What if your city could transform from a landscape of warehouses into a bustling urban oasis? Join us as we sit down with Christina Harden, the General Manager of Midtown Tampa, who has been instrumental in turning this vision into reality. From her early days with the Bromley Companies in 2010 to overseeing the remarkable development of Midtown Tampa, Christina shares her journey and the vibrant life that this 23-acre mixed-use area now supports. With 390 apartments at a 94% occupancy rate, extensive retail spaces, and fully leased office buildings, Midtown Tampa is a thriving community that epitomizes the best of urban living.
In this episode, we explore the future of Central Florida's urban development, particularly the potential growth of the Tampa, Ocala, and Orlando areas into a cohesive metropolitan region. Christina highlights the lifestyle-oriented community of Midtown Tampa, which offers free health and wellness activities like yoga and mommy-and-me exercise classes. Catering primarily to young professionals and child-free couples, Midtown Tampa provides exclusive amenities such as dedicated parking and direct access to Whole Foods, making it an ideal location for those seeking an active and convenient urban lifestyle. Tune in to discover how Midtown Tampa is setting a new standard for city living and what it means for the future of urban development in Central Florida.
On 23 acres, the award-winning $1 billion Midtown Tampa is the first mixed-use project of its kind in Tampa, and the catalyst for an entirely new district connecting Westshore and downtown Tampa.
Midtown Tampa will deliver 1.8 million square feet of retail and residential space, including 200,000 square feet of Class A office in the first phase, plus entertainment and hospitality to the surrounding neighborhood and entire Tampa Bay region.
What if your city could transform from a landscape of warehouses into a bustling urban oasis? Join us as we sit down with Christina Harden, the General Manager of Midtown Tampa, who has been instrumental in turning this vision into reality. From her early days with the Bromley Companies in 2010 to overseeing the remarkable development of Midtown Tampa, Christina shares her journey and the vibrant life that this 23-acre mixed-use area now supports. With 390 apartments at a 94% occupancy rate, extensive retail spaces, and fully leased office buildings, Midtown Tampa is a thriving community that epitomizes the best of urban living.
In this episode, we explore the future of Central Florida's urban development, particularly the potential growth of the Tampa, Ocala, and Orlando areas into a cohesive metropolitan region. Christina highlights the lifestyle-oriented community of Midtown Tampa, which offers free health and wellness activities like yoga and mommy-and-me exercise classes. Catering primarily to young professionals and child-free couples, Midtown Tampa provides exclusive amenities such as dedicated parking and direct access to Whole Foods, making it an ideal location for those seeking an active and convenient urban lifestyle. Tune in to discover how Midtown Tampa is setting a new standard for city living and what it means for the future of urban development in Central Florida.
On 23 acres, the award-winning $1 billion Midtown Tampa is the first mixed-use project of its kind in Tampa, and the catalyst for an entirely new district connecting Westshore and downtown Tampa.
Midtown Tampa will deliver 1.8 million square feet of retail and residential space, including 200,000 square feet of Class A office in the first phase, plus entertainment and hospitality to the surrounding neighborhood and entire Tampa Bay region.
(813)738-4120 www.midtowntampa.com
Speaker 1:
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Mike Sedita.
Speaker 2:
Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. I'm your host, mike Sedita, and today we are joined by Christina Harden. She is the GM of Midtown Tampa, so everybody and their grandmother is moving to Tampa. This is like the heart of Tampa. To get you excited about being in the city and city living. Christina, how are you doing today?
Speaker 3:
I'm doing wonderful. I'm so happy to be here with you.
Speaker 2:
Thank you so much for coming on with us. And everybody kind of makes this mistake Because the Good Neighbor Podcast is the Good Neighbor Podcast Pasco. That just happens to be where we're based out of. But we've interviewed people from Orlando to Ocala to Sarasota, but now we're right in the heart of Tampa and it gives us an opportunity to kind of be in grassroots and let people know what's going on in the community down there in Hillsborough County. So, with that being said, tell us a little bit about what is what encompasses Midtown Tampa. Well, about what encompasses Midtown Tampa.
Speaker 3:
Well, absolutely. Midtown Tampa is a wonderful mixed-use development. We encompass about 23 acres in the heart of Midtown, or in the heart of Tampa in Hillsborough County. We have 390 apartments available for leasing and are novel. At Midtown we have over 182,000 square feet of retail from some of the first of our network which, like Shake Shack, we've got Double Up F45, some of the first in our area, as well as Sunda and Walk-On. We also have office buildings. We have over 400 square feet of office commercial real estate and we are the only development with active office being built in Tampa right now.
