Kelly Hayes
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman is planning to select two final development teams for the Tropicana site by the end of the week, the Mayor announced in a memo addressed to City Council Friday.
The two finalists will be chosen from the current four developers who advanced from the original applicant pool after a citizen- and city-involved review process. The city released the initial seven proposals in late January.
The ultimate development team the city selects will be tasked with redeveloping the historic 86-acre Trop site, which currently houses the stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Each development proposal features a plan with a baseball stadium and one without, to account for the potential the Tampa Bay Rays will leave the city when their contract is up in 2027. The baseball team has indicated a lack of interest in a stadium on the site, after most recently submitting a proposal declined by the city that would have given the Rays nearly 60% control over the site.
“While your hesitancy about moving forward with redevelopment until we receive greater certainty related to the Rays future has been made clear, I believe these two paths are not mutually exclusive,” the memo states. “I strongly believe any pause or further delay will not only delay the city’s obligation to right the wrong of the past, to address the unfulfilled promises, but will also delay the creation of thousands of good paying jobs for the community along with the creation of thousands of units of housing that’s affordable.”
Moving forward, once the final two developers are selected, the Mayor and his team will meet with them to continue inquiries, and the City Council will hold a meeting to press the finalists, according to Kriseman’s memo. An offer will also be extended to the Rays to meet with the two developers to discuss the site.
The community will also be able to provide feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the final two plans, which will be taken into consideration before the finalist is chosen.
According to the city’s timeline, the city will reach a development agreement with the final development team near September or October this year.
The final four plans each highlight green space around Brooker Creek and include affordable housing options as the city expands. The plans are from Midtown Development, Portman Holdings/Third Lake Partners, Sugar Hill Community Partners/JMA Ventures and Unicorp National Development.
