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Re-imagining Tropicana Field's land
Dan Matics reports
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - It’s now down to two developers when it comes to the one that will redevelop the land that Tropicana Field sits on either with or without a baseball stadium.
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch’s office and city council had 15 new questions for the two finalists the most pressing topic: The drastic spike in rent.
Sugar Hill and Midtown developers have both increased the amount of affordable and work force housing in their designs. Sugar Hill said they will have a total of 1,416 affordable and workforce units with a baseball stadium, and more than 1,500 without a ballpark.
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Midtown Development said they will have anywhere from 1,200 to 1,800 workforce or affordable units depending on whether there’s a ballpark.
When it comes to transportation – Midtown, which was the favorite of previous Mayor Rick Kriseman, said they will incorporate the Sun Runner bus line to the beaches – and lean towards the future to accommodate "air taxis."
Mayor Welch also wanted to learn more about how the developers would pay tribute to the Gas Plant district. He was raised in the community made up primarily of African Americans, who were forced out to make way for the current Tropicana Field.
"We understand the history of the Gas Plant and that it was a thriving community that was dislocated," Mayor Welch said during a news conference last week.
Both plans call for a historic walkway and want to create meaningful commemorative spaces. Welch’s office said he’s reviewing the revised pitches and will make his pick by the end of June.