St. Pete faith leaders to discuss Tropicana Field redevelopment, role in honoring Gas Plant community
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has a big decision to make in the coming weeks regarding the future of the Tropicana Field site.
On Thursday, a press conference with half a dozen faith leaders will be held in St. Petersburg where a major announcement will be made regarding the final developers involved in the redevelopment of the site. They haven’t released specifics of the announcement, but these faith leaders have played an important role in Mayor Welch’s decision process.
The remaining two developers were recently asked a series of 15 questions to clarify what their plans are when it comes to the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site, especially when taking into consideration how things have changed over the course of the pandemic. Both developers have placed an emphasis on affordable housing in their plans.
For the Sugar Hill Community Partners developers, they stated they will have nearly 2,500 affordable housing units if the stadium stays and over 3,000 units without the stadium. They’ve also proposed the idea of a convention center and hotel, along with creating a footbridge over the interstate that connects the communities on either side.
The Midtown developers plan to offer 1,200 to 1,600 affordable housing units depending on whether there is a baseball stadium on site. They also want to add 200,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor office space, along with proposing the idea of removing the interstate ramp to make room for the final plan of increasing that indoor and outdoor space to over 3 million square feet.
Both developers have said they have plans with and without a stadium but are hopeful to continue working with the Tampa Bay Rays.
PREVIOUS: St. Pete mayor prepares to make design pick for redeveloping Tropicana Field land
The mayor said he’s confident in both proposals, but added it all comes down to what is best for the city in the long run.
"The proposals we have on the table are good. The process and the questions in the original RFP were all very well-designed. The proposals will provide valuable amenities to our community, including mixed-use development, affordable housing, recreational space, and opportunities for retail and robust economic activity," said Mayor Welch.
A focus for Mayor Welch is how the developers plan to honor the Gas Plant Community. It was a thriving neighborhood made up of mostly African-American families that were pushed out when Tropicana Field was built. Mayor Welch himself was a part of that community.
"As you know, I was a child of the Gas Plant community, and this is not only a vital decision for the future of our city but also a unique opportunity to finally fulfill the promises of equitable development made to the gas plant community," said Mayor Welch. "This is our opportunity to shine."
Midtown says they want to extend the Heritage Trail, adding that they would continue to engage with community stakeholders by partnering with the Pinellas County Urban League.
Sugar Hill said they would create a history walk that would connect downtown St. Petersburg to South St. Petersburg. It would include elements such as public art statues and plaques. They added they would also partner with the St. Petersburg Arts Alliance to award commissions to African-American artists.
Honoring the Gas Plant community is something the faith leaders have been heavily involved with, and the mayor wants to make sure it’s done right. He’s scheduled to make a final decision at the end of June as to which developer will redesign the site.
The press conference is scheduled for Thursday afternoon.