A South Tampa building that once buzzed with local radio broadcasts is planned as the site of Radiant Church’s new campus. Radiant Church plans to build its new permanent home at 4002 W. Gandy Blvd., the former iHeartMedia property, after a 12-year search for a permanent South Tampa home. Construction is set to begin at the site.
Radiant Church bought the roughly 49,000-square-foot property, funding the purchase without debt, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal. The project will create a church campus on the property.
The project follows a 12-year search for a permanent South Tampa home, culminating in the Gandy Boulevard purchase. Construction is expected to take 18 to 20 months.
Plans for a New Church Campus
The project will establish a new church campus at the site.
Radiant Church says its Phase 1 building and land purchase is complete, according to Radiant Church.
A Site With a Radio History and a Rising Price Tag
The Gandy Boulevard property has a layered ownership history. Alliant acquired the 12-acre site, which LBA Properties had purchased in 2021 for $3.8 million, the Business Journal reports. Alliant later sold the church parcel to Radiant and retained the remaining land for future medical or retail space.
iHeartMedia moved its Tampa Bay radio operations to Clearwater in mid-2022, according to the outlet's report. The building previously housed local radio stations.
Why the Church Is Racing Against a 2027 Deadline
Britton Plaza Redevelopment Radiant Church has held services at Britton Theater in Britton Plaza on South Dale Mabry Highway since 2013, while the center undergoes redevelopment.
Co-founded in 2013 by lead pastor Aaron Burke, Radiant Church has grown into a regional megachurch with 11 locations and roughly 10,000 people reached each weekend, per the outlet's reporting. Merging with struggling existing congregations has served as a core part of that growth strategy, with the organization incorporating roughly $35 million in religious real estate assets while keeping those properties from commercial redevelopment, according to the Association of Related Churches.
