The developers behind Tampa’s Gasworx in the historic cigar-making district are getting closer to completing the 50-acre mixed-use development, one of the largest projects underway in the city.
General contractor Moss Construction topped-off a 6-story office at 1301 Fourth Ave. in Ybor City. The 145,000-square-foot building has already snagged its first tenant with Grow Financial signing on for a 50,000-square-foot space for the credit union’s future corporate headquarters. On the ground floor, 9,000 square feet of retail space is planned. Construction is set to finish in 2026.
“When complete, this building will be an instrumental piece of the Gasworx vision,” said Toby Manulak, senior vice president at Moss Construction, in a statement from the development team.
Situated a mile northeast of downtown Tampa, Gasworx is a planned 6 million-square-foot mixed-use district being developed by Kettler, local entrepreneur Darryl Shaw and PPF Group, a Czech-based investment company. The project’s first phase includes the office building, hundreds of apartments and retail spaces.
“Our work will help bring renewed energy into this historic district,” added Manulak in the statement.
Designed by S9Architecture and Smallwood as the architect of record, the office building blends classic design cues found around Ybor City such as exposed brick with modern amenities that include a rooftop terrace, tenant balconies and a lobby café and bar. The ground floor will directly connect to a renovated 28,000-square-foot warehouse that was originally built in the 1950s and is set to serve as a new marketplace and retail center.
“With this office building and neighboring housing portions of the project coming to life, the grand vision for Gasworx is coming into focus. We are creating a sought-after district that will reflect both the rich history of Ybor City and the vibrant future of Tampa,” said Graham Tyrrell, Kettler’s Florida managing director, in the release.
Apartments reflect city’s history
The construction milestone arrives as the developers revealed the names of three multifamily projects under various stages of development at Gasworx.
The first 390-unit apartment complex is already under construction. Called the Stevedore and named after the original word for Tampa’s longshoremen, the new apartment building will come with an additional 9,700 square feet of ground-floor retail. Located at 1620 Nuccio Parkway, construction is led by Juneau with an expected completion in 2026.
The remaining two apartment projects are both expected to open in 2027. A 10-story, 376-unit tower will be named the Olivette after Tampa industrialist Henry Plant's steamship of the same name that linked the city to Havana, Cuba. Moss has been selected as the general contractor for the Olivette.
And a 140-unit multifamily development named Luisa after Ybor City's only recorded female lector, Luisa Capetillo. Lectors would read newspapers, books and educational literature to help keep factory workers entertained throughout the day. Luisa will be built by locally based CBG Building Co.
The new apartments follow the opening of La Unión in 2024. Situated at 1720 Nick Nuccio Parkway and next door to the Stevedore, the 5-story complex built by Juneau offers 317 studios- to three-bedroom apartments and is slated to include a Duckweed Urban Grocery store that will open in 2026. Apartment rents range from $1,741 to $5,069 per month, according to La Unión's website.
“The progress at Gasworx is now becoming visible at scale," said Tyrrell with Kettler in the release.