Tampa Bay Rays CEO faces Drew Park residents' displacement and affordability concerns over stadium project
Drew Park community talks Rays stadium plans
As the Tampa Bay Rays work to educate the community on their stadium plan, they took the pitch directly to the Drew Park neighborhood. FOX 13's Blake DeVine reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Tampa Bay Rays CEO Ken Babby fielded questions from Drew Park residents on Thursday night about the proposed $2.3 billion ballpark and redevelopment project.
The Drew Park Community Advisory Committee hosted this meeting at Hillsborough Community College’s Dale Mabry campus.
Tampa Bay Rays stadium proposal
The backstory:
The Rays are proposing a 31,000-seat stadium and a 130-acre mixed-use development.
Courtesy: Tampa Bay Rays
Babby says his organization hopes to build a project that longtime locals can embrace.
"We’re trying to build something you’re going to be really proud of," Babby said. "We want to live in this development too. We want this to be our home."
Several neighbors questioned whether community members would benefit from this massive project.
Drew Park resident concerns
What they're saying:
Tampa resident Jaime Jones expressed concern about affordability.
"It will price people out because we can’t afford to shop at the restaurants that they’re trying to build," Jones said. "The only way that we get a return on our investment as a community is if they build those restaurants."
Others encouraged residents to stay engaged as planning continues.
Maritza Astorquiza of the Drew Park CRA Community Advisory Committee stressed the importance of having community voices represented.
"If we don’t step up now and get a seat at the table, there are a lot of things that won’t be considered for us," Astorquiza said.
Funding agreement under consideration
By the numbers:
The meeting came ahead of a planned vote by Tampa’s Community Redevelopment Agency on a memorandum of understanding with the Rays.
The agreement would commit $100 million toward the proposed stadium through bond funding.
At the same time, the Tampa Sports Authority is urging local leaders to prioritize an estimated $1 billion in upgrades to Raymond James Stadium.
Tampa Sports Authority board member Joseph Robinson said discussions remain ongoing.
"I haven’t really said no, yes, it’s not definitive yet," Robinson said. "There’s no definitive agreements to do anything."
The Rays say they would contribute $1.2 billion in private funding, which would represent the largest private investment by a sports team in Florida history.
Economic impact
Big picture view:
Supporters argue the project could bring jobs and economic activity to the area.
Rays fan Ron Weaver pointed to the project’s projected economic impact.
"All these businesses around Drew Park desperately need these 11,000 permanent jobs and they need this $55 billion economy that baseball can bring," Weaver said.
Stadium funding vote
What's next:
A key vote scheduled for Thursday at Tampa City Hall now appears likely to be delayed until late July. Local leaders say they need more time to review a property tax measure that could go before Florida voters this November.
The Source: Information for this story came from statements from the Tampa Bay Rays, interviews with the Drew Park CRA Community Advisory Committee, interviews with neighbors and previous reporting on FOX 13 News.