Speaker 2:
So let me ask you a couple quick questions. 390 apartments total. What is your current occupancy?
Speaker 3:
94%. We have 94% occupancy and 98% lease for over six months.
Speaker 2:
And you said and then maybe I misheard it I thought you said 400 square feet of office space. Do you 400 square feet of office space? That seems small.
Speaker 3:
Well, we have three actually office buildings. So we have the Midtown West Tower, which is 100% leased. We have the Midtown East, which is also referred to as the TECO building least. We have the Midtown East, which is also referred to as the TECO building, which will actually be the highest office building opening in West Shore, tampa as of spring 2025. And then we have a 75 square foot, a three-story office building also that is owned by the Bromley Company. So Loft Okay.
Speaker 2:
And then my most important question did I hear you say there's a walk-on somewhere in one of your buildings?
Speaker 3:
There is. We have a walk-ons on the ground floor of Building 3 of Novel. I love working with Mike Lester and his team here. They have one of the best happy hours at Midtown. They have some of the best people working within their facility. They have some of the best people working within their facilities. We just love partnering with them on everything we can.
Speaker 2:
So tell me a little bit about. I mean, you don't seem at all really that excited about what you do. It seems just like a humdrum job and that you are just making it. The days go by slowly. So fill us in a little bit about your background. How long have you been doing? How long have you been with Midtown, tampa and that whole group, and have you always done real estate? What is your background like?
Speaker 3:
So I actually started with the master developer of the Bromley companies in 2010 as their office manager. I am their earmarked person that they can they represent as someone who has grown with the company. We had only about 13 parcels at that time when I joined the company. We're at 23 acres now. I helped put together the real estate development of the Midtown site.
Speaker 3:
And then I actually left them to get more hands-on development experience with working in construction. So I became a project manager and actually helped build a few of the home banks around the Hillsborough Pinellas County area as well as do doing some remodels.
Speaker 2:
Do you live down in that area, I mean, or do you sit down?
Speaker 3:
I love the Palo Alto County, Tampa Bay area. I'm born and bred here and my heart goes to everything I can to build up our community.
Speaker 2:
So what would you? So, as far as I mean, real estate development is big. Obviously it's. You know, it's one of the things here. I know here in Pasco County it's very tough right now, like finding land. Finding land is not so tough, but being able to find like commercial space or like light-type space where people can use those offices and stuff, it's very sparse. They're trying to build that up right now as it's grown Since 2010,.
Speaker 2:
Since you've gotten started, I'm assuming you've seen just a tremendous overhaul of growth. The only thing I can equate it to I grew up in northern New Jersey, right outside New York City, and when I was a kid growing up, times Square in New York City was kind of run down. It wasn't really like the place you brought your kids on vacation, but over this period of time, this resurgence built it back up. Tampa is one of the most popular cities in the United States because of various reasons, whether it's tax you know no state income tax and you know being close to the beach and still having the city and all that stuff. What would you say is the most drastic change that you've noticed? Where you're like man, I can't believe we're here now from where we were in 2010?.
Speaker 3:
Honestly, it's just the development of the site. When I got started with this project, it was mainly warehouses. We had vacant land and we had warehouses and we had a gas station. We slowly pieced together the rest of it and you know, demoed and prepared. It is amazing to see the night and day From my first interview with Bromley back in February 2010,. Coming to the site and not knowing anything about this company.
Speaker 2:
What am I getting myself into?
Speaker 3:
And I run their biggest asset. I run a billion dollar project and I started with them as an office manager. And that just shows their belief in me and Tampa they sell the vision he sent me and Tampa.
Speaker 2:
They sold a vision. Okay, so we're talking about Midtown Tampa here, but you say there's 23 acres of property. Do you have other stuff in? Like Pinellas County, is there other Bromley developments around the Tri-County area?
Speaker 3:
So we do have, like, we had the men's warehouse on our site and we actually moved them off site to one of our other parcels warehouse on our site and we actually moved them off site to one of our other parcels. We do have other parcels in and around the tampa bay area um that we own. They're not any in any development stage right now. We're happily, you know, just owning them and leasing them out.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, um, but again. With, like the bromley team, we bought the first property in tampa 1997. And we didn't break ground on Midtown until 2019. So they see the vision.
