TAMPA, FL (WFTS) — If you've driven through the University Area and noticed construction activity near Harvest Hope Park, you're not alone.
A project years in the making is nearing completion, transforming a former warehouse into a new community resource center focused on workforce development, housing support, career training and community services.
Watch report from Jada Williams
For me, it's also a project I've watched evolve firsthand.
On January 31, 2025, I visited the site before major construction began. At the time, leaders with the University Area Community Development Corporation (CDC) walked me through their vision for the property and explained what they hoped the aging warehouse could become. More than a year later, that vision is now taking shape.
From Vacant Warehouse to Community Hub
The building is becoming the Harvest Hope Workforce Development Center, a 7,800-square-foot facility designed to bring workforce and housing-related resources directly into the neighborhood.
"We're celebrating so much progress," said Erica Moody, CEO of the University Area CDC. "The community is literally under construction, and today we are here at the Workforce Development Center where we are finishing a 7,800-square-foot redevelopment of an existing warehouse to bring more workforce and housing support programs to the community."
The center is opening as the University Area continues to grow and undergo significant redevelopment.
Major projects, including the future USF stadium and the redevelopment of MOSI, are expected to bring new investment and economic activity to the area. Moody said the University Area CDC wants residents prepared to take advantage of those opportunities.
"We're making sure that residents have access to job trainings, opportunities and scaling up their skills so that they can take advantage of all of the great economic development and opportunity coming to the area," Moody said.
A Project Born From a Brownfield Site
The redevelopment effort actually began with a different challenge.
According to Moody, the property was previously a contaminated brownfield site that had environmental issues affecting the soil and groundwater.
"The origination of this site was really buying these parcels so that we can remediate the contamination from the land and put it into use for the public," Moody said.
Rather than allow the site to continue deteriorating, University Area CDC acquired the property and began planning what ultimately became a multi-phase redevelopment effort.
Today, that vision includes the workforce development center, a seven-acre park, cultural programming, community partnerships and future development opportunities.
The site is also zoned for additional housing.
Why Save the Warehouse?
Walking through the building today, it's easy to assume much of it is new construction.
But project architect Jody Beck of Traction Architecture said preserving the structure was always part of the plan.
"It's a lot more complicated to restore an old building than to just scrap it and make something brand new," Beck said. "You're dealing with the existing structure, all kinds of odd little issues that come up as they demo and uncover things."
Even with those challenges, Beck said the team felt it was important to preserve the warehouse.
"We just thought it was important that we're not coming into the community and bulldozing everything and putting up something completely new," Beck said. "We just wanted to preserve part of what was here to kind of tell a story that we can make something nice and amazing with what exists here."
Inside the building, exposed steel beams and industrial elements remain visible, reminding visitors of the structure's original purpose.
One beam in particular was intentionally left exposed rather than painted.
"We just chose to expose the raw steel to help tell the story that even though a lot of this looks new, this is not a new building," Beck explained during a walkthrough.
Designed Around Opportunity
The center's mission extends beyond architecture.
Once completed, the building will house workforce development programs, computer labs, career services, meeting spaces and support programs.
A key feature will be a workforce computer lab equipped with a laptop checkout system.
According to Moody, the organization's Invest Workforce program currently offers more than 40 certifications at no cost.
Residents can also receive help with resumes, interview preparation and job training.
The goal is to make those services accessible in the heart of the community.
"We built this building right in the heart of the community, so residents can just walk outside of their front door and have access to these resources," Moody said.
Beck said one guiding principle behind the design was transparency.
Large windows and open sightlines let visitors see programs and activities throughout the building.
"Everyone can kind of see all of the amazing services and activities UACDC is providing," Beck said.
Community Input Shaping the Development
Moody says residents have played a direct role in shaping what is being built.
The CDC regularly conducts community needs assessments and uses resident feedback to guide investments.
