ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The first in a series of key workshop sessions regarding the future of a proposed multi-billion dollar development project and the future of the Rays in St. Petersburg, lasted hours into the evening as city council members scrutinized parts of the proposed deal brokered by the mayor and the development team.
The St. Petersburg City Council met for the workshop session where they discussed the development portion of the project. It came nearly 8 months after St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch announced the Rays were “Here to Stay,” as he reached an initial development agreement with the team and the developers, Hines, to build a new stadium and redevelop the surrounding 60+ acres of land of the city’s historic Gas Plant District.
“The ultimate approval of these agreements rests in your hands,” Welch said, kicking off the much-anticipated meeting.
Welch said he believes the deal is the best course of action for the city, will be a major economic driver, and also make good on promises made when the once vibrant black community was razed 40+ years ago when Tropicana Field was first built, a community Welch grew up in.
"I believe that the set of agreements that we have developed with your input and with extensive community engagement are the key to completing this journey is a manner that's fiscally responsible, equitable, and honors the promises of jobs and inclusive economic opportunity, made by the leadership of our city," Welch said.
On Thursday, the Rays and Hines Development group unveiled new renderings of what the area could look like. Businesses, walkways, green space, residential towers, and even an additional concert venue with a new ballpark as the centerpiece.
Rays team president Brian Auld called it a win for the organization and the city’s residents, adding, “With this agreement, we can make a positive impact in the city we love and our home.”
Construction would take place in phases, starting with the building of the stadium by 2028 and being fully complete in 30 years.
Outside the proposed stadium investment, the redevelopment would require the city to sell the acres of land and spend $142 million to upgrade the surrounding infrastructure, one of many things council members criticized during hours of questioning.
“The $50 million dollar community benefit, frankly we’re giving the land as a discount and that was discounted in the land payment, and the millions in infrastructure, [the developers] get the benefit of selling the land I don’t know why that’s accounted for,” St. Pete City Council Member Lisset Hanewicz said.
City council member Richie Floyd questioned if enough was being done to ensure the 1,200+ affordable housing units promised will actually get built.
“If you look at the fine print, it says none of it is going to be built without additional subsidies from the city and local governments, and I'm frustrated that the money being spent right now doesn’t actually get us any affordable housing which I’ve been focused on."
And Floyd says despite an aggressive timeline put forth by the Rays, who want shovels in the ground by 2025, the council shouldn’t be in a rush.
“At the last committee meeting we had they said the deal happens in March or it doesn’t happen. It will happen when it happens,” Floyd added.
No decision is being made on Thursday. Another workshop to discuss the proposed public spending on the $1.3 billion dollar stadium will take place in a few weeks, while a vote is expected sometime in the summer.
Some with signs, including from the No Home Run group, still stood outside city hall, urging council members to vote against the proposal.
At the meeting, Rays President Brian Auld said internal polling conducted by the team shows the majority of Pinellas County residents favor the proposal.