St. Petersburg residents can now offer in-person or online feedback on four proposals submitted to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District and site of Tropicana Field.
Community input, which will be accepted through Jan. 23, will be considered by Mayor Ken Welch when he selects the winning bid to develop the 86-acre site west of downtown.
Feedback can be submitted at these locations, where proposal summaries and renderings can be reviewed:
- Campbell Park Recreation Center, 601 14th St. S.
- Childs Park Recreation & Fitness Center, 4301 13th Ave. S.
- J.W. Cate Recreation Center, 5801 22nd Ave. N.
- South Branch Library, 2300 Roy Hannah Drive S.
- Enoch Davis Center, 1111 18th Ave. N.
- North Branch Library, 861 70th Ave. N.
Online comments are also being sought via a form available here. Before offering input, click here for background on the project and here to review details of the four proposals.
RELATED: See how these development firms hope to reimagine the Tropicana Field site
The developers will discuss their proposals during a community presentation from 6 to 9 p.m. Jan. 4 at the Coliseum, 535 Fourth Ave. N. Doors will open at 5:30 p.m., with first-come, first-served seating. Registration is encouraged for those attending by clicking here.
Individuals, organizations and/or businesses are invited to attend and provide feedback.
There will also be a virtual viewing of the presentation via Zoom. Registration is required by clicking here. Virtual viewers will be able to observe the live presentation and take part in questions. An online option will be provided to submit comments.
The developers are 50 Plus One, Hines & Tampa Bay Rays, Restoration Associates and Sugar Hill Community Partners. There were selected after bids were reopened by Welch in June, when he canceled the original "requests for proposal" established by former mayor Rick Kriseman in 2020.
When abandoning the 2020 process, Welch cited a need to prioritize equitable development with the 86-acre project. He drew attention to a 2021 study on racial disparity that found nonminority males were awarded the biggest city projects.
Welch said that decision will help honor a city pledge made more than 30 years ago regarding the Historic Gas Plant District, one of city’s oldest historically Black neighborhoods. When the city council voted to build the domed stadium there, residents and businesses were forced to relocate with the promise of jobs, opportunity and equitable development that did not materialize.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ lease with the city expires in 2027. The Major League Baseball team, which is part of one of the development teams, has yet to decide whether it will stay in St. Petersburg or relocate to another site in the region.
