X Tampa, 29-story coliving tower in downtown Tampa, halts construction
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 27, 2023

A partially built apartment tower in downtown Tampa has stopped construction.

Kast Construction, the general contractor on X Tampa, confirmed to the Tampa Bay Business Journal on Friday that the project has stopped. Construction workers were on site on Thursday morning, but activity has slowed in recent weeks. Kast has removed its signage from the construction fencing surrounding the site.

"Unfortunately, the X Tampa project was shut down last week for reasons outside of our control," Sean Oullette, chief operating officer of West Palm Beach-based Kast, told the Business Journal. "It is our understanding the shutdown is anticipated to be short term. Our team is working closely with our client to restart the project as soon as possible."

Work had recently begun on the tower's fifth story. The tower's first six stories are dedicated to parking; two levels of club and amenity space are planned above the parking structure, and 18 stories of apartments will be built on top of that, with a roof-level amenity deck.

Representatives from Chicago-based X Cos., the developer of X Tampa, did not respond to requests for comment.

There are at least two active liens on the project, according to Hillsborough County property records. Keller North America Inc., a geotechnical engineering firm, is owed $54,283 of an $857,652 lien that was first placed in late 2022. Florida Concrete Unlimited filed a lien on Oct. 17 that claims it is owed more than $45,000, plus interest and attorneys' fees on a $69,257 lien that was first furnished in March 2023.

Tampa's X tower has stopped construction on the heels of X towers in Houston and Phoenix being paused. Noah Gottlieb, CEO of X Cos., told sister news organization Phoenix Business Journal in late September that he was optimistic the project would resume construction "very soon."

X towers have a rent-by-bed business model that the developer hails as a "fun and convenient living experience for an attainable rent." In Tampa, the developer first proposed the 29-story tower in 2019 on land that was then owned by First Presbyterian Church.

The developer paid $5.39 million for the 1-acre city block bound by East Zack Street, North Florida Avenue, North Marion Street and East Polk Avenue in 2021, according to Hillsborough County property records.