TAMPA, Fla. — The City of Tampa broke ground on Tuesday afternoon on the first phase of the Rome Yards development.
Denise Clethen remembers growing up in West Tampa and how through the years, it’s changed along with a growing city.
“Tampa has gotten where we as a people have nowhere to go,” said Clethen. “We can barely afford where we are now. We cannot move because our income does not afford these new places that they’re building now.”
Now a development in west Tampa looks to be a part of the answer to an affordable housing problem.
On Tuesday, the city broke ground on the first phase of Rome Yards off North Rome Avenue.
“If you’re from Tampa, and you’re born and raised here, and you know this neighborhood, you know this is going to be transformative,” said Tampa City Council member Guido Maniscalco. “This is going to be a major investment. This is going to be an improvement in the quality of life. It’s going to lift up a lot of people.”
The Gallery at Rome Yards will offer a mix of one, two, and three-bedroom apartment homes.
The city said 80 percent of the units will be reserved for households at or below 80 percent of the Area Median Income, while the remaining 20 percent will be saved for workforce housing.
Mayor Jane Castor said the groundbreaking is just the tip of the iceberg of what will eventually be 18 acres of development that will serve Tampa for generations to come.
“We have market rates all the way to affordable units. Everybody’s living together. You can’t tell one unit from the other,” said Castor. “That’s the future of our city.”
This first phase will also include a workforce training center.
Some residents said as long as affordable housing really means affordable, then developments like this are welcome.
“Any development is good as long as we as a people can afford it once it’s completed,” said Clethen.
City leaders said the Gallery at Rome Yards is expected to be completed in December 2026.
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