University of South Florida leaders recently got an update on the projected mixed-use development on its former golf course, The Claw, during a board of trustees’ finance committee meeting.
The first phase of development seeks to use 27 acres of the 138-acre site, which is located north of Fletcher Avenue and East of North 56th Street.
Public golf operations ended there in September of 2023.
"It was losing money,” said USF Board of Trustees Vice Chair Michael Griffin.
Although he said he played golf there many times, Griffin said he’s “thrilled" about the potential for housing, a hotel, an academic research building, stores, restaurants, and green space for recreation.
"And to be able to build something like this that's transformational, not just for the university, but an area in the city that is in desperate need of economic development,” Griffin said.
Housing will be available for both university students and its faculty and staff.
Trustee David Simmons said he’s optimistic about USF because it’s charging forward, making investments, and “growing when a lot of other places aren't.”
“What an opportunity this is to enhance the experience of so many of the members of our community,” Simmons said.
“To have a place that's right across the street from such a vibrant part of campus, where… undergraduate students, graduate students, visiting faculty, coaching staff, potentially could have a place to live."
ALSO READ: We check in on the USF Forest Preserve one year after the university dropped its plans to develop
William Weatherford, chair of the board said, "measure twice and cut once."
"You only get to do something of this size and scale one time," he said. "And once you make big decisions, it kind of sets forth the course of action and what we'll be living with for the next few decades.
“So, just getting it right, making sure we really are thoughtful about the planning and the strategy and the execution."
The university came under fire in April 2021 when it quietly requested pitches for building out not only The Claw, but also portions of the adjacent USF Forest Preserve.
A student campaign formed a petition against it and protested multiple times. Then in February 2022, USF dropped its inquiry into the preserve.
As for the golf course, student environmentalists have voiced concerns over the years about its connection to the USF Forest Preserve and how development of The Claw could lead to stormwater runoff pollution into the preserve.
There's also been concern about animals using the northern portion of the golf course as a corridor for travel due to it being a dryer upland area.
ALSO READ: A walking tour of the USF Forest Preserve reveals a rich natural world within Tampa's urban sprawl
The USF Board of Trustees will vote on what’s being called the Fletcher District Project on Sept. 9, before a final vote from the Florida Board of Governors on Nov. 6.
If approved, phase one could start in spring of 2026 and be complete by summer of 2028.
