Roberto Torres, the owner of Blind Tiger Coffee Roasters, already has a rough idea of when construction will reach his door. The Tampa Bay Times reported that work in front of the shop at 934 S. Howard Ave. is expected to start between the second and third quarters of 2027 and finish in the first half of 2028. His summary of the corridor: "Everybody is going to get their year."
The $100.4 million project, which Tampa City Council narrowly approved in mid-September 2026, does not shut down SoHo all at once. It is a work zone that moves along the street on a schedule. If you are signing a lease, buying a building or choosing between SoHo and another South Tampa corridor, the useful question is where your address falls on that schedule.
The schedule runs from Bayshore to Swann
The project will build a 10-by-10-foot concrete box culvert under the centerline of South Howard Avenue between West Swann Avenue and Bayshore Boulevard. Its purpose is to relieve flooding in Parkland Estates, Palma Ceia Pines and nearby neighborhoods. The construction schedule presented to City Council on Sept. 17, 2026 lists these milestones:
- October 2026: Notice to Proceed
- November 2026: Utility relocation starts
- March 2027: Bayshore Boulevard triple box culvert extension
- May 2027: Box culvert construction on South Howard starts
- May 2028: CSX crossing
- February 2029: West Morrison Avenue intersection
- October 2029: West Swann Avenue intersection
- May 2030: Parkland Estates
- September 2030: Substantial completion
By that schedule, utility relocation is due to begin this month, and the box culvert work on Howard itself starts next spring. The Swann intersection at the north end of the culvert stretch is about two and a half years after the first excavation on Howard. Blind Tiger's 2027 to 2028 window falls in the early part of that sequence.
Five to seven weeks, somewhere between 2027 and 2030
The project team says construction will happen in sections of roughly 400 to 600 feet, across 24 phases, with each section restored before crews move on. Tampa Bay 28 reported this phasing on the night of the vote. According to the project FAQ, the contractor has to reopen one section to traffic before it starts the next, although some activities may overlap. The same FAQ estimates that any single driveway could be blocked for 5 to 7 weeks.
For any one property, then, the disruption is measured in weeks. The uncertainty is about timing. A tenant on the Bayshore end could see excavation outside in 2027, while a tenant near Swann might not see it until late 2029. The FAQ calls the phasing plan preliminary and subject to change when changes improve traffic or access for adjacent properties, and says the design-build team will ask owners and businesses for input as the plan is refined.
At every address, the expected cost is a few weeks of reduced access. David Laxer, owner and president of Bern's Steak House Group, has estimated that closing portions of SoHo could cut business by 25% to 45%, according to the Times. Whatever the actual figure turns out to be, it applies to roughly a month and a half at each address. What changes from block to block is where that month and a half lands within a particular lease term, loan term or hold period.
The same lease at opposite ends of the street
Here is how two otherwise identical deals line up with the schedule. Each is a three-year lease that starts in January 2027.
| Storefront near the Bayshore end | Storefront near the Swann end | |
|---|---|---|
| Earliest scheduled work nearby | Bayshore extension, March 2027; Howard culvert start, May 2027 | West Swann intersection, October 2029 |
| Where the work falls in the lease | First or second year | Final months before expiration |
| What the tenant knows at renewal | Construction is behind them | Construction may be underway or just finished |
| Bayshore lane closures | Two southbound lanes closed for about 8 to 10 weeks, with one northbound lane converted for southbound traffic | Farther from that detour |
A tenant on the south end takes the disruption early and then gets a finished street, new pavement and restored sidewalks for the rest of the term. A tenant on the north end gets about two and a half years of normal operation, but the disruption may land right around the time the renewal is being negotiated. That is also when the landlord knows the most about how well the street has recovered.
Buyers face a similar split. A building purchased this fall and held for five years goes through the entire schedule wherever it sits. A building sold in 2028 shows up to buyers in different condition depending on its block. One may have its stretch already restored, while another still has its window ahead of it, and buyers will take that difference into account.
What the city is providing during each block's window
The Business Assistance Plan lists the support a storefront can expect while its section is under construction:
- A four-person business coordination team from contractor Kimmins to help with access and delivery logistics
- Signs marking routes and detours, plus walkways kept open for pedestrians
- Independent vibration monitoring and documentation of buildings before work starts
- Quick restoration of pavement, sidewalks and streetscape after each section
- "SohOPEN," a marketing campaign for South Howard businesses that includes social media and billboards
The FAQ adds temporary driveways and walkways during closures, and an off-site parking area with 24/7 security staff and a golf-cart shuttle. Construction hours are 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Monday through Friday, with weekend and night work only when needed. The city's mobility director told WFLA that customer access would be preserved and that the sidewalk on at least one side of the street would stay open.
The plan focuses on coordination, access, marketing and monitoring. It does not include a direct grant or cash compensation program for individual businesses. When Torres asked the city about relief, he told the Times the answer was the marketing campaign. If you are underwriting a SoHo tenant or modeling your own revenue, assume the weeks of disruption come out of operating income and are not reimbursed.
The lawsuits and the centerline claim
Two class-action suits were filed in Hillsborough County in early October 2026, with Bern's Steak House as class representative in both. The second suit also names Sweet Soul, Water + Flour, Green Lemon, Meeting House and the Epicurean Hotel, which houses Elevage SoHo Kitchen & Bar and EDGE Rooftop Cocktail Lounge. WTSP reported that the suits challenge the transfer of stormwater funds and the procurement of the contract, and that the owners asked for injunctions to stop construction. At that point no hearing date had been set, and the city declined to comment on pending litigation.
One claim in the second suit matters to anyone looking at property on the corridor. The business owners argue that each of their parcels touches the avenue and extends to the centerline of the street, and that the city has not secured the right to dig beneath their land to build the culvert. The suit also alleges that Kimmins and engineer AtkinsRéalis violated Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. For a buyer, the question of what a South Howard parcel's boundary includes comes up in the survey and title review, and the centerline argument is an allegation in a suit that had no hearing date set at the time of WTSP's report.
Questions to get answered in writing before signing on Howard
The schedule gives you enough to ask specific questions about a specific address:
- Which phase covers this frontage, and what is that phase's current target date in the latest phasing plan?
- Does the lease address loss of access from public works, including rent abatement, co-tenancy or relocation rights, and how is each one triggered?
- Who receives the project's advance construction notices, the landlord or the tenant, and how quickly do they get passed along?
- Is there a rear entrance, side-street parking or a second frontage that keeps the business reachable during a 5 to 7 week driveway closure?
- If the window falls near the end of the term, does the renewal option fix its terms before construction or leave them open until after?
This post is general information and not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm how any lease clause, title question or pending lawsuit affects your situation with your attorney, title professional or lender.
Quick answers
Is anything happening on South Howard right now? The construction schedule presented to City Council in September 2026 had utility relocation starting in November 2026, with box culvert construction on South Howard beginning in May 2027.
Where will closures be posted? Temporary road closures and detours go on the Alerts page at SHStormwater.com. The project hotline is 813-467-7887. The FAQ also says a public information meeting will be held before construction begins.
Are operators still opening on the corridor? Yes. Michael Disser opened Howard & Platt and turned the former SoHo Saloon into Good Luck Chucks. He told the Times he invested in SoHo because he believes in the neighborhood's future.
If you are weighing a SoHo lease or purchase, Alan J. Kronenberg can help you place the address on the construction schedule, model the weeks of disruption against your term, and work through the lease points above with your attorney before you sign. Whether you are a tenant comparing locations or a landlord planning renewals along the corridor, let's connect.
