Leadership at the University of South Florida have agreed on a plan to transform its defunct on-campus golf course The Claw into a “vibrant, mixed use destination” for both students and the community at large, the university announced Tuesday. 

The USF Board of Trustees voted to advance plans to turn 27 acres of the shuttered 138-acre golf course into what they call “the Fletcher District” — a public-private partnership with both student and regular housing developments, restaurants, retail, a hotel, a conference center, an academic research facility and recreation space. 

Tuesday’s vote of approval was years in the making. USF first began soliciting plans to redevelop its public golf course in 2021 and closed The Claw for good in September 2023. By that time, university officials said The Claw was losing as much as $200,000 each year.

Now, it’s up to the Florida Board of Governors to give a final vote of approval on the project during its Nov. 6 meeting. If OK’d, construction on the Fletcher District can begin as soon as next fall, with a completion date in fall 2028, the university says.

“The Fletcher District will be transformational for the University of South Florida and will help to further elevate and drive economic development in the Tampa Bay region,” USF President Rhea Law says in the announcement. “We are creating a dynamic destination to live, work, learn and play that provides exciting new opportunities to bring together members of the USF and surrounding communities.”

A conceptual depiction of the Fletcher District from the intersection of Fletcher Avenue and USF Genshaft Drive.

Courtesy image

Located on the north side of Fletcher Avenue, east of North 46th Street and west of the USF Forest Preserve, the Fletcher District will be completed in phases through a public-private partnership with ACE Fletcher LLC. That group includes the following companies: Capstone Development Partners and Capstone Communities, USF’s longtime partner for student housing projects; Aureate Development, owned by USF’s billionaire benefactor Dr. Kiran Patel; and Ellison Development, a Tampa-based commercial real estate developer specializing in mixed-use projects. 

Each portion of the mixed-used development will be managed through separate ground subleases with private developers while USF will retain ownership of the land, according to the university’s master development agreement. 

According to preliminary plans, the first phase of the Fletcher District will include a 335,000 square foot student housing complex with 700 beds, as well as a 160,000 square foot multifamily housing development with approximately 150 units. The two residential complexes are meant to not only enhance USF’s ability to retain additional students on campus, but also provide a convenient housing option for graduate students, employees and other members of the USF community, the announcement says.

 

Plans also include a 78,000 square foot, on-campus hotel with approximately 150 guest rooms, a fitness space and lounge area connected to a 5,000 square foot conference space. 

The university envisions four to six restaurants taking up residency inside the Fletcher District, and designs include roughly 60,000 square feet of retail space. The space will also include a USF-developed academic research building expanding the university’s footprint north of Fletcher Avenue. Initial plans estimate the building to encompass 350,000 square feet, but its exact size and scope will be determined by factors such as funding. 

The Fletcher District will be located within walking distance of USF’s long-awaited on-campus stadium, the announcement says. Construction began on the $348.5 million, 35,000-seat stadium last November. The stadium is expected to open its doors in fall 2027.

“The project will provide a new hub of activity and support the university’s strategic vision for the future,” the announcement says.