TAMPA, Fla. – There are new plans to build a hospital in Ybor City. Local developer Darryl Shaw announced a partnership with Tampa General Hospital to open it in Ybor City. 

What we know:

During his presentation in front of council on Thursday night, he explained that TGH is acquiring a portion of his land to add a hospital west of Lee Roy Selmon Expressway Connector, between East Adamo Drive and East 4th Avenue. 

READ: Meet the man behind the proposed Gasworx neighborhood

He revealed his plans to build the hospital, clinic and medical office building in that space with the goal of making Ybor City a place where people can live, work and play. 

Pictured: Tampa General Hospital.

Pictured: Tampa General Hospital.

“Part of what made Ybor special is to live where you work,” Shaw explained. “Cigar workers lived in the district so they could work in the cigar factories and get there by foot or streetcar.”

What they’re saying:

Tampa General Hospital’s CEO, John Couris, released a statement saying, “Our plans for a new hospital and clinical space are designed to meet the growing demand for world-class care, deeply rooted in academic excellence and research.”

READ: Gasworx development to have three buildings named in honor of Ybor City history

This plan was made possible after city council approved a comprehensive plan amendment that would create mixed-use development, instead of just industrial use. 

Pictured: Ybor City in 1908.

Pictured: Ybor City in 1908. 

“When you talk about businesses and people living in the district, that’s what Ybor City was,” District 6 city councilman Charlie Miranda said. “It was a sustainable city within itself.”

District 1 city councilman Alan Clendenin added, “we need to encourage development in these areas where we can have live, work, play areas.” 

Big picture view:

Shaw also hopes this means more jobs in the city and will mean more access to healthcare for neighborhoods that may not have had it before. 

MORE: Get an up-close view of Tampa’s highly anticipated Gasworx project

“It will bring jobs to the district and allow people to live in the district, walk to work, bike to work,” Shaw explained. “It helps connect two neighborhoods and provide healthcare and access to healthcare to people who live in those neighborhoods.”

While District 4 councilman Bill Carlson supports the development, he just wants to make sure that it does not cause issues with other industrial sites, like Port Tampa Bay.

“If we cut off our jobs, no one lives here anymore, not every job can be remote,” Carlson explained. “As AI takes over white-collar jobs, the green-collar jobs will be important, and they can’t be replaced.”

TGH said this development sits within the Tampa Medical and Research District, which hosts a group of startups, entrepreneurs and investors that are focusing on revolutionizing health care. 

What’s next:

These plans are in preliminary stages. But, there are other plans in the works to also add office spaces and ground-level retail spaces, along with the potential of a hotel and residential units. 

This project would coincide with Shaw’s Gasworx district, which is bringing in office space, housing units, sidewalks and multi-use trails to Cigar City. 

The Source: This information was gathered from developer Darryl Shaw’s discussion at Thursday’s Tampa city council meeting. 

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