St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch is extending the city’s timeline for competing proposals to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District, pushing back the publication of a 30-day public notice until early January in response to concerns from City Council members and the development community.
Welch said in a letter to Council members Tuesday that he will direct city staff to delay publication of the notice until Jan. 4, giving developers until Feb. 3 to submit proposals. The move effectively provides a 105-day window since the city first announced its intent to reopen the process in late October.
The announcement comes ahead of Thursday’s City Council meeting, when members are set to debate a resolution from Council member Richie Floyd calling for a new request for proposals (RFP) and a longer submission period of at least 90 days. Welch said he does not believe a new RFP is necessary, citing the city’s existing 23 guiding principles established in 2022 and reaffirmed through public input sessions.
“Our priorities—jobs, housing, equitable economic development, resilience, green space, and recognition of the Historic Gas Plant District community — have not changed,” Welch said in the statement. “By moving forward as outlined, we will maintain consistent priorities and expectations and make long-overdue progress with clarity and purpose.”
Welch’s administration announced last month that it would open a 30-day window to allow competing or alternative proposals for the site, following the receipt of an unsolicited offer from developer Casey Ellison and investor Cathie Wood and their partners. Their $6.8 billion proposal calls for 3,701 new homes, including affordable, workforce, and senior units, as well as more than 1,500 hotel rooms, public parks and cultural spaces, and a $120 million city investment in infrastructure.
A separate unsolicited proposal from the Pinellas County Housing Authority seeks to redevelop a city-owned parking lot within the Gas Plant area into an 80-unit affordable senior housing complex.
Welch said the city remains committed to beginning redevelopment with parcels designated for senior housing and the future Woodson African American Museum of Florida. He emphasized that while the 2022 RFP initially included plans for a new stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays, that component is no longer part of the city’s redevelopment strategy.
“Our unified work to include the Tampa Bay Rays in the long-term vision and their subsequent abdication have provided more clarity for the future of our city and the property,” Welch said.
The city selected a $6.5 billion redevelopment plan from the Rays and Hines Development in 2022 after a 90-day RFP process, but the deal collapsed earlier this year after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field. The team has since been sold to Jacksonville homebuilder Patrick Zalupski and a group of investors who have signaled interest in pursuing a long-term stadium solution in the Tampa Bay area, though not necessarily in St. Pete.
City Council is expected to discuss Floyd’s resolution at its meeting Thursday.
