YBOR CITY, Fla — It would be tough to find someone more enthusiastic about doing business in Ybor City than Harry Kayafas.
"I love what's going on. There's a big buzz around here,” said Kayafas.
Harry owns the Stirling Cigar Lounge on 7th Avenue and says the vibe in Ybor City is getting better every day.
"There's a lot of excitement. Things are changing from day to day,” said Harry.
WATCH: Plans for soccer stadium latest in Ybor development boom
That excitement is not only for what's happening a few blocks away with the Gasworx development, but with the prospect of building a soccer stadium on the waterfront.
"We were hoping for that. It would be beautiful to get a nice sports team to come down here to have another venue down here,” Kayafas said.
Darryl Shaw, the developer behind Gasworks, is now floating the idea of a stadium for the women's soccer team he owns, the Tampa Bay Sun.
"I think it's wonderful that they won a championship in their first year. I think he's talked about the headquarters for the soccer league being placed there,” said Rich Simmons, chair of the Ybor Citizen Advisory Committee.
Kettler is the developer working with Shaw to build Gasworx.
Vice President Graham Tyrell showed us the progress.
An apartment building is set to open in February, followed by subsequent phases that will include additional housing, retail, office space, and parks.
"It's really about adding density population-wise to Ybor and making it really more of a well-rounded community,” said Tyrell.
Tyrell says Shaw's proposed soccer stadium would be a great addition to what's already coming.
"Ybor really is a great center for the Tampa Bay region so it makes sense to have amenities like that here and I think the crowds they've already been pulling in show there's a great interest in that soccer team,” Tyrell said.
The stadium proposal would be a part of a 32-acre mixed-use development that would also include a hotel.
Developers say it would occur through a public-private partnership, but the total costs have not yet been finalized.
“This is just an insult.”
Florida’s new budget includes millions of dollars in pay raises for Florida Highway Patrol troopers after the state agency has struggled to fill positions and retain troopers. But an FHP advocate says the raises don’t go far enough.
