TAMPA - For years, city and tourism officials have lamented that the Ritz-Carlton's flag hasn't flown over Tampa.

Now they are celebrating the news that plans are on track for the city to land its first Ritz hotel as soon as 2011.

Ritz-Carlton officials intend to announce Friday their plans to open a 269-room hotel on the Courtney Campbell Parkway at Rocky Point Drive. The project also will include 176 luxury residential units, retail space and a marina, according to information from the hotel chain.

Developers hope it becomes the area's first five-star hotel, and tourism leaders hope a high-class hotel attracts more events, conventions and visitors to the Tampa Bay area.

"We've lacked five-star hotel rooms," said Mark Huey, Tampa's economic development administrator. "It will give us a tool we haven't had in the past to compete for events."

Word started leaking in May that the Ritz was looking at the area, but no deal had been struck. Tuesday's release confirms the hotel company intends to make its mark on Tampa.

Huey said the hotel chain has scoured parts of the city, including downtown and the West Shore area, during the past few years for a location but never sealed a deal.

The Tampa Ritz will be the 10th Ritz-Carlton in Florida. The project will be developed by Clearwater-based Orion Communities and R.L. Pearson & Associates.

The hotel portion of the project will feature a 15,000-square-foot spa and wellness center, boutique shops, retail space, swimming pools and restaurants. A marina will include boat slips for hotel guests and residents.

John Grandoff, an attorney working on the project, said he is discussing marina details with the Port Authority. He said he expects the marina to be permitted by mid-2008.

The hotel also will include 30,000 square feet of event space, including a 12,000-square-foot ballroom.

Atop seven floors of hotel rooms will be 44 residential units. An adjacent 19-story second tower will include 132 residential units. The average floor plan is 2,800 square feet.

Pricing information was unavailable late Tuesday. A sales office is scheduled to open on Rocky Point Drive early next year.

The Radisson Bay Harbor hotel will be torn down to make room for the development.

Steve Hayes, executive vice president of Tampa Bay & Company, the area's convention and visitors bureau, said the Ritz will be a welcome addition to an area seeing substantial hotel development.

A Westin Hotel is under construction in Rocky Point, at least three hotels are planned for the West Shore area and an Embassy Suites plans to open soon in Brandon, Hayes said. Currently, 20,500 hotel rooms exist countywide.

Louis Miller, head of Tampa International Airport, said having a high-end hotel could help the city land big events. The Super Bowl will be played in Tampa in 2009; a Ritz could help the city secure future games, Miller predicted.

"You're seeing more and more hotels in the West Shore district," Miller said. "It's a convenient place to be. You're seeing a resurgence of the high-end hotel rooms."

Reporter Ellen Gedalius can be reached at (813) 259-7679 or egedalius@tampatrib.com.