the Tampa Bay Business Journal on Wednesday that he has purchased two parcels totaling 1 acre at the northern tip of the channel, adjacent to the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway and Adamo Drive, for $1.2 million. The seller was J.H. Williams Oil Co., which has owned the property since 2005, according to Hillsborough County property records.

The 1-acre site is part of a much larger assemblage Shaw is pursuing. He is under contract to acquire 25 acres around the channel from International Ship Repair & Marine Services Inc. The sale of that property will close in phases; the vacant land west and north of the Ybor Channel will close in the first half of 2023. The sale of the land that's home to the operational ship repair facility east of the channel could take up to five years to close, as the transaction is contingent on the relocation of the ship repair business in an effort to preserve maritime jobs.

Shaw is a partner in the development of Gas Worx, a $500 million mixed-use district that spans 50 acres between Ybor and downtown's Channel district. His vision for the Ybor Channel is similar in nature — a mixed-use development with residential units, office space and other commercial uses.