WestShore Plaza owner tweaks redevelopment plans to include medical uses
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Aug 18, 2023

The owner of WestShore Plaza wants to add medical uses — a nursing facility, hospital and clinic — to its redevelopment plans, which may include the eventual demolition of the enclosed mall.

Ohio-based WPG on Thursday filed a rezoning request with the city to update the plans that were approved in October 2020. The mall property spans more than 53 acres at the intersection of West Kennedy and Westshore boulevards and is considered one of the city’s best redevelopment opportunities.

The plans filed Thursday are the first update in three years on one of the city’s most anticipated redevelopment projects. WPG, like mall owners across the U.S., was pummeled by the Covid-19 pandemic and emerged from Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021. The city filings do not name WPG’s partner in the redevelopment, but it is unlikely the company would be able to pursue the project alone, given the grim financial outlook facing enclosed shopping malls. A WPG spokesperson did not respond to questions about the firm’s partner in the project.

The previously approved plans focused on development along the intersection of Westshore and Kennedy boulevards — the dark Sears box and surface parking lots, including Seasons 52 and a Bank of America branch property that WPG purchased in 2019. Under the previous plans, the existing enclosed mall was allowed to remain.

The new request gives WPG more flexibility in its plans, which may include redeveloping portions or all of the enclosed mall space. There is no time frame for beginning construction. The rezoning request is making way for a “mixed-use, urban-scale development,” according to the project narrative.

The new rezoning request wants to add the following uses to the property: nursing facility (skilled nursing), clinic (freestanding emergency department), hospital, fitness center and place of assembly (entertainment venue), according to a project narrative filed with the city on Thursday. If approved, the rezoning would allow for a maximum of 3.5 million square feet to be built on the property.

The project team includes Tyler Hudson, a partner in Gardner Brewer Hudson, as legal representative. Ricky Peterika is the arborist, Kimley-Horn is the engineer and Randy Coen is the traffic engineer.

Rezoning requests require quasi-judicial public hearings in front of Tampa City Council. A date for the WestShore Plaza hearing has not yet been set.

“WPG, the owner of WestShore Plaza, a longstanding enclosed mall in Tampa, Florida, has submitted new plans to the city for a transformation of its property into a vibrant mixed-use development that will cater to the evolving needs and desires of the Tampa Bay community,” a spokesperson for WPG said in a statement. “Potential plans include entertainment, retail, dining, office, wellness, medical, hotel and residential components among others, appealing to a wide range of visitors. The redevelopment project will likely be completed in phases. There is no definitive timeline for construction as of yet. More information will be shared as it is available.”