Seven proposals revealed for the redevelopment of the 86-acre Tropicana Field site

Last week, the City of St. Petersburg and Mayor Kriseman released seven submissions of the Request for Proposal (RFP) for the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site in downtown St. Pete.

At a press conference on Tuesday, Mayor Kriseman also reported on recent discussions the City has had with the Rays. Owner Stu Sternberg had pitched a plan to Kriseman in which city would transfer 50 acres situated to the east of Booker Creek to the team at no charge.

Sternberg also requested that the Rays retain 50% of the development proceeds for the remaining 36 acres located west of Booker Creek.

"If we were to accept this, we would have to reject all of the responses to the RFPs," Kriseman said. "Of even greater concern is the moment the city turns control over to the Rays, the city loses all ability and authority to ensure the community’s voice is heard."

The process for the redevelopment of the 86-acre site, which is currently home to the Tampa Bay Rays, has been in discussion for years and began in 2017 when the City contracted planning firm HKS to develop two visioning concepts for the site – one with a Rays stadium and one without it.

In July 2020 the City announced the release of the RFP, which sought out groups seeking to be the master developer for the property. In the RFP, the City outlined their desire to partner with a development team to establish a mixed-use neighborhood that recognizes the diverse and rich culture of St. Petersburg while also implementing principles of Smart Cities, sustainability, and a healthy community.

The City of St. Petersburg also stated in the RFP that it would provide a minimum of $75 million for infrastructure development of the site to be funded through tax increment financing (TIF) funds.

Submissions were due January 15, 2021 and the City received nine proposals. After a preliminary review, two were eliminated for not meeting qualifications.

The City has tapped a diverse 26-person internal committee to review the proposals. The committee is expected to analyze each submission on a set of qualitative and quantitative metrics including job creation, economic development, equity initiatives, sustainability, and health and wellness, among others.

The committee will provide the strengths and weaknesses of every proposal to the Mayor for consideration. From there, the Mayor is expected to shortlist three or four submissions for public outreach and further scrutiny. City Council will be able to provide input at all levels of the review but ultimately the Mayor will select the finalist.

Each of the proposals was required to submit two versions of the submission – one with a baseball stadium and one without a stadium.

Click here to read a summary of the seven proposals on St. Pete Rising.

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