Notices

For many years there have been conversations about how to better activate the university area and this is a unique opportunity and moment in time to help transform a major part of Tampa’s landscape.  
 
The vision is to transform the 138-acre property in a way that aligns with USF’s mission and best serves our students, faculty, staff, alumni, visitors, and the surrounding communities by providing new housing, dining, retail, academic and research space, conference areas, recreational and open spaces, and other amenities. USF envisions a pedestrian-friendly and exceptionally accessible plan that enhances the surrounding community. 

The initiative is limited in scope to the former golf course parcel located north of Fletcher Avenue at North 46th Street. The USF Forest Preserve is not included. USF’s vision aligns with the City of Tampa’s growth management plans which encourage density and development in the North Tampa and University area to enhance the area and contribute to sustainable urban growth.

USF is at one of the most exciting times in its history, having been invited in 2023 to join the Association of American Universities, a group of the leading 71 research universities in the U.S. and Canada. Reaching this milestone benefits the Tampa Bay region in many ways as it will propel USF to attracting even more world-class talent and driving even greater economic development. At the same time as USF’s rise, Tampa Bay has emerged as a more prominent national destination that has resulted in population growth, businesses expanding or relocating to the area, and new developments such as Water Street. This is a once in a generation opportunity to reimagine the future of the university area.

This is a rigorous process starting with public Invitation to Negotiate (ITN) for potential Master Developers. The ITN process is structured in two stages. Stage I is an exploratory stage, focused on soliciting supplier bids from potential master developers regarding their qualifications and experience. This will enable USF to identify potential master developers that are capable of delivering a project, but does not commit USF to moving forward. Responses to Stage 1 of the ITN are due by 3 p.m. on July 24, 2024. The ITN is available here.
 
Based on USF's review of Stage I supplier bids, selected suppliers may be invited to participate in the second stage. Stage II of the process would involve submission of detailed development bids by selected suppliers and is targeted to occur later in Fall 2024.

The USF Forest Preserve is NOT a part of this redevelopment process. The development site is located adjacent to the USF Forest Preserve and the university is committed to maintaining the preserve in its current form. Environmental experts from USF are part of the development planning team and will be participating in the process every step of the way. Additionally, recommendations from the 2022 Forest Preserve Task Force are incorporated into the plan.

Any development will provide a buffer between the preserve to ensure that it is not negatively impacted. 

As indicated in the ITN, the project must respect the cultural history and context of the area, fostering appreciation for the area’s heritage alongside its ecological assets. An archeological study will be conducted and development plans must take any findings into account. Any findings will be handled in accordance with applicable regulations to ensure the preservation of cultural heritage.

The stadium project is not directly related to this development. However, it is our intention to ensure that the development, the stadium, and other on-campus and off-campus developments are complementary and harmonize with each other and the community surroundings. 

As part of the process, USF is extensively engaging with interested parties both internal and external to the university. USF is committed to collaboration and communication with the surrounding community and understands the importance of ensuring that the initiative aligns with community interests.  

In recent months USF has held dozens of internal and external listening sessions that have included hundreds of participants. A communitywide Town Hall was convened in late April open to the public to share information and hear feedback.  

Engagement with community members, neighborhood groups and other stakeholders will continue throughout the process.

Public meetings, which include public comment sessions, will be held throughout this process. There will continue to be public engagement opportunities as the process moves forward. 

The public golf course had not served as the official home of the USF men’s and women’s golf teams for many years, nor was it used as their primary location for full course practice or competitions. After closing the course for public play in September 2023, USF continues to use a portion of the northwest section of the site as a training complex for the teams, including three full-play golf holes, a driving range, a putting green, and a chipping green. There is also a facility that houses locker rooms, offices for coaches, and study spaces.
 
It is USF’s vision to maintain this golf team training complex although it may be reconstituted in some fashion in the years ahead. In the ITN (Invitation to Negotiate) process, developers are encouraged to maintain the training complex, but are invited to propose reconstituting or reimagining any part or all of the training complex as part of future development, including potentially relocating and funding replacement facilities.

USF Athletics will continue to be engaged in the process as we seek to continue meeting the needs of our men’s and women’s golf teams.

No. Neither the golf course nor the driving range will reopen to the public.

Maintaining some green space is a priority with this initiative as we seek to maximize use of the natural environment and connect it to USF’s current green spine and pedestrian and fitness trails. We expect green space, recreation areas and walkways to be incorporated in the project. Greenways and recreation areas will serve as gathering spots for USF students, faculty, staff, visitors, and the public. 

Enhancing campus connectivity is a fundamental objective of the project, requiring the creation of pedestrian-friendly access. The vision is to create a walkable district that is less dependent on cars. This pedestrian-oriented approach aims to mitigate traffic, which will reduce noise and air pollution. Additionally, the project will strengthen the connection between the campus greenways and the broader university landscape, creating a cohesive campus that is connected to the natural environment. Strengthening connectivity throughout the surrounding community will further enhance engagement and foster a sense of unity between the campus and the neighboring areas.

Like all new developments across the City of Tampa, any development on the site must be supported by an appropriate amount of designated parking. However, proposals are strongly encouraged to focus on optimizing pedestrian-friendly options that are less dependent on cars and considering how to incorporate and tie into existing local and university transit systems. With any project, USF will create a plan for mitigating transportation impacts.

USF strongly encourages the lawful use of Certified Business Enterprise’s (CBE) including minority-, women-, and veteran-owned businesses as part of the project.  The selected master developer will be contractually required to implement a plan to use the services or commodities of CBE’s in carrying out its obligations including establishing a CBE utilization goal for the project.

The ITN (Invitation to Negotiate) is available here. USF will continue to provide updated information as it becomes available.