TAMPA — The lofty expectations for downtown Tampa residential construction are beginning to meet reality, with developers and city officials celebrating this morning the groundbreaking for a 23-story apartment tower in the North Franklin neighborhood.
Nine15, which will house 362 apartments and 8,000 square feet of street-level retail, is under construction on the block bordered by Florida Avenue and Cass, Franklin and Tyler streets. The name comes from the tower’s future address, 915 Franklin St.
“Those of us that have been around Tampa for a long time have waited decades to see the transformation of the North Franklin area,” said Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn. “We knew that it always would. We knew when the time was right, when the economy was right, when the demand was right, that this would take off and this would be the kind of neighborhood that cities all over America are striving for — a place where for 18 hours a day, you can live, work and play.”