Related Group tweaks plans for tower on Bayshore synagogue property
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Mar 29, 2023

Related Group has altered its plans for a condominium tower on Bayshore Boulevard.

The Miami-based developer has withdrawn its application for an amendment to the comprehensive plan that would have allowed it to build a 60-unit, 29-story tower on a portion of the property owned by Congregation Rodeph Sholom.

Instead, Related is now proposing a 50-unit tower, said attorney Julia Mandell, who represents Related and is chairwoman of the real estate and land-use practice at GrayRobinson in Tampa. The new plan does not require a comprehensive plan amendment, but it does require a rezoning hearing in front of Tampa City Council. The hearing is set for May 11.

The tower's height won't change, Mandell told the Tampa Bay Business Journal, but its width will shrink with the reduction in units. Related has also reduced the number of parking spaces along with the number of residences.

"The synagogue has a right to develop a tower there of up to 72 units," Mandell said. "This is a good opportunity, and we've said this all along, to preserve the synagogue in its existing location."

Plans for the redevelopment first went public in June 2022.

"Related was wonderful to work with," Lloyd Stern, synagogue president, said at the time. "This will guarantee that Rodeph Sholom will be there for a hundred — if not hundreds — of years."

Related is one of the most prolific developers in the Tampa Bay region. It redeveloped the Tampa Tribune building into Manor Riverwalk and built an apartment tower on Harbour Island. Its affordable housing division has partnered with the Tampa Housing Authority to redevelop the West River district. Half a mile from the synagogue property, it is building Ritz-Carlton branded condos.

It is also planning to build a new mixed-use district in downtown, the Riverfront district.