Plan outlined for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark, redevelopment

A new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays will be built near the current one under plans unveiled Monday as part of a massive redevelopment project that also includes affordable housing, office space and retail in what was once a thriving Black neighborhood.

Mayor Ken Welch of St. Petersburg, Florida, chose a partnership between the Rays and the Houston-based Hines development company from among four proposals to transform an 86-acre (34-hectare) downtown site where Tropicana Field now sits. Welch said the plan should keep the Rays in St. Petersburg for the long term….

“We think Tampa is a major league market and we want to find a solution that makes the club economically viable in that market,” Manfred said then.

Details remain to be worked out over the next several years, including how to finance the project among the Rays, the city, Pinellas County and other entities. Welch, who is St. Petersburg’s first Black mayor, emphasized that a key goal is to restore a majority Black neighborhood known as the Gas Plant District that was ousted by the stadium and a highway.

The broader plan includes about 5,700 housing units—a large chunk of them to be deemed affordable—office and retail space, 700 hotel rooms, a 2,500-seat entertainment venue and a new Woodson African American Museum of Florida.

Overall, Welch said, the idea is to create a destination for people who come to Rays games, as well as build a new community.