{"id":394417,"date":"2026-09-09T04:26:14","date_gmt":"2026-09-09T04:26:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/394417\/"},"modified":"2026-09-09T04:26:14","modified_gmt":"2026-09-09T04:26:14","slug":"uptown-landing-name-unveiled-as-construction-begins-on-transformative-mixed-use-destination-at-usf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/394417\/","title":{"rendered":"Uptown Landing name unveiled as construction begins on transformative mixed-use destination at USF"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Althea Johnson<\/a>, University Communications and Marketing<\/p>\n

The University of South Florida broke ground today on Uptown Landing, a nearly $500
\n million mixed-use development that will create a new destination for students, community
\n members, alumni and Bulls fans. During today\u2019s ceremony, leaders revealed a new name
\n for the project, Uptown Landing, replacing the working title of \u201cFletcher District\u201d
\n originally used in the planning stages.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Uptown Landing marks a bold new chapter for the university, creating a vibrant neighborhood
\n to live, work, learn and play, while also providing a hub for the Tampa Bay community
\n and conference attendees from across the world to gather, connect and experience USF
\n in an entirely different way. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Located within walking distance of USF\u2019s new on-campus stadium, the development will
\n also bring people together on gamedays and for other big events throughout the year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUptown Landing is much more than a new neighborhood. \u00a0This will be a destination
\n anchored by USF, but created for the entire community,\u201d USF President Moez Limayem
\n said. \u201cUptown is a name this district has earned through decades of research, innovation,
\n jobs and investment. We’re not creating an identity here. We’re helping write its
\n next chapter. Landing is the word we bring. \u00a0Tampa Bay began at its landings. A landing
\n is where a journey stops and becomes a place for connection. What we’re building with
\n Uptown Landing is a front door for USF and a gateway for the Tampa Bay region. A place
\n to arrive, to belong and to launch.\u201d
\u00a0
The first phase of the project, approximately 30 acres, is located north of Fletcher
\n Avenue and east of North 46th Street. Uptown Landing will feature 700 new beds for
\n student housing, four-six restaurants, retail spaces, a hotel and conference center,
\n along with a major academic research building. Known as the Translational Research
\n Institute, the facility will provide capacity for about 100 National Institutes of
\n Health-funded investigators and approximately 1,000 additional researchers.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt the University of South Florida, our time is now. Uptown Landing will absolutely
\n transform our area of the city and USF is proud to anchor this transformative development,\u201d
\n USF Board of Trustees Chair Mike Griffin said. “We are deeply grateful to our partners,
\n and our state, city and county leaders who have supported this innovative project.
\n We could not have gotten here without them.\u201d<\/p>\n

The university is using a public-private partnership (P3) model for this project,
\n the largest in the history of Florida\u2019s State University System. In total, the estimated
\n cost for the first phase is nearly $500 million, with the P3 portion of the development
\n at approximately $270 million and the academic research building at approximately
\n $225 million. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cUSF is one of the county’s largest and most important economic engines, with a truly
\n remarkable upward trajectory,\u201d said Ken Hagan, chair of the Hillsborough County Board
\n of Commissioners. \u201cHillsborough County is proud of our long-standing partnership and
\n excited to see the continued growth through transformative projects like Uptown Landing
\n and the on-campus stadium that are shaping the university and county’s future.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"USF<\/p>\n

(L-R) Former USF President Rhea Law, USF President Moez Limayem and former USF President
\n Judy Genshaft<\/p>\n

\"President<\/p>\n

USF students helped reveal the Uptown Landing name<\/p>\n

Uptown Landing will be developed through a Master Development Agreement with ACE Fletcher,
\n LLC, an entity comprising Capstone Development Partners, Aureate Development and Ellison
\n Development.\u00a0
\u00a0
\u201cI cannot wait to come back as an alumna \u2014 to stay at our hotel, have dinner here,
\n walk to a Bulls game in our new stadium and see another generation of students building
\n their own lives in a place we helped begin today,\u201d USF senior Helena Ardigo said.\u00a0
\u00a0
The first phase is expected to open in time for fall 2028.<\/p>\n

What partners are saying about Uptown Landing:
\u00a0
Delo Baker, Aureate Development: “USF continues to be the anchor that pushes the Tampa Bay region to new heights.
\n \u00a0With the redevelopment of Uptown Landing, USF has taken an old golf course and redesigned
\n the experience for students and the community to form a vibrant, activated venue.
\n Uptown Landing will elevate the gameday atmosphere and serve as a 365-day-a-year amenity
\n that has never existed in this area.\u201d \u00a0
\u00a0
Walker May, Capstone Development Partners: “Today\u2019s groundbreaking marks an important milestone for the Uptown Landing mixed-use
\n P3 and reflects the power of a shared vision between the University of South Florida
\n and an exceptional team of development partners. We are grateful for USF\u2019s trust and
\n collaboration, and we look forward to delivering a vibrant district that enhances
\n campus life, expands housing opportunities and supports the university\u2019s long-term
\n growth.\u201d
\u00a0
Casey Ellison, Ellison Development: \u201cUSF is entering an important next chapter, and as an alumnus, I\u2019m proud of our role
\n in helping bring it to life. The new stadium, advances in academics and athletics,
\n and investments across campus are transforming the USF experience. As master plan
\n developer for Uptown Landing, we\u2019ve worked closely with the university to shape a
\n district that builds on USF\u2019s momentum and reflects where it’s headed. Today\u2019s groundbreaking
\n is an exciting step in turning that vision into reality.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Althea Johnson, University Communications and Marketing The University of South Florida broke ground today on Uptown Landing,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":394418,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-394417","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394417","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=394417"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/394417\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/394418"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=394417"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=394417"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=394417"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}