{"id":126618,"date":"2026-01-21T17:23:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-21T17:23:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/126618\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T17:23:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T17:23:07","slug":"mou-marks-important-step-toward-new-tampa-bay-rays-ballpark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/126618\/","title":{"rendered":"MOU marks important step toward new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tampa<\/a><\/p>\n

With an agreement with the Board of Trustees to explore a new ballpark at the Hillsborough College campus, we have an important first step on the road to a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark.<\/p>\n

Yesterday the Hillsborough College District Board of Trustees unanimously approved a nonbinding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to discuss an extreme makeover of the 113-acre Dale Mabry campus that would include a new Rays ballpark, a new Hillsborough College campus, and an entertainment district.<\/p>\n

We reported last September<\/a> that the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough Community College\u2013basically located south of Steinbrenner Field and west of Raymond James Stadium\u2013was already a leading contender for a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark. The economic model for a new ballpark will be familiar to anyone tracking new MLB facilities over the last 25 years: build a new ballpark as well as associated development, with MLB teams increasingly becoming core parts of real-estate efforts. This would seem to be a strong argument for a Hillsborough Community College location: create an entertainment district that can also cater to fans attending games and concerts at Raymond James Stadium, home of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Add in the freeway and parking infrastructure already offered by the NFL stadium, and you have a ballpark location within easy reach of Tampa residents as well as the I-4 corridor running to Orlando.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s still great work ahead of us to be able to bring this to reality,\u201d said Rays CEO Ken Babby, heading up the ballpark search, in a press conference. \u201cBut what I can say with certainty is that we believe with conviction that we\u2019re going to be able to create a world-class work-live-learn-play development here in Tampa Bay, and we\u2019re very, very encouraged and pleased by today\u2019s outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Right now it\u2019s a nonbinding MOU; the pair have 180 days to work out a binding agreement. The current goal is to have a new ballpark open for the 2029 season. And while there is a little wiggle room with that deadline\u2013it\u2019s unlikely St. Pete would boot the Rays from the Trop should a new Tampa ballpark delayed\u2013the team is certainly moving ahead with a vision in mind. From MLB.com:<\/p>\n

The Hillsborough College site fits the bill, given its size and placement. During the meeting, Babby offered a little more about what the Rays have imagined for the site, if they come to an official agreement. Babby presented a conceptual plan that divided the area into three zones.<\/p>\n

First is \u201cChampions Quarter,\u201d the site for a new ballpark and the surrounding amenities, located in the southeast corner at the intersection of Dale Mabry and W Tampa Bay Boulevard. Second is \u201cInnovation Edge,\u201d featuring Hillsborough College\u2019s new facilities. Third is \u201cThe Canopy,\u201d described as a \u201cparkside neighborhood shaped by shade, greenery, belonging, and the rhythms of everyday life.\u201d Through it all is \u201cThe Row,\u201d a \u201csignature street\u201d running across the development.<\/p>\n

Babby did not share any details about the Rays\u2019 plan for the ballpark itself, although he noted they are working \u201cfeverishly\u201d alongside architecture, design and planning firm Gensler as well as ballpark design firm Populous.<\/p>\n

Yup, sounds like the Battery and Truist Park\u2013the game plan we referenced last fall.<\/p>\n

Rendering of prior plan for Ybor City ballpark courtesy Tampa Bay Rays.<\/p>\n

RELATED STORIES: Developer makes pitch for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark in St. Pete<\/a>; Tampa Bay Rays ownership: We want new ballpark by 2029<\/a>;\u00a0New owners close on Tampa Bay sale; new Rays ballpark next<\/a>;\u00a0Tampa Bay Rays sale approved; next up, new ballpark<\/a>;\u00a0MLB reviews Rays sale; Orlando bid hits hurdles<\/a>;Team sale revives talk of new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark<\/a>;\u00a0St. Pete commits $22.5M to Tropicana Field roof repairs, 2026 completion<\/a>;\u00a0Sternberg scraps plans for new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark<\/a>;\u00a0Rays tell St. Pete they are behind Tropicana Field repairs<\/a>;\u00a0Tampa Bay Rays ballpark deals collapse, raising issues for 2026<\/a>;\u00a0Tropicana Field roof shredded by Hurricane Milton; Rays face plenty of ballpark decisions<\/a>;\u00a0Rays ballpark talks heating up across Tampa Bay<\/a>;\u00a0Sternberg: Yes, I\u2019m committed to a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n\t <\/p>\n

\t\tAbout Kevin Reichard
\n\t\tKevin Reichard is founder and publisher of Ballpark Digest.
\n\t\t\t
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