New details are emerging on a $6.8 billion proposal to reimagine prime, underutilized real estate around Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg.
Many stakeholders thought those plans, unveiled Oct. 3 and now advancing, rejected a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays. Dave Bevirt, chief operating officer for Ellison Development, stressed that his firm wants the team to remain part of the Historic Gas Plant District’s redevelopment.
Bevirt, speaking at a St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership meeting Tuesday, said Ellison Development has discussed the generational project with the new owners of the Rays. They announced ambitious plans Oct. 7 to open the 2029 season in a new stadium surrounded by a massive mixed-use development.
“We’ve heard a lot about Hillsborough (County), about moving to Tampa,” Bevirt said. “But we’ve also heard about them staying. That’s why we put in the proposal the option for the Rays to stay, which we hope they will.”
St. Petersburg-based ARK Investment Management partnered with Tampa-based Ellison, and Horus Construction Services, on the latest bid to redevelop nearly 100 acres of culturally significant land. Mayor Ken Welch announced Oct. 21 that the city will provide a 30-day public notice in mid-November before disposing of the community redevelopment area property, as required by state law.
“That’s because, obviously, they were interested in the proposal,” City Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz told the Catalyst. “If not, they would have never triggered the statute to start with.”
The latest Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment proposal does not call for Tropicana Field’s demolition until after 2033. It also includes a stadium option. Renderings: Baker Barrios Architects.
The development team is now presenting their plans to various organizations. Bevirt said Tuesday that they know the owners of the Rays and Tampa Bay Rowdies “quite well.”
Bevirt and Rays CEO Ken Babby were once neighbors in Potomac, Maryland. Sidd Pagidipati, co-founder of Ellison, is one of the limited local partners who have joined the ownership group.
The Rays are contractually obligated to remain in St. Petersburg through 2028. Ark Ellison Horus would not demolish the Trop until after 2033.
Bevirt said having the Rays nearby is “great” for Ellison’s mixed-use development, The Central. Tropicana Field is about a half-mile from the highly anticipated project, which he called “incredible” for its 540-space parking garage.
“But no decisions have been made,” Bevirt added. “And I don’t know the time frame.”
He said the development team named the Gas Plant redevelopment’s second phase after Flagmon Welch, the mayor’s grandfather. The elder Welch was a pioneer who moved to the city in 1917 and opened a woodyard that served the African American community.
The Flagmon phase will feature an innovation hall, one of the redevelopment’s multiple anchors. Ark Ellison Horus believes the facility will drive more activation, revenue and employment than a standalone stadium or convention center.
The Flagmon phase also includes a stadium option. “We’re not saying the Rays are not coming,” Bevirt said. We’re just saying if they can stay, we’ve got a plan for it, which is really important. And we do.”
A proposed music and entertainment venue.
Bevirt said the redevelopment’s “deconstructed convention center” would support a “South by Southeast” festival, similar to Austin’s South by Southwest (SXSW). “It’s this flywheel, if you will.”
The development team will meet with a national organization Wednesday that could oversee a proposed 4,000-seat indoor music venue and a 1,500-person outdoor amphitheater. “We’re talking with what I would call marquee partners,” Bevirt said.
A 6.7-acre elevated park that reconnects Campbell Park with the Gas Plant will feature a Salvador Dali-inspired Unity Arch. Bevirt called a linear park along a revitalized Booker Creek a “very important” part of the project.
The proposal’s third phase includes a 750,000-square-foot academic cluster. “We could see engaging with Stanford University,” Bevirt said. “We could see engaging with any of the major universities that are out there.”
He said the project’s 1.2 million square feet of Class A office space, and the surrounding development, will attract “major corporations.” Bevirt believes the ongoing “flight to quality” will help attract and retain talent.
A multimodal transit center will accommodate the Sunrunner bus-rapid transit service. Bevirt stressed the importance of conveniently moving people throughout the district and city.
He also confirmed that several project renderings feature eVTOLS (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles) buzzing over the Gas Plant. Bevirt called those “the future,” and the city is actively working to accommodate and capitalize on the rapidly progressing industry.
Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK Invest, has long supported the disruptive technology. Her firm currently holds 3.51 million shares, a $54.8 million stake, of eVTOL manufacturer Joby Aviation.
Bevirt noted that a cousin, JoeBen Bevirt, is the CEO of Joby. He has advocated for the redevelopment’s research build to feature a vertiport for eVTOLs.
“Yes, there are other developments going on, which are vitally important,” Bevirt said. “But this one – this one is a game-changer, in our opinion, for St. Pete.”
Several project renderings include electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles (eVTOLs). Rendering: Baker Barrios Architects.