For decades, Tampa-St. Pete had to take a backseat to other Florida metros. Miami sizzled with greater chic, Orlando served up more to do. But it may be Tampa Bay’s time has finally arrived.
When it comes to homes, Zillow has anointed the Tampa Bay market the nation’s hottest in 2022. Home values in Tampa and vicinity are projected to grow 24.6% in the course of the year, more than 10% higher than the nation as a whole.
What’s driving the surge in values? Folks are learning Tampa Bay is more accessible than other Sunshine State spots, while offering a wealth of what makes life worth living. Speaking of wealth, while Tampa Bay more comfortably fits budgets than some others, it can also deliver extraordinary exclusivity. That is being witnessed in particular in new, high-end properties in or near downtown districts of both Tampa and St. Petersburg.
Ritz-Carlton Residences, Tampa
No Tampa Bay artery is more synonymous with old-money, luxury waterfront living than Bayshore Boulevard, a ribbon of roadway spooling off in a southwestern direction from downtown along the edge of Hillsborough Bay.
On Bayshore Boulevard, bicyclists, joggers and fitness walkers find themselves marveling at gracious old-world waterfront homes and exclusive restaurants. This is where they will also find Related Group’s new first-of-its-kind condominium for the area, Ritz-Carlton Residences, Tampa, which when unveiled in early 2024 will offer 89 luxury residences and 12 townhome villas.
Given its distinctive aesthetic attributes, the tower couldn’t be placed anywhere other than Bayshore. Acclaimed architectural firm Arquitectonica has imbued the property with a wavy exterior façade that seems to flow right out of Hillsborough Bay’s waters. Interiors from Meyer Davis draw on historic Central Florida finishes and textures, while Swiss landscape architect Enzo Enea’s invests the 4-1/2-acre grounds with verdant fluorescence-filled gardens and the handsome stolidity of timeless oak trees.
Combining artful design and five-star service, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Tampa will provide residents with a pampering 12,000 square feet of resort-grade amenity spaces, while also treating them to a wellness-focused living experience. Among other benefits, the property will offer a state-of-the-art purification system and touchless entry. Upon its completion, The Ritz-Carlton Residences, Tampa will bear the WELL Health-Safety Rating, a respected evidence-based rating for new and existing structures.
Asher/Roost Apartment Hotel
Renters striving for high-style living will have their own place within Water Street Tampa, a 56-acre live-work-play community being developed in the city’s downtown district. There, Strategic Property Partners is developing Asher, the enclave’s newest luxury rental collection. In conjunction with Method, it will place within Asher the introductory Florida location of its extended-stay concept, ROOST Apartment Hotel. Asher began pre-leasing in January and had first move-ins last month. ROOST will debut within the structure this spring. Asher’s 450 luxury residences will occupy the tower’s top 15 floors, with ROOST filling the first half dozen residential floors.
The Residences at The Tampa EDITION
Luxury hospitality brand EDITION Hotels is poised to take the wraps off its fifth U.S. property when The Tampa EDITION opens later this year within Water Street Tampa.
The Residences at The Tampa EDITION will serve up 38 private homes in the top reaches of the hotel, offering residents both the sumptuous hospitality of the hotel brand and a serenity and quietude consistent with the most exclusive private domiciles. The Tampa EDITION will offer 172 guest rooms and suites, as well as a half dozen food and beverage destinations, among them a signature restaurant, rooftop bar and terrace. Homeowners at The Residences will savor their own generously-sized balconies, exclusive private entrance and an array of resident-only amenity spaces.
Art House Tower
Not to be left behind, Tampa’s sister city across the bay is witnessing the arrival of its own luxury residential developments, led by Kolter Group’s announcement of the $140 million downtown St. Petersburg property Art House Tower. The streamlined 42-story condominium, which has been dubbed “the latest innovation in downtown St. Petersburg living” will break ground late this year.