St. Petersburg has formally invited developers to submit plans for the Tropicana Field site, which may or may not be repurposed in the upcoming future.
Mayor Rick Kriseman has submitted a request for proposals for the site, saying he wants to be ready if the field is no longer necessary, as the Tampa Bay Rays have not yet announced if they plan to stay in Tampa Bay at the end of their St. Pete contract in 2027.
While the team is obligated to play in the city until then, a deal for a new ballpark at another location in St. Pete, or new plans for the existing site, may affect the timeline of development of the area. Plans for the 86-acre site can include or omit the baseball stadium.
“We want the team here in St. Petersburg,” Kriseman said at a Monday press conference. “If it’s on that site, great. If it’s in St. Pete and not on that site, that’s OK, too. We’ll be prepared to address that.”
The redeveloped site, located in St. Pete’s Edge District, is to include new streets, sidewalks and multipurpose buildings. Kriseman also mentioned plans to highlight the site’s tie to the African American community and local history.
City leaders say they hope to see the site house hundreds of affordable apartments and retail and office space, but it could be years before development begins.
“Certainly depending on what happens with the team will affect how quickly development will happen and where,” Kriseman said.
Until then, developers have six months to submit proposals to the city.
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This article appears in Jul 23-29, 2020.