ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The city of St. Petersburg wants to find the right developer to re-imagine what’s next for the site of Tropicana Field near downtown.
The city is promoting the job as one of the decade’s biggest and most exciting re-development projects in the Southeast.
What makes this project so unique and important for the future of the city is the location of such a huge piece of property, 86-acres, near the middle of what the city calls one of the most vibrant and walkable downtowns in the nation.
And with all of the prime real estate, Mayor Rick Kriseman hopes his city is able to attract a world class developer to come and help transform the city for generations to come.
The city wants to see both the Pinellas Trail and Booker Creek featured as prominent parts of the development which would include plenty of park space and outdoor activities.
They also want the area to serve as a connector to surrounding neighborhoods on all sides and say the city is dedicated to helping create affordable housing. Planners say that doesn’t just mean one apartment tower for rich people and another for low income; they want units from various price points interspersed.
And finally, the city wants to make sure the entire city feels welcome.
The mayor officially put out a request for proposals back on July 27. Developers will now have 4 months until January 15 to get proposals back to the city.
The plans need to include one version with and one version without a baseball stadium depending on what the Rays decide to do.
Months later there would likely be a final selection process, and by the end of next year, the developer should be ready to begin the long planning phase before breaking ground.
The city says that process alone could take a year or more with construction continuing in phases through 2030.