Speaker 2:
Well, the reason I asked that question is really just I'm thinking about all the stuff in the news recently about the Rays Stadium and the resurgence of that area. I have a friend who is a property you know. He's a property manager for a large real estate firm and they're taking part in kind of the resurgence or the redevelopment of that area. That's kind of the tricky thing, right Like I find it interesting that you say that we bought this property, some of these parcels, in 97 and didn't develop them, for, you know, almost 20 years later it's kind of waiting for, you know, having this property and waiting for the market to kind of catch up to where it's needed, right Like I mean, that's the timing of it.
Speaker 3:
Well, it's the timing and I would like to say that we actually threw our hat in on the Ray Stadium as well At one point before we went into Midtown construction. We've had many different ideas for this parcel. Even early 2000s it was about 13 acres we were trying to put together to do a tiny mixed use, nothing like we have for Midtown. Thank goodness the recession hit and it did not be able to go forward with, because we were able to bring something so much better and something bigger and more impactive to our community. I mean, we even created a district which is unheard of it nowadays. We created our own neighborhood.
Speaker 2:
Well. So Tampa is fairly crowded, I mean in Hillsborough County down there it's pretty crowded up here in Pasco County. I mean, is there ever like, do you guys ever think you might branch out to kind of come out here and do some sort of like? We have a couple things out here. I mean the whole Wiregrass section in Wesley Chapel is like a sort of a mixed use. Avalon is more of a mixed residential commercial stuff. There's all sorts of that stuff going on. What's next for you guys? Is it expanding out to Pasco or Manatee or some other counties in the surrounding area?
Speaker 3:
I can definitely say our master developers at Brownlee Company is absolutely looking at other areas of interest, especially in the Florida neighborhoods, because they do feel that Florida is growing. It's the prime opportunity for real estate. I wouldn't say that necessarily they're sticking with Hillsborough County. They are looking all over. There's nothing that says they have to stick with Tampa or even Pinellas County. They've had definitely interest in other counties. I can't really go into the details but they definitely are not just solely sticking to Hillsborough County and I appreciate that. As a Florida girl I want to see everyone get a little taste of what we can do.
Speaker 2:
Well, listen, we don't have to talk about it on this public podcast, but after we get off, just give me a tip on to where you guys are looking at and I'll just try to buy some surrounding properties just to make sure I'm kind of in the know. So I've actually had this conversation with multiple real estate people on this podcast talking a little bit about this. But it's sort of crazy, like I don't know if you've ever been to like Dallas, fort Worth and that like Metroplex area. It is so massively huge and so spread out. It's literally like two giant cities that have kind of melted together. And I spent a lot of time as an adult living in Atlanta and Atlanta is like Dallas, but on a smaller level, like there's. Atlanta has, you know, the perimeter inside and outside the perimeter, but on a smaller level. Atlanta has the perimeter inside and outside the perimeter but Dallas has it double. It's like twins and I've made this conversation with several real estate people.
Speaker 2:
Because of the way Central Florida is, you have Tampa here on the west side of the state, ocala kind of up in the middle of the state and Orlando in the center of the state. I almost feel like being in Pasco County and watching the way the development has kind of branched out there and Orlando is always branching out I almost feel like in 50 years from now it's almost going to be like just central Florida. Central Florida is the Tampa, ocala, orlando, you know, mix or whatever you want to call it. Um, it's, the development of the property is just good Now. There's still vast land, there's still a low water table, so there's stuff that just can't be developed.
Speaker 2:
I mean, there's a whole section in Tampa that's like that Like if you look at the map. But I just feel like that's where we're going to, like this huge metro area that all these different cities kind of take part in. What excites you about the future of real estate Besides Midtown? I mean, I know you guys have a lot of great stuff going on there. Is there something that you're looking at going? Man, I can't wait till we get, you know, we get into this.
Speaker 3:
So there are a few projects that I know that are earmarked down our line that I'm super excited about. I wish I could speak more of them, because what it's going to bring to the Florida region, I'm just thrilled. As someone who's been around and watching this, I do agree. The Ocala Orlando Tampa that's going to become almost like the Bermuda Triangle of Florida yeah, and you have to be part of that to be in really good standing in the state of Florida for business.
Speaker 2:
So I imagine we are in that same kind of triangle that we see that and we're actively pursuing projects in interest and other partners as well that are working on projects in those areas you know with Midtown Tampa is like do you run into when people are coming in, whether it's commercial space, retail space or just you know, like leasing apartments, where you're like, yeah, that's not what Midtown Tampa is about Like, are you educating people? Because it seems like it's a lifestyle.
