Hillsborough College on Wednesday unveiled renderings for an updated Dale Mabry campus that would be part of a Tampa Bay Rays stadium district.
The Rays have proposed building a stadium and multi-use development on the college’s 115-acre property. The development will include a "reimagined" campus district with new facilities, some on display in the new artist conceptions.
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College president Ken Atwater has said the updated campus and synergy with the stadium and district would provide students with internships, real-world experiences and career opportunities.
"These renderings represent a vision for the future of Hillsborough College and the students we serve," said Atwater said in a Wednesday news release.
The six illustrations show classroom buildings, walkable outdoor spaces and a “library and learning commons” facility.
"This is a rare opportunity to invest in a modern, student-centered campus that helps prepare students in the classroom, in their careers and in the community,” Atwater said. “We remain focused on creating opportunities for students to succeed while supporting the workforce needs of our region."
The college’s Board of Trustees meeting is scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, and the agenda includes a vote on hiring project management firm Pure Project Management of Tampa in connection with a “capital construction initiative at the Dale Mabry campus.”
Pure Project was selected by a committee over two other finalists.
Money will be provided from the Dale Mabry Campus Improvement Fund, $50 million appropriated by the Legislature this year.
“We were obviously very supportive with Hillsborough College of that site,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during an appearance Tuesday in Tampa. “And we think it’s going to be great for the college. And there’s going to be a lot of opportunities there for that.”
DeSantis has been key to getting the state money for the campus infrastructure improvements. Once construction begins, it is anticipated the state will allocate another $100 million for campus construction.
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“I think this is going to be something that five or 10 years from now, people are going to look back and they're not going to even believe what it used to look like. I think they're going to be really excited about seeing that,” DeSantis said.
Before site work can begin, a public financing package for the Rays’ $2.3 billion ballpark must be approved by the Tampa City Council on Thursday and Hillsborough County Commission on Friday.
Students will not be displaced during construction.
“We've got a lot of work to do on the college, which will actually begin prior to bond validation,” Rays CEO Ken Babby told WDAE radio on Wednesday, “just to prepare the site to create what's known as The Nest, which is the temporary facility for the college, so that they'll be ready to start attending classes in January.”
The Rays have filed an environmental resource permit application with the Southwest Florida Water Management District for early work on about 33 acres of the site. The filing includes plans to bring in temporary classroom trailers, demolition of the campus tennis complex and grading to support interim parking as part of a campus relocation.
“These are really nice classrooms, and we got to get going with plumbing and electrical and civil engineering to get the college in a great place so when students arrive in January for the spring semester that they're ready to go,” Babby said.
