Rays to lead redevelopment of Tropicana Field/Gas Plant site

St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has selected the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines team to redevelop the 86-acre Tropicana Field/Gas Plant site – which will be the most impactful catalytic project to occur in the city.

Welch made the announcement Monday in front of City Hall to a sea of media members and residents anticipating the long-awaited decision on who will control the fate of the massive site.

The decision comes after the city received the evaluation report from HR&A, the third-party consultant hired by the city, that weighed the strengths and weaknesses of each of the four development teams, putting the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines joint proposal and the Sugar Hill Community Partners proposal at the top of the list. The two teams checked the boxes for many of the city’s requirements and needs as the other two contenders – Restoration Associates and 50 Plus 1 Sports – lacked certain information in their proposals.

Welch required that any vying development teams must include plans for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. Affordable housing, equity and investment opportunities for residents, office space and other factors that weighed heavily on the evaluation of the proposals.

Welch said the final selection also took into account the mass of public input the city received from its community sessions and garnering input from residents online. “It became very clear that this is the right choice,” he said.

Welch said it was the “best swing from the City’s perspective,” and that he believed the Rays “decided this is the best place to be.”

A development agreement for the stadium will be reached by the middle of 2023, the mayor told the St. Pete Catalyst at a press conference following the announcement. He said an agreement for the remaining acres will be reached by early next year.

The Sugar Hill group, a top contender, shared the following statement on the mayor’s decision: “We want to thank our team members and friends who have worked tirelessly on this pursuit for more than two years, as well as the residents of St. Pete who have been so consistently generous with their time and feedback. We have great affection for the St. Pete community and hope that the true promise of the Historic Gas Plant District site is finally realized.” 

Inside the Rays and Hines joint proposal:

• The group is proposing to build a seven-million-square-foot, mixed-use development. It would include 5,700 multifamily units, 1.4 million square feet of office, 300,000 square feet of retail, 700 hotel rooms, 600 senior living residences, a 2,500-person entertainment venue and other uses.
• It’s centered around a Tampa Bay Rays stadium, which would be at a different location within the district on 17 acres.
• A state-of-the-art ballpark would be open 365 days as it would be a community ballpark as well.
• The team would offer $64.5 million. The land valuation is $97 million. Their total public funding request (assuming city share per property tax millage) would be $89 million. There would be $150 million in infrastructure costs.
• Hines and the Rays propose a vision for the site that includes 14 acres of vibrant public open space. As outlined in pages 166-181 of the proposal, this public realm is envisioned to be anchored by the Booker Creek Greenway and extends throughout the site including Pinellas Trail enhancements, game day plaza, mural arts promenade, community gardens, memorial park, enhanced pedestrian bridge over interstate I-175 to Campbell Park, and underpass plaza along 16th Street.
• The team is working with Dantes Partners, a Black-owned development company that focuses on building attainable housing.
• The group would contribute $50 million to intentional equity initiatives that will support and uplift historically disadvantaged populations through a variety of restorative strategies.
• The proposed masterplan contemplates a total of 5,728 residential units on-site, inclusive of 4,869 market rate units and 859 affordable/workforce housing units. In addition to the 5,728 residential units on-site, Hines and the Rays are committing $15 million, which will impact an estimated 600 residences off-site (6,328 units or residences in total) through various homeownership and rental assistance programs in South St. Pete.
• A new Woodson African American Museum, a Booker Music Hall and Campbell Park Youth Center would be the cultural anchors in the district.

Timeline 

Construction would commence in 2024. The Phase I infrastructure plan includes rebuilding the street grid network through the site, primarily east of Booker Creek. The improved transportation network and civil infrastructure will be designed to facilitate the redevelopment of the ballpark and mixed-use development.

During Phase I, Rays and Hines intend to commence construction on over 3.6 million square feet of the mixed-use development in addition to the ballpark, which would be completed by the 2028 Major League Baseball season.

Prior to the end of the 2027 MLB season, Hines and the Rays intend to commence construction for over 2,100 multifamily rental units on-site with Dantes Partners, its affordable housing partner. The team has a goal of delivering 90% of the 859 affordable and workforce housing units on-site within the first 10 years of development, according to their proposal.