Tampa's Container Store a bright sign

The lights are burning late at a 25,000-square-foot The Container Store rising at North Westshore Boulevard and Spruce Street in Tampa. The store, which anchors a new, 35,000-square-foot retail center called The Corner, is scheduled to open March 16, and workers are scrambling to meet the deadline.

The opening is significant because it shows that developers once again are building ground-up retail centers, rather than simply rehabbing old ones. Commercial real estate development came to a near standstill during the recession, and from late 2008 to 2012, across the country new construction was rare.

The Corner sits opposite International Plaza, an upscale shopping center, near a cluster of office buildings in north Tampa. The retail development is a joint venture of Saber Corner LLC and ARC Property Trust Inc., Michael Klinger, managing member of Saber Real Estate Advisors, an affiliate of Saber Corner, tells Coffee Talk in an email. A 3,500-square-foot BankUnited, a Sleep Number Store and a Lime Fresh grill are slated for the center, in addition to The Container Store.