Two years ago Tampa City Council voted to rezone Fort Homer Hesterly Armory. The move was made to facilitate the West Tampa icon’s transformation into the ambitious, 10-acre Heritage Square. The Armory’s next incarnation would include a luxury hotel, spa, marketplace park and cultural arts center. The lead developer was Tampa-based Intelident Solutions.
Along the way, there were issues, an impasse – and today those grand plans are on recessionary hold. The National Guard still awaits a buyer. It’s likely the development process will begin anew.
When it does, here’s hoping plans for a “West Tampa renaissance” are scaled back in the interest of ongoing reality, not just the economy of the moment. A 300-room luxury hotel and a spa, for instance, were never practicable for that working class neighborhood. Such ill-considered proposals should now be on permanent hold.
Perhaps the Armory Partners Group will resurface. APG had astutely proposed a mixed-use project that featured a film studio and soundstage. That would have met a critical city need, while acting as a magnet for arts-related enterprises and a catalyst for jobs.
That is still the case. And the National Guard, which continues to maintain the Armory, is still looking for a buyer.