St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch said on the radio Wednesday that the city is “in a better place” after the Tampa Bay Rays last year pulled out of a major deal to build a new stadium and surrounding development.
On WUSF’s noon program, Florida Matters, Welch said the cityhas in recent months received “stronger offers” that go further to realize promises made to the Black residents of the community that preceded Tropicana Field. He said new proposals to develop the Historic Gas Plant District include more affordable and workforce housing and more opportunities for small and minority-owned businesses.
“We are actually in a better place economically in terms of honoring those promises than we would have been with the Rays,” Welch said.
That’s possible, he said, because the Rays gave up their half of the development rights on the site when the stadium deal was terminated. The city can now break ground on certain parcels of land before the Rays’ time at the Trop is up after the 2028 season.
“So yes, I was disappointed that the previous Rays ownership did not honor their commitment and the contracts that they had signed,” Welch said. (The ownership of the Rays has changed since that deal fell through.) “We are still, all that said, in a better place, and I’m still determined to honor those promises that I made as a candidate and that this city made to our community 40 years ago.”
Welch is running for reelection. He is eager to move forward with developing the Gas PlantDistrict.
The city has eight proposals to consider after one was withdrawn,all of which were submitted after the Rays pulled out of their redevelopment deal. Only two seek to redevelop the entire property; one offers to design a master plan for the site and create development-ready parcels the city can sell off piece by piece.
But the City Council, which would have a final say on any deal, doesn’t appear to be in line with Welch. Council members voted 6-2 last month to oppose choosing a developer before creating a planning framework for the site.
Welch said the city has studied the Trop site several times in the past few years.
“It’s really, I think, a pause without a real goal, other than us not moving forward in this administration,“ Welch said.
He also said the council member who introduced the non-binding resolution asking for a pause is Brandi Gabbard, who said she intends to run for mayor.
“You can’t ignore the politics of that, let’s just be real about it,” Welch said.
Welch said he’s slowed down the selection process so his administration can figure out how to incorporate that requested planning. He said last week he met with Ron Diner, whom he referred to as the “chief opponent” of the administration’s efforts to develop the Gas Plant.
Diner, a civic advocate, led the campaign against the Rays stadium deal over the substantial public subsidy. He seeks a planning-first approach to the Gas Plant. He has advocated for forming an advisory council and hiring national experts to plan for the site.
Diner told the Tampa Bay Timesthat he thinks those two groups should give guidance on the layout of the land that factors in the city’s priorities, including a new home for the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, affordable housing and parks. Diner also said he believes the city should not give full control of the site to one developer.
“My position has been consistent throughout: the central question is how this land should be developed so that it produces the greatest long-term benefit for the community,” Diner wrote in a text.