23-story apartment tower in downtown Tampa moves forward (New renderings)

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An Atlanta developer is moving forward with plans for a 23-story apartment tower on downtown Tampa’s Grant block.

Carter closed on the three parcels at 910, 911 and 915 N. Franklin St. on Sept. 9, paying $6.4 million for the one-acre site, according to a Hillsborough County deed filed Friday.

The sellers were father-daughter duo Jeannette and Doran Jason, who also own downtown Tampa’s historic Kress building.

The developer first filed plans with the city for the tower in September 2014.

Closing… …read more

Waterfront mansion in Westshore Yacht Club hits the market (PHOTOS)

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A recent listing in Westshore Yacht Club shows how far Tampa Bay’s luxury housing market has come in the last five years.

The 6,681-square-foot waterfront home at 6021 Beacon Shores St. hit the market last week, listed at $3.3 million. Jennifer Zales, an agent with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate, has the listing.

The sellers — Gordon Troy and Julie Simpson, according to Hillsborough County property records — purchased the home from the original developer in 2010 for $950,000.

The… …read more

Grand Central site near Oxford Exchange ‘destined’ for multifamily development, owner says

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Harvey Parido and his family thought Altman Development Corp.’s proposal for Grand Central was exactly what the neighborhood needs.

Parido’s wife, Cecille Stoeltzing Parido, owns the land where Altman had proposed a building with 296 apartments, 5,000 square feet of retail space and 622 parking spaces. Tampa City Council struck down the rezoning request that would have cleared the way for that development, which was hotly contested by several neighbors.

Altman is under contract to buy the 2.51-acre… …read more

Tampa City Council blocks proposed luxury development near Oxford Exchange

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Tampa City Council has struck down a rezoning request that would have cleared the way for an upscale apartment-and-retail development near Oxford Exchange.

The vote came shortly after midnight Friday, after a public comment period that spanned almost three hours. The majority of those who spoke opposed the proposal.

Altman Development Corp., based in Boca Raton, had sought to rezone the 2.51-acre site bound by front Grand Central Avenue to the north and Cleveland Street to the south, Cedar Street… …read more

TBBJ List: Additional content from the Homebuilders List

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WHAT ARE THE NEWEST FEATURES & TRENDS IN THE HOUSES YOU ARE BUILDING?

We asked local production homebuilders to name a few of the newest features, amenities or trends in houses being built in 2015. Here are some responses…

Greg Carlson , K. Hovnanian Homes : More open space; community amenity such as resort style pools and playgrounds; higher ceilings Janice Snow , Homes by WestBay : More elaborate owner’s bathrooms. Flooring upgrades. Gourmet kitchens and outdoor living continue to be high… …read more

Tampa General CEO opposes development near Oxford Exchange

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Another prominent Tampa businessman has come out against the proposed apartment-and-retail development on Grand Central Avenue, just as it’s slated to go in front of city council.

Jim Burkhart, CEO of Tampa General Hospital, wrote in a Sept. 8 letter to Abbye Feeley, the city’s planning and development coordinator, that the hospital opposes Altman Development Corp.’s request to rezone 504 Grand Central Ave. to make way for nearly 300 apartment units and 5,000 square feet of retail space.

Burkhart… …read more

USF quick to lift coach’s Ybor ban, but it could still fuel the historic district’s stigma as dangerous place

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University of South Florida football coach Willie Taggart on Monday banned players from partying in Ybor City — a move that was quickly overridden by the university’s athletics director.

Former USF player Elkino Watson died Sunday after he was stabbed near a night club in Ybor City. On Monday, Taggart said on his weekly conference call that players will “have to find other places to go have fun” besides Ybor, the Associated Press reports.

Within hours, Mark Harlan, director of athletics at USF,… …read more

Former exec blows the whistle on Walter Investment, leads to $30M mortgage fraud settlement with the feds

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Walter Investment Management Corp. has agreed to pay $29.6 million to resolve allegations it submitted false claims to the federal government.

The case is a “significant milestone” in the fight against mortgage fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida, A. Lee Bentley III.

Walter (NYSE: WAC), a mortgage banking firm headquartered in Tampa, was accused in a lawsuit of submitting bogus claims to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in connection… …read more

Off the Sarasota coast, a restored rustic beach house that served as a bereaved daughter’s emotional journey (PHOTOS)

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For Nancy Nolin, the rustic beach house on Jewfish Key was as much of an emotional investment as a financial one.

Nolin was willed the home at 7155 La Lenaire Drive by her father, Bill Ross, when he died in 2009. In 2011, Nolin set off on a $300,000 renovation, to modernize the home and restore its woodwork.

Now it’s on the market, listed for sale at $1.5 million. Cedric Viquerat, a sales associate with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate’s East Manatee office, got the listing on Aug. 31.

“I… …read more

5 things to start the day: Tampa’s investment hot spot and St. Pete’s Good ‘Burgers award winners

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Good morning from the TBBJ newsroom. I’m filling in for Pam Huff, who is getting an early start to the Labor Day weekend. Lucky her – she’s going to run into gas prices that are the cheapest in a decade, according to Bay News 9.

Here are five things to start your day:

Award winners

The St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce named its 2015 Good ‘Burgers at a party last night at Jannus Live. The Museum of Fine Arts won the Arts & Culture category. Eat & Treats honors went to Bella Brava,… …read more