Rays new stadium APPROVED by St. Petersburg City Council!

The Rays are HERE TO STAY!

The Tampa Bay Rays moved significantly closer to a deal for a new stadium today, as the St. Petersburg City Council voted to approve a development deal with the Rays/Hines partnership.

Approval by the St. Petersburg City Council was the major hurdle the Rays needed to clear to build a new stadium in the city, as the Council controls the team’s lease and the approximately 80 acre site, and their significant financial contribution will underwrite a good part of stadium construction. That approval came today in a series of 5-3 votes.

The proposals discussed and approved involve really two intertwined projects.

First there is the stadium, which will be built - with city and county funding - on city-owned land, and leased to the Rays.

Then, there is the larger 65 acre redevelopment site, most of which today is parking lot and empty lots, where the Rays and Hines are partnering to develop a mixed use neighborhood that will also include open space and cultural facilities.

The Council meeting included presentations from Mayor Ken Welch, Stuart Sternberg, and historian Gwendolyn Reese, as well as several city staff members. There were also extensive comments from the public (anyone who lives or works in St. Petersburg could sign up to share their views) and comments from the eight City Council members.

Opponents largely noted the very large public commitment to the project, which is a subsidy to two private entities (the Rays and Hines). Several noted the many pressing needs faced by the city — protection against flooding, building affordable housing — and believed that the money going to the stadium could be better and more fairly spent. Some opponents were opposed to the project overall; others sought language changes to the development agreement or firmer guarantees on issues like sustainable development or job creation.

Supporters of the deal included representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and the NAACP, as well as other speakers who wanted to ensure that the Rays stayed in the city, who were optimistic about the impacts of the development, and who believed it was a way to fulfill promises made to Gas Plant district residents back in the 1980s.

The final votes were as follows:

Yes votes: Driscoll, Figgs-Sanders, Gerdes, Gabbard, Montinari

No votes: Floyd, Hanewicz, Muhammed

This vote is a key step toward a final agreement, but it’s not the last step.

The stadium financing plan also assumes $312.5 million from the Pinellas County Commission, which still needs to approve their contribution. Earlier reporting suggests they are likely to approve. The Commission will be paying their share from county tourism (hotel) taxes, the same source of funds used for the construction of Tropicana Field.

What’s in the project? A refresher:

In total the city will be contributing $429.5 million toward the $1.3 billion dollar project in cash, a commitment that grows to $683 million once factoring in interest expenses through 2055.

Part of that total is related to infrastructure costs of $142 million, which the city was likely on the hook for no matter what, as well as a stadium subsidy of $287.5 million.

The Rays will also be getting some sweetheart deals, with St. Pete is selling ~65 public acres to the Rays/Hines partnership for $105 million (appraised at $279 million). The land under the stadium, however, will stay with the city, providing unique tax advantages to the Rays as well.

The Historic Gas Plant District Development plan’s commitments include:

• 5,400 residential units
• 1,250 affordable/workforce housing units
• 750 hotel rooms
• 1.4 million square feet of Class A office/medical/medical office space
• 750,000 square feet of retail space, including opportunities for small businesses and a grocery store
• 90,000 square feet of conference, ballroom and meeting space
• 4,000-6,000 seat concert/entertainment venue
• 14 acres of green/open space

The name of the district is an intentional call back to the historically Black neighborhood that was demolished for the construction of Interstate 175 in 1977.

The design and intent of the new development, as led by St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, is to right the many wrongs of this construction, including the construction of a new, central location for the Woodson African American Museum of Florida.

Read More: We owe it to former Gas Plant District residents to get this right, by Elijah Flewellen

To accomplish this, the Rays have partnered with Hines, a Houston-based firm that is one of the world’s top developers, best known in the sports world for developing Petco Park in San Diego. You can read more about the Hines partnership here.

Here’s more about the stadium from the Rays website:

The fully enclosed and air-conditioned ballpark will ensure comfort and protection from the elements while maintaining the ability to seamlessly integrate with the surrounding environment. Transparent, mobile walls will line exterior-facing businesses to “bring the outside in.” The unique roof design also captures the essence of a “Pavilion” – a keystone of Florida-style architecture known for its flexibility.

Three seating levels will feature a variety of comfortable seating types from premium clubs and suites to flexible viewing areas, decks, and social gathering spaces for all fans. Modern amenities and the latest technologies will provide unmatched viewing experiences and family-friendly activities will include an aquarium exhibit and multiple kid-zones.

The ballpark will be fully integrated with the surrounding development and adjacent neighborhoods. Gameday experiences will spill out of the park when the team plays at home and remain active and welcoming to the community on non-game days.

With a capacity of approximately 30,000, the new ballpark will be a true community gathering place. The venue will be an open and accessible component of the public realm year-round. Its spaces will be used for civic events, graduations, concerts and festivals, passive recreation and championship Rays baseball.

Previously:

• Rays reach $1.3 billion stadium deal with St. Petersburg
• St. Petersburg baseball forever: A new stadium roundtable
• Rays release St. Petersburg new stadium renderings
• Pinellas County and St. Petersburg commissioned an economic impact study of a new Rays stadium. Here’s what it said.