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Tampa council to vote on City Center funding
Kellie Cowan reports
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa city council members voted to fund a new state-of-the-art City Center that will serve as the future hub for numerous city services.
Plans to develop the site located at 2515 East Hanna have been in the works for years, but with rising rent costs and growing parking issues downtown, the project has grown into a massive 161,000 square foot municipal complex.
"We didn’t have to spend money to purchase an additional site. This was ours. We always knew we were going to locate some departments here but, over time, as we saw the leases that were expiring, we said, ‘You know what? If we’re going to do this let’s do this right,’" said Tampa Logistics and Asset Management director Adri Colina.
The new East Tampa facility will be home to more than a dozen departments including code enforcement, community engagement, arts, construction services, real estate and workforce development.
Courtesy City of Tampa
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In addition to putting 500 city employees under one roof, the plan also includes training and career development programs for the community.
"We plan to have a culinary program here," said Colina. "My department is where the mechanics are, the plumbers, and the electricians that service the city of Tampa. We’re going to be working with those that want to have a career in those fields and training them."
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Crews clear Hanna Ave lot for Tampa's new city center building
The city of Tampa says renting separate facilities for various departments is no longer ideal. It's decided to build a new city center in East Tampa, instead of continuing to pay rent.
Site excavation is already underway with construction scheduled to begin in January 2022. The city says it hopes to have the new City Center up and running by the spring of 2023.