The University of South Florida (USF) has commenced construction on Uptown Landing, a nearly $500m mixed-use project set to provide new student accommodation, research infrastructure, retail and hospitality amenities.  

The groundbreaking event also marked the official renaming of the development from its previous working title, 'Fletcher District'. 

The initiative is planned as a new hub for students, faculty and Tampa Bay residents, with features aimed at activating the area year-round.  

Uptown Landing’s initial 30-acre phase, sited north of Fletcher Avenue and east of North 46th Street, will include 700 beds in new student residences, space for up to six restaurants, retail outlets, a hotel, a conference centre and an academic research building. 

The research facility, called the Translational Research Institute, is designed to support approximately 100 National Institutes of Health-funded principal investigators alongside around 1,000 additional researchers, according to a release from the university. 

USF president Moez Limayem said: “Uptown Landing is much more than a new neighbourhood.  This will be a destination anchored by USF, but created for the entire community. Uptown is a name this district has earned through decades of research, innovation, jobs and investment. We're not creating an identity here. We're helping write its next chapter.”  

The project is being executed as a public-private partnership (PPP), reportedly the largest of its kind within Florida’s State University System.  

According to the university, the overall cost for phase one is split between approximately $270m for the PPP elements including housing, retail and hospitality, and $225m for the academic research institute. 

The development will be carried out through a Master Development Agreement with ACE Fletcher, composed of Capstone Development Partners, Aureate Development and Ellison Development. 

Uptown Landing is expected to open in time for the start of the 2028 academic year.  

The new destination will be within walking distance of the university’s planned on-campus stadium, positioning the site as a gathering place for university events, sporting fixtures and regional conferences. 

USF Board of Trustees chair Mike Griffin said: “Uptown Landing will absolutely transform our area of the city and USF is proud to anchor this transformative development. We are deeply grateful to our partners, and our state, city and county leaders who have supported this innovative project. We could not have gotten here without them.”