The Tampa City Council unanimously voted June 26 to spend more than $1.1 million on two pieces of property to relocate the City’s riverfront truck yard.

The purchases are part of a larger plan to spur riverfront development on a 12-acre site in West Tampa. City Hall will eventually market that site to developers as part of a larger, 120-acre redevelopment called West River. The development will ultimately hold 1,500 new residential units mixed with stores and trails along the river leading to Riverwalk and other waterside amenities, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

The two properties that will be used for the utility trucks are located along N 40th Street. The trucks have been kept at 2609 N Rome Ave., two blocks south of W Columbus Drive and a block from the Hillsborough River.

Water department officials said a fleet of about 150 vehicles, including 40 heavy trucks, would be kept at the site. It is already zoned for heavy commercial use and now houses a truck repair facility.

Funds for the new properties are coming from an enterprise fund held by the city's water and wastewater departments.

The Water Department serves a population of approximately 588,000, according to the city website. The Wastewater Department receives and treats wastewater collected from the Tampa area and surrounding suburbs.

Overall, the cost of moving the water and wastewater operations from Rome Avenue is expected to be at least $17 million, reported the Times.