Historic Gas Plant District Redevelopment

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Historic Gas Plant District Redevelopment

How We Got Here – Project Overview

Nearly 40 years ago, members of the Historic Gas Plant community were displaced by the ultimately successful pursuit of Major League Baseball and the eventual construction of what is now Tropicana Field. While the move brought our city the Tampa Bay Rays, then known as the Tampa Bay Devil Rays, residents and businesses were forced to relocate with the promise of jobs, opportunity, and equitable development, which did not materialize.

Through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process, guided by principled and inclusive progress, the City has the opportunity to fulfill those unrealized promises and bring St. Petersburg new attainable housing, equitable business opportunities, office space, meeting space, open space, and overall equitable and impactful economic development that benefits all.

A Partnership Created

On September 19, 2023, a historic agreement was announced - the Tampa Bay Rays are 'here to stay' in St. Petersburg.

The City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, Tampa Bay Rays, and Hines Development team have agreed to move forward with a new state-of-the-art ballpark and a transformational development of the Historic Gas Plant District, the 86-acre site where the team’s current stadium sits. The agreement advances a project that will include 8 million sq. ft. of mixed-use development. If approved by the St. Petersburg City Council and Pinellas County Commission, the development - which will be done in three strategic phases - will invest more than $6 billion in St. Petersburg over a 20-year period - and will be the largest development project in Tampa Bay history.

The development agreement focuses heavily on the equitable, intentional, and restorative delivery of community benefits and economic impacts, specifically to honor the legacy of the Historic Gas Plant neighborhood’s residents and businesses. This includes a $50 million commitment to intentional equity initiatives in partnership with South St. Petersburg that include affordable housing funding, employment and business support, education programs, and Minority/Women Owned Business Enterprises hiring commitments.

Read the full Press Release here.

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What's Happening

The process for approval is in motion. The agreement has gone through the Community Benefits process. The Community Benefits Advisory Council (CBAC) held a series of meetings in January and February 2024 to evaluate and offer feedback on the community benefits plan for the Historic Gas Plant Redevelopment. Next, it will go to St. Petersburg City Council and Pinellas County Commission for final approval.

Overview: The Community Benefits Process

  • Community Benefits Package
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  • Community Benefits Agreement Program
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  • Community Benefits Advisory Council
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Recap: Community Benefits Process 2024

Community Benefits Information Session 
The public was invited to learn about and provide input on the community benefits associated with the Historic Gas Plant District Redevelopment on December 13, 2023. Find the Hines + Tampa Bay Rays Community Benefits Impact Report below. 

View Hines + Tampa Bay Rays Report

Community Benefits Advisory Council (CBAC) Meetings
The CBAC held a series of meetings in January and February 2024 to evaluate and offer feedback on the community benefits plan for the Historic Gas Plant Redevelopment. The Draft Term Sheet from the CBAC can be found below. 
CBAC Draft Term Sheet

Project Timeline

  • October 2023: First Committee of the Whole with St. Petersburg City Council 
  • Fall 2023: Community Benefits Agreement and government approval process begins
  • Early 2024: St. Petersburg City Council votes on stadium and development agreements.
  • Fall 2024: Construction to begin on infrastructure and phase one development.
  • Fall 2027: Phase one development opens alongside the new Rays ballpark
  • Opening Day 2028: Play ball!

A Message from Mayor Welch on the Hines & Tampa Bay Rays Partnership

Dear Residents of St. Petersburg and the Tampa Bay Region,

Our communities have a reason to celebrate!

We celebrate the power of Partnership
In an exciting public-private collaboration, the City of St. Petersburg, Pinellas County, the Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership, and the Tampa Bay Rays have achieved an agreement for the 86-acre redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District that includes a new home for the Tampa Bay Rays! Months of thoughtful discussion and deliberation have resulted in a financially responsible deal that will transform the entire Tampa Bay area for generations to come.

We celebrate Inclusive Progress for our entire community, based on shared Priorities.
Intentional equity is at the core of the Historic Gas Plant Redevelopment and builds on all five of my administration’s Pillars for Progress: 1) Education and Youth Opportunities; 2) Equitable Development, Arts and Business Opportunities; 3) Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods; 4) Housing Opportunities for All; and 5) Environment, Infrastructure and Resilience.

Lifting up residents from every part of St. Pete is imperative for our city’s success. You can expect dynamic growth from the largest development project in the region to: create more jobs, provide more affordable/workforce housing, feature top-notch educational and cultural facilities, offer expansive office space, community space and green space, and generate impactful economic development, including equitable opportunities for local and minority businesses. This project will be a prosperous game changer for those who live in, work in, and visit St. Petersburg.

We celebrate this significant step towards honoring Promises Made.
Like many others, I used to call the Gas Plant home. Some forty years ago, my family’s livelihood was uprooted with the promise of economic opportunity that would improve and enhance their lives. Now, we have a chance to fulfill those promises and preserve the legacy of the Historic Gas Plant neighborhood.

In his poem, “Harlem,” Langston Hughes asks, “What happens to a dream deferred?” As to the legacy of the Historic Gas Plant community, a dream deferred will no longer be a dream denied!

In Celebration,

Mayor Kenneth T. Welch

About the 2022 Request for Proposal Process

Previous RFP History