Speaker 3:
It is. It is very much a lifestyle and that is something that we continue to educate, because we try to encourage that. It's a live wellness kind of brand that we want you to be the healthiest and happiest you can be. So we try to provide as much free items in our events. So if you're wanting to do yoga, every week we have a free yoga class. You know, we have stroller sculpt for the moms that just want to get out. We actually have two mommy and me classes for exercise to get them out that are all free of charge. You know, we just really want people to be active and understand that they have all of this at their fingertips.
Speaker 2:
So 390 units, 94% occupancy. What is the general demographic makeup of your, of your residence? I mean, is it, is it younger? Couples, is it? You know? I mean I don't know, I like when I think of apartment living like I lived for a short time in New York city and hell's kitchen on the 26th floor and these apartments, you know there's families and all sorts of stuff that's in there. I just for me, you know, maybe it's just the way I was brought up I think of a family living in a house with a yard and that type of thing. What is the demographic makeup? Is it mostly younger? Is it retirees? Who do you have?
Speaker 3:
So we actually have a range in our apartment from about 25 to about 45. But a lot of them are not the family, they're not going to have a bunch of kids. They're not going to be here for the kid aspect. We don't have a playground or anything, but we do have great commons and we have all these other great abilities for kids.
Speaker 2:
But we do see 25 to 45 seems to be in there, usually either couples that are have no kids or singles, singles that are just, you know, living their best life as they want. And then I'm assuming I mean like when you live in New York City, you don't really need a car. The transit setup is pretty robust. I'm assuming there's parking and all sorts of stuff for residents. They have their spots and their spaces and all that stuff where they could travel and use their vehicles.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so the residents actually have a garage that's actually solely just for them and then they can actually pay for reserved, special you know, assigned parking. Otherwise we're free parking. We're one of the only places in Hillsborough County that has free parking. You can come in and park and go walk anywhere. And one of the best things about our residence is our Whole Foods. Our Whole Foods building actually backs up to building one, the main building for our residents, and every floor has access to whole foods, so they can exit on the sixth floor and still be able to get to the whole foods to bring their groceries to their door.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I mean honestly that was the worst part of living in Midtown, Manhattan and Hell's Kitchen was going to the supermarket, which was literally maybe a hundred yards just across the street, but crossing 8th Avenue trying to get my groceries in my hands and, like you know, when it's, when you're like this and when you carry them from the car to the refrigerator, sure you put 10 bags on each arm and you run in the house and throw it on the counter. You can't do that walking it across the block. So that is really a great convenient thing to have Whole Foods right there. Convenient thing to have Whole Foods right there. What would be the one thing if I'm young and I'm single, or just me and my wife and we have the income to afford to live in Midtown and we want to be close to the action? What is the one thing that people need to know about moving to Midtown, tampa that differentiates you guys from living anywhere else in the city?
Speaker 3:
Everything is at your fingertips. You have breakfast, you have lunch and you have dinner. You have bars. So if you want to hang out and you know drink and you know have a safe way to walk home, we're there 24-7, 365 days a week. You know you can call on our security, we're there. Everything about it, it's everything is at your fingertips. You want something for a whole suit, or even walmart. It's just across the the highway, so less than two miles you can have your stuff delivered from walmart. Uh, we are just a prime location that it makes it so much easier for residents to be able to keep park and never have to move their vehicle.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, so if, if I'm interested in in coming in. Well, we're going to figure out when you and I are going to have lunch at um walk-ons, but we'll cover that offline. But, um, I want to come, I want to get a tour, I want to see the facility. What's the best way to go about doing that?
Speaker 3:
All right, I would say reach out to me or just into Midtown Tampa directly on our website, either at midtowntampacom. You can email us at info at midtowntampacom or call us at 813-738-4120. One of us will gladly take you through, answer any questions or even just show you kind of the back scene happenings of what we do at Midtown.
Speaker 2:
So, folks, if you're listening to this or watching it on our YouTube channel and you're interested in getting into the mix of being in Tampa the convenience, the live work and play all in one location contact Christina Harden, her team. Midtown Tampa. It's MidtownTampacom. If you don't want to talk to anybody and just want to search, go to MidtownTampacom. If you want to send an email, it's info at MidtownTampacom. But if you want to actually get somebody on the phone to be able to kind of set up and arrange a tour to see everything that they have to offer, 813-738-4120. Christina Harden, thank you for being a good neighbor, thank you for being on the Good Neighbor Podcast. You have an amazing day.
Speaker 1:
Thank you for being on the Good Neighbor podcast. You have an amazing day. Thank you. Thanks for listening to the Good Neighbor podcast, pasco. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnppascocom. That's gnppascocom, or call 813-922-3610.