"The community is so excited, and we work with the community every step of the way," Moody said. "They actually inform the development that's happening here today."
She points to previous community-led initiatives as examples of that approach.
When residents identified health and wellness as a priority, the CDC launched programming and eventually developed Harvest Hope Park. More recently, housing and workforce development emerged as major concerns.
"We know that there's a housing crisis," Moody said. "Housing is so needed. Workforce employment is just so critical."
A Home for Art, Culture and Partnerships
The facility is designed to do more than provide workforce services.
Upstairs, University Area CDC plans to showcase local artists' work through its Uptown Artists Collective program.
The organization also operates Prodigy for Youth, a cultural arts program focused on music, dance and visual arts.
Future visitors will see local artwork displayed throughout the building, creating what Moody describes as a community gathering space as much as a workforce center.
A large community mural project is already underway.
Residents helped shape the mural's design through public outreach sessions, and the organization plans a community painting event as part of its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Paint the Town initiative.
The facility will also include meeting spaces and offices for partner organizations that provide services ranging from legal assistance to other community resources.
"Really, this site is about making those partnerships, making those connections, bringing them to the community," Moody said.
More Development Could Be On The Way
The Harvest Hope Workforce Development Center is only one piece of a larger redevelopment vision for the area.
Moody said the workforce center represents phase two of a four-phase project that University Area CDC has been building toward for years.
The organization is already planning a third phase immediately next door to the current workforce center. The proposed development would add roughly 10,000 square feet of additional space and expand the services available to residents.
"We'll be doing a pretty large campaign for the third phase of this project," Moody said. "It's going to be a 10,000-square-foot facility that's actually zoned for a health clinic, an affordable pharmacy, some retail space and a lot of office space."
The future building is intended to bring even more resources directly into the neighborhood, continuing University Area CDC's strategy of creating a central hub for services within the community.
Moody said the organization previously received support from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for the project but later lost that funding. She said University Area CDC is working to regain support as it continues planning efforts for the next phase.
If completed, the project would build on a broader redevelopment strategy that has already included environmental cleanup efforts, property acquisitions, the creation of the seven-acre Harvest Hope Park and the ongoing construction of the Harvest Hope Workforce Development Center.
"We know that this is one of the best places to build. It's the best place to live, and now other people are starting to notice," Moody said.
Standing inside the new workforce center, Moody pointed to the park outside the windows as evidence of the organization's long-term approach to community development.
"This site has taken on more of the adult services of upskilling, resume training, job training, everything like that," she said. "So kids can have fun and play while the adults and parents can better themselves here."
Looking Ahead
The workforce center represents only the second phase of a larger redevelopment strategy.
University Area CDC leaders say additional plans include a future development next door that could house a health clinic, affordable pharmacy, retail space and offices for community partners.
For now, attention remains focused on finishing the workforce center.
Project leaders say construction is about 85% complete.
They expect construction work to wrap up around mid-November, with a grand opening planned for early 2027.
For residents who have watched construction from behind the fence, the transformation is becoming easier to see.
"You can really feel the change happening," Moody said. "It's just really transforming it from the inside out."
As construction nears completion, leaders say the workforce center isn't the finish line but another step in a much larger effort to reshape the University Area. With future plans that could include a health clinic, affordable pharmacy, additional housing opportunities and expanded community partnerships, they say the goal is to ensure longtime residents benefit from the area's ongoing growth and investment.
Share Your Story with Jada
Jada Williams is focused on the issues that matter most to people in who live in Tampa and West Hillsborough County. From downtown Tampa to Town ‘n’ Country and Westchase, Jada works to bring you updates and solutions on everything from crime to infrastructure. Reach out to Jada below with your concerns for your neighborhood.
.
Pasco County mom of 5 takes in 3 children left without food or power whose mother faces neglect charges
Jasmine Young, a mother of 5, opened her home to three neglected girls as their mother faces child neglect charges for leaving them without food, power or water.
