Water Street Case Study
9:15a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Palma Ceia 1-2
This session shares the amazing story of how one of the most unique, world-class large-scale redevelopment projects landed in the center of urban Tampa. You will see this development on the afternoon CRA tour later this afternoon. The 50-acre district attracted national attention and international investment almost immediately. Water Street Tampa features retail, offices, homes, hotels, culture and education, all within a neighborhood designed for people to walk, meet, explore and enjoy year-round; a place with culture, character and community on every corner. Take home a piece or part of the story to understand what it might take to do something to scale like this back home.
Presenters: James H. “Jim” Shimberg, Jr., Executive Vice President for Legal and External Affairs, Strategic Property Partners, LLC, and Zachary Schwartz, senior GIS and information systems analyst, City of Palmetto CRA
CM I 1.0
James H. “Jim” Shimberg, Jr. Mr. Shimberg is the Executive Vice President for Legal and External Affairs for Strategic Property Partners, LLC, the developers of the Water Street Tampa project. He joined Strategic Property Partners in December 2013 as Executive Vice President and General Counsel. In addition to his role with SPP, Mr. Shimberg also serves as General Counsel for Tampa Bay Sports & Entertainment, the parent company for the Tampa Bay Lightning, and Amalie Arena.
Mr. Shimberg previously spent two years as the City Attorney for the City of Tampa where he ran the city’s legal department, advised City Council, and served as Senior Advisor to Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Prior to working for the City of Tampa, Mr. Shimberg practiced privately at the firm Holland &. Knight for 26 years where he spent three years as the executive partner of the Tampa office. His private practice focused on land use, zoning, local government, and real estate development.
He is a graduate of the University of Florida and the University of Florida’s College of Law. Mr. Shimberg also currently serves on the Board of the Tampa Hillsborough Homeless Initiative and the James & Amy Shimberg Foundation.
Zachary Schwartz Originally from Tampa, Mr. Schwartz is a senior GIS and information systems analyst with the City of Palmetto’s Community Redevelopment Agency. He is an ardent student of history and how it shapes communities and their growth. He graduated from University of Florida with a Bachelor’s in Anthropology focusing on Archaeology. He earned his graduate certificate in GIS from the University of South Florida, and a Master’s in Professional Studies in Information Sciences – Cybersecurity, and Information Assurance from Penn State. He was awarded the GISCI GISP certification in November of 2014. He also has post baccalaureate certificates including Information Systems Security & Geographic Information Systems.