ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After years of talks, the future of the Historic Gas Plant District, where Tropicana Field sits, could appear clearer on Monday.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch is expected to announce his pick among four proposals during the state of the city address.
10 Tampa Bay will stream the announcement on 10TampaBay.com and on the 10 Tampa Bay+ streaming app.
Former neighbors of the site, including Welch, believe it's an opportunity to fulfill broken promises after residents and businesses were forced to relocate despite being told of jobs and opportunities. A coalition of housing, labor and faith-based groups agree that remains a priority but feel the four proposals fail to deliver the needs of the community.
"We won't get another chance," said James Trimarco, the co-chair of the Affordable St. Pete coalition.
With the mayor poised to pick one of the proposals, the groups are calling for the city to maintain ownership of the 86-acre site. They plan to voice their demands on the steps of city hall on Monday in a press conference dubbed "Don't Sell the Trop."
Among their demands is to include a requirement that one-third of housing units are affordable at 50% or less of the area median income. Groups are also calling for a minimum standard set for the number of Black-owned storefronts in perpetuity.
"This is our chance to make St. Petersburg affordable in the long-term or in perpetuity for the kind of people who have built this city," Trimarco said.
Trimarco said he fears without proper action, more people, including long-time residents, will be displaced further.
Nick Carey of Faith in Florida said even with one of the proposals chosen, he hopes the city can negotiate with developers in a way that still meets residents' demands.
"We want to make sure that as we enter the next stage of this that we're continuing to receive community input and that we're really implementing that," Carey said.
The St. Petersburg Tenants Union also voiced support for keeping the site publicly owned.
"St. Pete workers are in desperate need of housing that we can afford," the group wrote in a statement in part. "We need publicly-owned housing, and it must be subsidized to meet the needs of the most poor!"
Meanwhile, a group of Black faith leaders who saw homes bulldozed and neighbors relocated to make room for the stadium continue to stand by Sugar Hill Community Partners.
"I think it would be the greatest correction in the history of St. Petersburg," Bishop Manuel Sykes said in December.
Recently, an independent consulting firm hired by the city determined Sugar Hill Community Partners along with Hines and Tampa Bay Rays best fit the city's needs.
HR&A Advisors said it focused on each proposer’s development team and program, economic impact, financial offer and community benefits.