Developer Darryl Shaw unveils big plans for Ybor Harbor project

Ybor City developer Darryl Shaw has unveiled plans for 6 million square feet of residential, hotel, office and retail space in 20 buildings clustered at the end of Ybor Channel.

Driving the news: Shaw, the entrepreneur who's been investing in Ybor City real estate and the adjacent Gas Worx project, filed conceptual plans and a request for zoning changes with the city for the 33-acre development south of Adamo Drive and the Lee Roy Selmon Expressway last week.

Why it matters: This project would be the biggest waterfront development in years on one of the last large vacant waterfront lots in downtown Tampa.

• It would also be built adjacent to the TECO trolley line and would draw the popular Riverwalk much closer to Ybor City.

The big picture: The development, to be called Ybor Harbor, will have a design "not yet seen in Tampa" and will activate the waterfront, drawing recreational vessels and super-yachts to one of the city’s only deepwater ports, per the plans.

• Shaw envisions opening to the public a section at the end of Ybor Channel that is currently restricted, which would require approval from Port Tampa Bay. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, who sits on the Port board, has signaled her support.
• The new stretch would include a boardwalk lined with restaurants, shops, piers, boat slips, floating docks and green space.

By the numbers: The plans call for 20 buildings of varying heights, with the tallest depending on Federal Aviation Authority limits, including:

• Up to 2,586 residential units
• 140,400 square feet of general office space
• 375 hotel rooms
• 292,260 square feet of commercial retail

What they're saying: "Ybor Harbor is a transformative new addition to the fabric stitching together our urban neighborhoods from Ybor City to the Channel District, Water Street, Gas Worx, and our downtown core," Shaw tells Axios in an emailed statement.

• "Our focus is on creating a vibrant neighborhood, enhancing connectivity, and bringing the public to our city's cherished waterfront."