New documents released ahead of a key St. Petersburg City Council vote on plans for the Tampa Bay Rays’ new stadium and surrounding redevelopment outline some of the changes council members have requested.
The City Council will meet July 18 to vote on a series of documents that, if approved, would keep the Rays in St. Petersburg and reimagine the stadium’s 86 acres. The new ballpark, currently expected to cost nearly $1.4 billion, would be the anchor of the Historic Gas Plant District. The redevelopment project would surround the stadium with housing, a hotel, a new African-American history museum, retail, restaurants and office space.
The documents include 12 agreements related to Rays Stadium and the Historic Gas Plant District. The City Council also will be asked to approve a series of bond sales totaling $291.5 million for the stadium and $140 million for roads, sewer and other infrastructure. Those bonds would cover the city’s initial share of the cost.
Additionally, the council will have a second discussion on the proposed zoning changes and overall development plan.
The latest version of the agreement requires Ray’s and partner Hines to build a 10,000-square-foot grocery store as a minimum requirement for development in the Historic Gas Plant District. City Council Member Brandi Gabbard said at the May meeting that she was concerned that a previous agreement that included a grocery store as a targeted development goal left the community open to the possibility of not having access to fresh food. Under the latest version of the agreement, a new grocery store does not have to be built until 2045.
The draft bill also requires development teams to build a daycare, preschool, kindergarten or similar facility of at least 2,500 square feet by 2035. Gov. Gabbard and Council Member Lisette Hanewitz have asked for further clarification on this point.
The City Council now has more power to make changes after the agreement is signed: The developer and city cannot make any changes to their plans to build 600 affordable housing units on the site without City Council approval.
Those requirements are part of the minimum development required by the contract. The Rays and development partner Hines have drawn up a target development plan, which is reflected in renderings shared by the team and city officials.
A workshop to consider changes to the agreement is scheduled for July 16, two days before the vote. City spokeswoman Aliza Panzalan Rundle said workshop materials will be made public on Monday.
The City Council passed the first round of votes on the stadium and redevelopment plans by a 5-3 vote on June 13. The deal still awaits approval from the Pinellas County Commission, which would contribute $312.5 million to the new stadium, paid for through tourism taxes from hotel and short-term rental accommodations.
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That vote is not scheduled.
