One of the developers behind the ongoing transformation of Tampa’s former cigar manufacturing hub at Ybor City is retiring, and Kettler has tapped Damian Presiga to continue the work started at Gasworx by Graham Tyrrell.
The Washington, D.C.-based real estate investment, development and property management company hired Presiga as senior vice president of development. He will lead the next phase of Gasworx, Kettler’s ongoing collaboration with Tampa entrepreneur Darryl Shaw's Casa Ybor to revitalize the Ybor City historic district into a 50-acre mixed-use destination.
The hiring comes as Tyrrell, a managing director at Kettler who relocated to the city in 2020 to start work on Gasworx, is expected to retire at the end of the year.
Presiga joins fellow Strategic Property Partners alum and former CEO James Nozar, who now leads development strategy across Kettler’s portfolio as president of development. Tyrrell will continue to support Kettler in an advisory role, Nozar said in a statement.
“Damian is stepping into a strong foundation thanks to Graham’s work, and his experience delivering complex urban projects makes him a tremendous addition to our team,” Nozar said.
Presiga brings 20 years of development experience and previously worked as vice president of development at Strategic Property Partners, the developer behind the nearby Water Street Tampa mixed-use district. There, he led construction and hotel development teams and co-led the broader development team.
“I’ve been fortunate to work on projects that have reshaped Tampa, and Gasworx has the bones of something truly special,” Presiga said. “You don’t reinvent places like Ybor; you build on the character that’s already there.”
Situated about a mile northeast of downtown Tampa, Gasworx is being built in phases. At full build-out, it will include thousands of apartments, offices and retail space along with a new streetcar station and total 6 million square feet of development.