Hillsborough County seeks master developer for MOSI's 67 acres
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 1, 2023

Hillsborough County is once again asking for development proposals for the 67 acres surrounding the Museum of Science and Industry in Tampa's Uptown district.

The county on Wednesday said it will advertise its request for proposals beginning Nov. 6, and proposals will be due in February 2024. The county says MOSI will stay on the 7 acres it leases, and it is asking for proposals for a mixed-use development surrounding the museum's property.

"As part of the Uptown Innovation District, proposers are asked to submit innovative and inclusive development plans with a mix of uses including hospitality, entertainment, retail and public spaces that embrace transit and sustainable mobility," the county said in a news release.

MOSI's real estate has been closely watched for the better part of the last decade. It is a prime infill property near the University of South Florida, H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, the James A. Haley Veterans Hospital and AdventHealth. The county is asking developers to capitalize on the site's proximity to those economic drivers and incorporate "biosciences, life sciences, cybersecurity and other advanced industries."

At one point, the museum was entertaining a move to Water Street Tampa, and its property had been floated as a potential location for a USF football stadium.

In late 2019, the county also issued an RFP for MOSI's property, though it was seeking ideas for the entirety of the 74-acre site then. A year later, it iced the redevelopment plans, citing economic uncertainty in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.