To Jeff Vinik’s list of big ambitions for what he now describes as a $2 billion project near downtown Tampa, add this:
To create the world’s first city district designed to make those who live and work there more healthy.
Vinik on Tuesday unveiled a partnership to do that with Delos, a New York-based real estate company that tries to build health and wellness strategies into its projects.
The Tampa Bay Lightning owner wants not only to show that city design can be healthy. He also thinks a good-for-you focus can be a “major selling point” for the 40 acres he’s developing near Amalie Arena with the backing of Microsoft founder Bill Gates’ personal investment fund Cascade Investment. So far, Vinik said that whenever the idea has come up in discussions with prospective tenants, “it has, if nothing else, piqued their interest.”