Florida Crystals pursuing residential project on Amazon Hose site in Channelside
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Sep 8, 2014

Florida Crystals Corp. appears to be moving forward with the redevelopment of a warehouse in Tampa's Channelside district into a residential building.

The organic sugar producer on Friday requested to change the zoning of the Amazon Hose and Rubber project, at 222 N. 12th St., from industrial to residential. West Palm Beach-based Florida Crystals launched a real estate division and got into the apartment sector in 2013, reports sister news organization the South Florida Business Journal.

The Amazon Hose and Rubber site has been the subject of several developers' pursuits over the last several years, with developers going under contract on the property in summer 2013 and again this January. It's not clear if Florida Crystals is the same developer who was under contract in January.

The developer who was under contract in January planned 250 apartments on the site.

The site is owned by Sarasota-based developer Sibari Project, which has owned it since 2006, according to Hillsborough County property records.

With about 3,500 residents and growing, Channelside is on the cusp of becoming a thriving urban neighborhood. Its role in downtown revitalization, and Tampa Bay Lightning Owner Jeff Vinik's plans for the area, will be key in helping Tampa create an identity that can attract and maintain a millennial workforce.

Ashley Gurbal Kritzer is a reporter for the Tampa Bay Business Journal.