Bayshore synagogue to sell a portion of its property to Related Group for high-end residential development
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jun 8, 2022

Miami's Related Group is under contract to acquire a portion of a synagogue's property on Bayshore Boulevard, where it plans to build a boutique residential tower.

Lloyd Stern, president of Congregation Rodeph Sholom, confirmed to the Tampa Bay Business Journal on Wednesday that the synagogue plans to sell just under an acre of its property at Bayshore Boulevard and Barcelona Street to Related Group. The portion of the site that's home to a preschool and the synagogue's parking lot will be redeveloped; the synagogue is staying put and has plans to renovate its front lawn, Stern said.

The synagogue's property is a half-mile from where Related is building the Ritz-Carlton Residences, Tampa, a branded condominium development. Related recently launched pre-sales for the second phase of that project.

The tower will include 50 to 60 residential units, Stern said, and the first floor of its garage will be dedicated parking for the synagogue. The Tampa Garden Club property, which is next door to the preschool and has long been floated as a candidate for redevelopment, is not part of the deal.

“We are proud that Congregation Rodeph Sholom trusted us with their vision for developing this property,” Eric Fordin, managing director of Related Group’s condominium division, said in a statement. “It was important to us to find a balance between the needs of the congregation and the surrounding community. We believe this proposal delivers on that promise.”

The synagogue has been approached by developers for years, Stern said, but Related's proposal for the property was the first in which the synagogue would not have to relocate. Maintaining its presence and visibility on Bayshore Boulevard was a priority for the congregation, Stern said.

"Related was wonderful to work with," he said. "This will guarantee that Rodeph Sholom will be there for a hundred — if not hundreds — of years."

The deal has been in the works for about nine months, Stern said, and Related plans to close on the property in January 2024. The property will have to be rezoned to make way for the tower, and rezoning requests require a public hearing before Tampa City Council. Stern said the synagogue hopes that the surrounding community will support the development.

Related's proposal to build a smaller tower on the site was also a selling point for the congregation, he said. While some initially expressed concerns about traffic, Stern says the residential tower will create less traffic than the preschool currently on the property, where about 80 children are dropped off and picked up daily.

"It’s very important that the community knows that we are doing this to guarantee our sustainability in South Tampa on that piece of property," he said.

Related has become one of Tampa Bay's most prolific multifamily developers since it opened Pierhouse Channelside in 2014. It was behind the redevelopment of the Tampa Tribune's former headquarters, which was razed to make way for Manor Riverwalk, and is also the master developer of the West River as well as Rome Yard.