He said the stadium remains an important community asset that hosts graduations, community events and other gatherings beyond Major League Baseball.
The long-term plan remains demolition of Tropicana Field after the site is no longer needed, allowing redevelopment to proceed in phases.
Blake said construction of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida is expected to be among the earliest components of the project, with broader vertical development beginning as land becomes available.
The selection marks the beginning of what is expected to be roughly a year of negotiations between the city and The Burg Bid team.
The Community Benefits Advisory Council (CBAC) will hold two meetings in July. The first will allow residents to provide public comment on the proposal, while the second will consist of deliberations among CBAC members.
Following that process, detailed development agreements covering financing, project phasing, affordable housing commitments, community benefits and land sales will return to City Council for approval before redevelopment can move forward.
The Pinellas County Housing Authority’s proposal will not go through the CBAC process because it consists entirely of affordable and workforce housing. However, the final agreement with the housing authority will still require City Council approval.
“When I ran in 2021, my promise was that I would bring back a plan to move this forward,” Welch said. “I was in high school at Lakewood when this started. There’s no way you can call this rushed. It’s been four decades, and it’s time to move forward.”