St. Petersburg residents concerned they won't benefit from multi-billion dollar development
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - The multi-billion dollar plans for the new Tampa Bay Rays stadium and the Historic Gas Plant District have some resident worried that history could repeat itself.
"That we're going to be left out," Alexa Manning, a lifelong St. Petersburg resident said.
Faith in Florida, the Southern Poverty Law Center and other community organizations held a town hall discussion Tuesday night and a screening of the documentary, Rise of the Rays: A Devil of a Story.
The documentary tells the story of the Historic Gas Plant District and its importance within the Black community.
Decades ago, there were plans for economic prosperity in the Gas Plant District that never came to fruition.
"But that did not happen," Manning said. "It was not the truth. They built the stadium and left us high and dry."
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The new plans for the redevelopment of the area, which have been unveiled over the last several months, include affordable housing, new business and jobs.
"Our belief is that if we're not careful in making this development inclusive, we're just going to push people even further out moving forward," Nick Carey, with Faith in Florida, said.
Some St. Pete residents worry they will be unable to benefit from all that the new development brings the city.
"We're going to need workforce housing," Manning said. "We all need affordable housing. We all need jobs. We're going to need where we can be a part of that entire system. We want entrepreneurship as well. We want to be a part of this city."
The redevelopment plans include the construction of affordable housing, the Carter G. Woodson African American History Museum and the promise of jobs.
In previous interviews, Mayor Ken Welch has voiced his commitment to seeing through the plans for the area that never came to be years ago.
"I want to be very transparent," Welch previously told FOX 13. "Have a community dashboard type report card that shows our progress and as we hand this off to a future mayor, because this is a 20-year project, we can track that progress."
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As a child who grew up in the Gas Plant District himself, Welch said he wants this area to become a destination spot in the city for every community.
Residents like Manning worry they’ll be pushed out though, and won’t be able to live, work and prosper in the area they’ve always called home.
"We want to be a part of what this city is changing to," Manning said.
The details of the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District are still in the works. The mayor and many residents hope discussions about the area’s future can continue.