Plan outlined for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, redevelopment
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — A brand new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays shall be constructed close to the present one underneath plans unveiled Monday as a part of an enormous redevelopment undertaking that additionally contains inexpensive housing, workplace area and retail in what was as soon as a thriving Black neighborhood.
Mayor Ken Welch, of St. Petersburg, Florida, selected a partnership between the Rays and the Houston-based Hines growth firm from amongst 4 proposals to rework an 86-acre (34-hectare) downtown web site the place Tropicana Field now sits. Welch mentioned the plan ought to preserve the Rays in St. Petersburg for the long run.
“This team is the best partner for this generational endeavor, and now the next phase of work begins to bring this dream to reality for everyone in St. Petersburg,” Welch mentioned in a speech on the steps of City Hall.
The Rays have performed on the domed Tropicana Field since their inaugural 1998 season however have thought of transferring elsewhere, similar to neighboring Tampa, amid persistently low attendance. There was additionally a proposal to separate their dwelling video games between St. Petersburg and Montreal that was rejected by Major League Baseball.
Rays President Brian Auld, who attended the mayor’s occasion, mentioned in a short interview it’s “a thrill” to see the undertaking take a significant step ahead. The plan requires a brand new domed stadium to be prepared for the 2028 season opener; the Rays’ present stadium lease is up in 2027. Renderings point out the previous stadium could be demolished.
“This selection validates all the hard work,” Auld mentioned.
Major League Baseball Commissioner Rob Manfred mentioned final yr that there’s a “sense of urgency” for the Rays to resolve their stadium challenge and that MLB desires the workforce to stay within the Tampa Bay space.
“We think Tampa is a major league market and we want to find a solution that makes the club economically viable in that market,” Manfred mentioned then.
Details stay to be labored out over the following a number of years, together with how you can finance the undertaking among the many Rays, the town, Pinellas County and different entities. Welch, who’s St. Petersburg’s first Black mayor, emphasised {that a} key aim is to revive a majority Black neighborhood referred to as the Gas Plant District that was ousted by the stadium and a freeway.
The broader plan contains about 5,700 housing items — a big chunk of them to be deemed inexpensive — workplace and retail area, 700 lodge rooms, a 2,500-seat leisure venue and a brand new Woodson African American Museum of Florida.
Overall, Welch mentioned, the thought is to create a vacation spot for individuals who come to Rays video games, in addition to construct a brand new group.
“Folks want to be here. They want to be next to a vibrant downtown,” Welch mentioned. “It’s not just for a ballgame but an entire experience.”
Two proposals shepherded by the earlier mayor have been scrapped final yr by Welch, who sought to focus extra on inexpensive housing and job alternatives on the Gas Plant District. The mayor’s grandfather ran a wooden yard business there earlier than the neighborhood was basically obliterated by Tropicana Field.
“I am a child of the Gas Plant,” Welch mentioned. “It will no longer be a dream denied.”
