Hillsborough County commissioners on Wednesday approved spending an additional $3 million in tourist taxes to advance design work for a major indoor sports facility in North Tampa.
The funding brings the design phase budget to $5 million, allowing architects to move from preliminary concepts to detailed construction drawings.
The proposed Fieldhouse complex would feature up to 12 basketball courts and 24 volleyball courts, with the possibility of adding a privately funded ice rink.
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County officials envision it as a year-round tournament site that would draw youth and amateur events — and the visitors who come with them — to Uptown Tampa, the area formerly known as the University Area.
The project would go on county-owned land that is occupied by the Museum of Science and Industry along Fowler Avenue. While MOSI sits on about 74 acres, it uses only seven, leaving ample space for redevelopment. Commissioners approved the 174,000-square-foot sports facility concept in May.
About $2 million from the 2010 BP oil spill settlement had already been allocated for initial design. Wednesday’s vote adds $3 million to complete design work and prepare construction documents.
The county’s design contract is with OSPORTS, a sports architecture and master-planning firm that also helped develop the visioning plan for the University of South Florida's athletics district.
In September, the Tampa Sports Authority endorsed OSPORTS’ concept, which reuses the existing MOSI West building, a change estimated to save about $15 million. Placing the complex in the site’s northeast quadrant avoids rezoning and shortens preconstruction timelines.
A design meeting with the county’s master developer is scheduled for Monday to review access roads, parking and how the facility will tie in with future hotel and retail development.
Preliminary estimates place the cost of just the Fieldhouse at about $70 million. A final amount will be determined when the design is 90% complete.
The county previously identified $65 million for a tournament sports facility in the 2026 Community Investment Tax renewal. Officials said operational funding will likely combine tourism tax revenue with property taxes from additional development on the site.
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Plans call for the Fieldhouse to open in 2028, with hotels and restaurants following shortly after. It is not yet known whether the proposed ice facility would be ready by that time.
The project adds to the momentum in Uptown Tampa, the rebranded University Area that includes USF’s new football stadium, the Rithm mixed-use redevelopment of University Mall, a new digital dome theater at MOSI, and several planned hotels and mixed-use projects.
