Hillsborough College\u2019s District Board of Trustees voted unanimously Tuesday to take the first step of what\u2019s likely to be a lengthy process to transform its Dale Mabry campus into the site of a new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Rays.<\/p>\n
The trustees agreed to a non-binding memorandum of understanding at an afternoon meeting that will allow college officials to negotiate with the team on a plan that will transform about 113 acres of the campus. The memorandum calls for the college to remain active, though on a smaller portion of the land, and for the Rays to both build a stadium and a mixed-use development on the property.<\/p>\n
The college is located just across from Raymond James Stadium on Dale Mabry Highway with boundaries at Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Lois Avenue and Tampa Bay Boulevard.<\/p>\n
The standalone portion of the college, which is named the College District in the memorandum, will be built along the southwest portion of the property facing Lois Avenue.<\/p>\n
The land itself would continue to belong to the college with the Rays leasing it. But, the memorandum says, if the team were to use public money to build the ballpark \u2014 which is highly likely \u2014 the stadium would be conveyed to the county.<\/p>\n
Ken Atwater, Hillsborough College\u2019s president, says in a statement that \u201creimagining the Dale Mabry campus within a dynamic, mixed-use district, we are enhancing the educational experience while strengthening our role as an economic and civic anchor for the community.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis partnership represents a transformational opportunity for Hillsborough College and, most importantly, for the student experience. A project of this scale and vision creates new pathways for learning, workforce development, internships and career-connected education that directly benefit our students, faculty and staff.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s important to note that while the agreement may be seen as progress toward finally getting a stadium built for the team, this agreement is just the beginning of a long and complicated discussion. And if history is any judge, any talk about progress is just that, talk.<\/p>\n
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The Rays twice before announced stadium deals only to see them fall apart. The most recent case was last year when, after securing funding from Pinellas County and St. Petersburg, the team backed out of an agreement<\/a> to build a ballpark near its current home in Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n