Deadline to submit Tropicana Field redevelopment proposals extended due to Hurricane Ian
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Those interested in having a hand in redeveloping the 86-acre Tropicana Field site have two extra weeks to get their proposals together.
St. Petersburg city officials said the deadline has been pushed back two weeks – from Nov. 18 to Dec. 2. The Tampa Bay Rays asked for more time following Hurricane Ian.
In June, Mayor Ken Welch announced plans to restart the redevelopment plans, thus scrapping plans from two developers. Since then, the city has held several in-person meetings to get input from the community before releasing stipulations on what potential developers must include in their plans.
In August, the second Request for Proposal process began. The previous RFP called for plans with or without a baseball stadium. Now, proposals must include 17.4 acres for a "state-of-the-art" baseball stadium.
The proposals must also fulfill a broken promise to residents who once resided where Tropicana Field currently stands.
That area used to be home to hundreds of Black residents, living in the Gas Plant District, but were forced to relocate as city officials in the 1980s chose their neighborhood to build a stadium and attract an MLB team.
READ: St. Pete and baseball: A relationship that spans over a century
"While the move brought our city the Tampa Bay Rays, then known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, residents and businesses were forced to relocate with the promise of jobs, opportunity and equitable development which did not materialize," according to a statement from the city. "With this RFP, our city now has the opportunity to fulfill those unrealized promises."
St. Pete mayor discusses Gas Plant District
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch grew up in Gas Plant. He has fond memories of learning the value of hard work and being held accountable as a child. It was a close-knit community that was promised an economic return when the city voted to demolish the neighborhood to build a baseball stadium. Those promises have yet to be fulfilled, but, he said, it's not too late.
MORE: Gas Plant District in St. Pete: One of the oldest Black neighborhoods razed for baseball
The Rays have been playing at the Trop since 1998, but their lease with the venue is up in 2027.
In addition, the proposals must include attainable housing, equitable business opportunities, office space, meeting space, open space, and an economic development "that benefits all."
Additional information on the RFP process can be found here.
Now, that the proposal deadline has been extended, Mayor Welch said he now plans to make a decision in January.