Market still chilly for growing next skyscraper
By Chris Wilkerson
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Oct 4, 2013

The market force that will push the next office building out of the ground in downtown Tampa or St. Petersburg might just be another tower – a residential tower.

The live-work-play philosophy that dominated development discussions before the crash is making its way into urban environments where residential construction has significantly outpaced office.

Developers, builders and architects all say the residential buildup will eventually mean another office tower downtown.

It has been about 21 years since private developers built an office high-rise in Tampa Bay. In the years between 1981 and 1992, developers built seven office buildings totaling 233 stories ...

Chris Wilkerson is Deputy Editor of the Tampa Bay Business Journal.