Wondering what’s planned for area near Tampa’s old Army-Navy store? Here’s what’s proposed

TAMPA, Fla. - The City of Tampa has officially selected a proposal by PMG Affordable to redevelop four properties on the northern edge of downtown, including the site of the old Army-Navy Surplus Market store and the Royal parking lot. 

What we know:

The proposed development aims to bring 1,150 residential units and ground-floor retail to the area, which is located between N Tampa St. and E Ashley Dr. just below I-275. 

"Because of the value of the site, it's a once-in-a-generation opportunity to deliver this amount of affordable and attainably priced housing in a downtown city," said Dan Coakley, principal of PMG Affordable. "It would be a shame not to maximize density on this site within reason."

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Coakley told FOX 13 there could be "high-rise-Ish type buildings toward the southern part of the site," which would "blend into the rest of the city of Tampa skyline." 

By the numbers:

According to Coakley, 70% of the 1,150 residential units will be affordable and workforce housing units, which are broken down as follows: 

• Half of the units will be reserved for individuals making 80% of the Area Median Income (AMI) or below.
• 20% will be designated for those making between 80% and 140% AMI.

"It's important that we have, not just affordable housing for a lot of working-class and lower-income folks, but also workforce housing so that our teachers, our cops, our firefighters, our nurses, our welders and so forth can, not only have a quality place to live, but a place to live that's near the downtown area," Tampa city councilman Luis Viera said. 

Viera is also chairman of the Community Redevelopment Agency (CRA). The CRA and City of Tampa own the four properties set to be redeveloped as part of PMG Affordable’s proposal. 

Viera noted that this will be the first affordable housing development in Tampa’s Central Business District, which fills an important void.  

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"Whether it's in Channelside, Water Street, downtown proper — there are things for wealthier people. You got to go well into the six figures to be able to afford something in downtown Tampa," Viera added. 

The backstory:

The development team includes the Tampa Housing Authority, Bank of America Community Development Company and DuCon, LLC. 

Developers plan to add pocket parks and public bike parking.

Animation released by the city shows the overall vision, which may also include removing and redesigning part of the Ashley Dr. bridge. The goal is to improve connectivity and pedestrian safety. 

"We want this to be integrated into the Riverwalk. We want it to be integrated into the Straz [Center]," Coakley said of this area. "We wanted this to be a walkable, bikeable, connected site."

What they're saying:

When asked about potentially paying homage to the old Army-Navy Surplus store, Coakley says PMG Affordable – who is also developing Robles Park Village with the Tampa Housing Authority — is aware of this site's nostalgic footprint.

"History is a huge part of what we do in terms of incorporating that into the development, whether it's through public art, placards, or different things," Coakley said. "It's obviously very early in the development planning stages, but certainly I think that would be something that we would strongly consider and look to do."

What we don't know:

There is currently no official timeline for this project.