St. Pete residents invited to give feedback on Gas Plant District redevelopment proposals
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - Downtown St. Petersburg does not look the same as it did just a decade ago. Or even four decades ago. Now, the city is down to the wire as Tropicana Field's lease expires four years now – and they need the public's input to reach a final decision.
Proposals have been submitted and the pitched plans to redevelop the Gas Plant District were made public last month. Each one goes far beyond just building another stadium. Public feedback on the four proposals will be accepted online and in-person at this month's community presentations.
A meeting will be held at The Coliseum on Tuesday and will run from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Here, developers will be on deck to present their plans and hope to win over city residents.
Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and its first-come, first-served seating. The address is 535 4th Avenue North. There is a virtual option via Zoom for those who can't make it. Registration is required: www.stpete.org/jan4.
Otherwise, residents can submit their feedback online: www.stpete.org/gasplant. Each proposal can be found at this link. Comments must be in by Monday, Jan. 23.
The city is also offering a "Feedback Pop-Up" at six facilities starting Jan. 5 to Jan. 23. At each location, the proposal summaries and renderings will be available for review. Feedback will need to be submitted online.
- Campbell Park Recreation Center, 601 14th Street South
- Childs Park Recreation & Fitness Center, 4301 13th Avenue South
- J.W. Cate Recreation Center, 5801 22nd Avenue North
- South Branch Library, 2300 Roy Hannah Drive South
- Enoch Davis Center, 1111 18th Avenue South
- North Branch Library, 861 70th Avenue North
Last summer, Mayor Ken Welch restarted the proposal process all over again to find the right fit for the downtown area. He said the city's priorities changed over the years, and he wants to ensure a project of this scale will be in line with the city's future needs.
To that end, he asked developers to submit proposals with a greater emphasis on affordable and workforce housing. Mayor Welch said his vision is to create an 86-acre neighborhood that's more than just a stadium. Right now, the space is mostly black asphalt parking lots that surround the Trop.
The proposals must also fulfill a broken promise to residents who once resided where the ballpark currently stands: the Gas Plant neighborhood. That area used to be home to hundreds of Black residents, but were forced to relocate as city officials in the 1980s chose their neighborhood to build a stadium and attract an MLB team.
They were promised an economic return for their sacrifice, but that wasn't exactly fulfilled.
MORE: Gas Plant District in St. Pete: One of the oldest Black neighborhoods razed for baseball
The four developers include 50 Plus 1 Sports, Hines and the Tampa Bay Rays, Restoration Associates, and Sugar Hill Community Partners.
Each proposal on the table includes the same major features: a new Rays ballpark, a mix of residential, business, and retail, multiple hotels, and an African American history museum. One includes a senior center and another with a bike hub along Pinellas Trail. Many of the major features are similar. Each development team brings its own unique vision for the neighborhood.
Mayor Welch said the community played a big role in shaping the checklist for developers and is eager to hear their feedback.
"We’re listening to all the input," he stated. "We have external and internal teams that are evaluating the strengths and weaknesses on those four proposals, and I think we’re going to be in good shape at the end of the month to make that announcement."
Welch said he plans to choose one of the four developers by the end of the month. Final approval will come from the city council later this fall.
The four proposals can be found below:
To learn more about St. Pete's search for a Historic Gas Plant site development, click here.