"The mall is still there, technically. But it's not really there." That is how a Tampa Bay Times columnist put it this fall after walking WestShore Plaza on a slow Tuesday in August, when most of the stores inside had their gates down.
For anyone who lives near Westshore Boulevard, the obvious question is when the whole place closes. The paperwork filed since the sale suggests it won't close on a single date. WestShore Plaza is set up to be taken apart in sections, so the buildings on its outer edge will likely outlast the enclosed mall, maybe by a long way. Meanwhile, the district's newest places to eat and drink are opening on the streets around it.
Fourteen Blocks, No Final Day
The Tampa Bay Times reported that Third Lake Partners bought the mall from Ohio-based Washington Prime Group in July for $135 million, according to a deed filed with the Hillsborough County Clerk. The firm is partnering with St. Petersburg's Echelon and said it would not make significant changes to the mixed-use plan the city approved in 2024. The mall opened in 1967 and was the region's first fully air-conditioned indoor mall. It has lost Sears, Macy's and Dick's Sporting Goods in recent years.
The filing that came next changes how residents can expect the property to change. Tampa Bay Business & Wealth reported in August that the new owner filed to rezone the site so it is divided into 14 development blocks connected by a new internal street network. Each section could move forward on its own, and the existing mall "could be demolished in part or entirely" as redevelopment reaches those areas. The filing doesn't add development rights. It changes how the existing rights can be spread across the property.
Before demolition reaches any one part of the site, these steps are still ahead:
- Each phase needs additional city review before work begins.
- A demolition permit has to be filed. None had been filed when the Times reported the sale in late July.
- A timetable has to be set. TBB&W reported that none exists yet for demolition or construction.
What comes after that is large. TBB&W describes up to 1,765 residences, a 240-room hotel, about 900,000 square feet of retail and 500,000 square feet of office and medical space on the roughly 53-acre property. Tampa Mayor Jane Castor described the goal to WTSP as "an entire neighborhood that is walkable."
Under a block-by-block plan, the useful question for any one business is where its building sits on the site.
The Perimeter Buildings Are Better Placed Than the Mall Interior
WTSP reported that no timeline and no final decision on individual businesses had been announced. It also reported that the enclosed mall and its interior stores are expected to see the biggest changes, while restaurants in standalone or perimeter buildings "could be better positioned to fit into the new development." Those restaurants are the ones many neighbors use most on weeknights.
| Place on the property | Building | Where it stands this fall |
|---|---|---|
| Seasons 52 | Standalone or perimeter | Operating, with hours posted on its location page |
| Besito Mexican | Standalone or perimeter | Listed with hours on the mall's site |
| Maggiano's Little Italy | Standalone or perimeter | Named by WTSP among the perimeter restaurants |
| P.F. Chang's | Standalone or perimeter | Listed with hours on the mall's site |
| AMC WestShore 14 | Mall theater | Listed with operating hours and ticketing on the mall's AMC page |
| Interior shops | Enclosed mall | Most were shuttered during the Times columnist's August visit |
Inside, the picture is mixed and changes from week to week. The mall directory still lists JCPenney, H&M, Kura Revolving Sushi Bar and Urban Native, among others. A directory entry is a listing, though, and the Times' August walk-through found most interior storefronts closed. When Bay News 9 spoke with small-business tenants in late July, Urban Native Store said it was still open but had no information on how long tenants could stay. For any interior shop, checking hours before you drive over is the reliable approach for now.
Westshore's New Evenings Are Opening Off the Mall Site
While the mall empties from the inside, the district around it has added places to go after work. None of them are on the WestShore Plaza parcel. That fits the walkable mix of housing, offices and restaurants the redevelopment plan is aiming for.
- The Sapphire Lounge & Supper Club soft-opened May 15 at 4410 W. Boy Scout Blvd. It is a 1950s-inspired supper club in a 17,000-square-foot former medical-office space at TriPointe Plaza, as Creative Loafing Tampa reported.
- Byte Burger, the Temple Terrace smash-burger spot run by brothers Ahmed, Ali and Matt Mansour, opened a food truck on Aug. 3 in the Citgo lot at 301 Westshore Blvd., according to Creative Loafing Tampa. The Tampa Bay Times reported that a permanent restaurant was under construction and the truck would move once it opened. No opening date had been announced.
- Ceviche Tapas Bar & Restaurant returned to Tampa at International Plaza. It sits behind The Capital Grille in the former Cafe Alma and Corona Cigar Bar spaces and is run by Caledon Concepts, according to a Times preview. Ceviche's website now lists the International Plaza location and Tampa menus.
- Charley's Steak House is building a larger replacement at 1965 N. Westshore Blvd. and projects an April 2027 opening. The current restaurant at 4444 W. Cypress St. stays open until the move, according to Charley's.
International Plaza also has its own update ahead. In March, Tampa Magazine reported that Simon Property Group's $250 million investment announcement includes a planned 50,000-square-foot exterior expansion there and a reworked Bay Street dining area. No schedule was given.
Put together, Westshore has a dinner supply that keeps working while the old mall's interior winds down. A supper club, a burger truck waiting on its building, a tapas bar at the busier mall and a steakhouse midway through a move all sit within the same short stretch of Westshore Boulevard, Boy Scout Boulevard and Cypress Street.
A Second Plan Ten Minutes Up Dale Mabry
The mall site isn't the only large project nearby. In August, the Tampa Bay Times described the proposed Tampa Bay Rays stadium at the current Hillsborough College Dale Mabry campus. It would be a 100-plus-acre project with office, retail, hospitality, entertainment and college buildings, less than 10 minutes from WestShore Plaza. The same article treats the two projects together as a way for Westshore to become more walkable, transit-accessible and residential instead of mainly an office district.
Phasing matters here too. A block-by-block mall site can change one section at a time while that larger project moves through its own approvals. That favors the businesses already running around the edges, both on the mall property and across the surrounding streets.
Planning a Westshore Week This Fall
For the weeks around the November holidays, the mall property still covers a familiar routine. You can catch a movie at AMC WestShore 14 and have dinner at Seasons 52, Besito, Maggiano's or P.F. Chang's. All of them are in the outer buildings WTSP considers better placed for the redevelopment. For something new, The Sapphire is on Boy Scout Boulevard, Ceviche is at International Plaza, and the Byte truck is still on Westshore Boulevard until its permanent restaurant is ready. Charley's stays on Cypress Street into 2027.
The interior is where things will change soonest. The latest dated reports put no deadline on its tenants, so call ahead before making a trip for a specific interior shop. The next real milestone is a demolition permit or a city review for a first block, and neither had been reported when this was published.
If you own a home or condo near WestShore Plaza and want to know how a phased, multi-year redevelopment next door could affect your timing and pricing, Laura Baker can walk you through it with local context and a clear plan. Request a Complimentary Home Strategy & Valuation.
