More money is being poured into the University of South Florida's planned mixed-use development project.
Hillsborough County commissioners voted unanimously on Wednesday to provide $24 million toward the Fletcher District.
The 138-acre site on Fletcher Avenue north of the Tampa campus that contains the unused Claw golf course will be converted into a mixed-use destination for students, faculty and staff.
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According to District 2 Commissioner and Chair Ken Hagan, the money is for key infrastructure and public safety improvements associated with the project. This involves turn lanes, traffic improvements and a pedestrian bridge over Fletcher Avenue. The funding is coming from the county's existing Community Investment Tax (CIT) and, if necessary, can be spread out over three to four years.
He said a pedestrian bridge is needed to connect the site with the area containing the new on-campus football stadium. It's estimated to cost around $10 million. The extent of other transportation improvements is currently undetermined, but Hagan said it will be "substantial."
"I feel strongly from a safety and transportation or traffic perspective that we should work with all of our partners to create a seamless corridor," Hagan said as he brought forward the proposal.
Hagan also said he "gets chills" thinking about how the area will be transformed within the next few years.
District 3 Commissioner Gwen Myers called the pedestrian bridge "wonderful" since people won't have to worry about crossing a busy street and can instead walk through the overhead bridge.
District 6 Commissioner Chris Boles also said investing in public safety for this area is a "step in the right direction."
"There's thousands of young adults and people living in those areas and they traverse Fletcher Avenue every single day, if not once, twice, maybe four or five times a day going back and forth to their homes and their apartments," Boles said. "Ensuring that those people are safe, that we're taking care of them...I've had the opportunity to be on campus the past few weeks, and again seeing that pedestrian traffic, this is a step in the right direction. We got to do this."
More on the Fletcher District
The money the county is providing is in addition to funding provided by the Florida Legislature and Gov. Ron DeSantis. That includes $8 million for the USF Health Translational Research Institute, which will anchor the District. There's also $31 million toward the East campus infrastructure, including roadways, public safety, utility improvements and site development.
The district will have student and multi-family housing, restaurants, about 60,000 square feet of retail, a 150-room hotel and conference center and a research facility. USF will pay for the academic research building and a portion of the district's infrastructure. The nearby USF Forest Preserve will not be developed, according to university officials.
The District will be within walking distance from the stadium, which is expected to be done in 2027. Previously released renderings show views of the stadium from a planned hotel room.
According to a county commission presentation, the Fletcher District is expected to diversify and sustain job growth in the hospitality sector, expand the county's tax base through additional sales tax and property tax revenue, expand housing and more.
Construction on the $269 million project is expected to begin this spring. Phase 1 of the district — a 27-acre section — is anticipated to open in the summer of 2028.
WUSF's Emma Brisk contributed to this report.
