The University of South Florida Board of Trustees on Tuesday signed off on the mixed-use redevelopment of the Tampa campus golf course known as “The Claw.”
The 138-acre course will be turned into "the Fletcher District," which will include housing for students and university employees, restaurants, about 60,000 square feet of retail, a 150-room hotel and conference center, and a research facility.
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A final vote from the Florida Board of Governors is expected Nov. 6. If approved, work on the 27-acre first phase could start this spring and be completed by fall 2028.
USF president Rhea Law said the Fletcher District will be “transformational” for the Tampa campus and help to drive economic development throughout the region.
“We are creating a dynamic destination to live, work, learn and play that provides exciting new opportunities to bring together members of the USF and surrounding communities,” Law said in a statement.
The Claw, then known as the Brahman Golf Course, opened in 1967 north of Fletcher Avenue, east of 46th Street and west of USF Forest Preserve. Plans for redevelopment began in 2021, and the facility was closed to the public in 2023.
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It was “losing money,” Board of Trustees Vice Chair Michael Griffin said.
The land will be developed in a public-private partnership, with the university entering into a master development agreement with ACE Fletcher. Each component will be managed through separate subleases with private developers, while USF retains land ownership.
The research facility, planned for about 350,000 square feet, will be developed and funded by the university, which will retain the master ground lease, according to the statement.
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It will expand USF's academic footprint north of Fletcher Avenue.
The university also points out the Fletcher District will be within walking distance of the football stadium, which is scheduled for completion in 2027 on the northeast part of the campus.
The project does not include the USF Forest Preserve, although student environmentalists have voiced concerns that redevelopment of the course could pollute the preserve. There's also concern about animals using the northern portion of the course as a travel corridor.
