Councilmember Brandi Gabbard advocated for the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to complete an extensive study in October<\/a>, two weeks after the city received a $6.8 billion unsolicited bid<\/a> from ARK Investment Management, Ellison Development and Horus Construction. She introduced Thursday\u2019s resolution and believes the city is \u201cflying without a radar.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWe are not just voting on a resolution,\u201d Gabbard said. \u201cWe are deciding how history will remember our stewardship for St. Petersburg\u2019s most valuable remaining asset, the Historic Gas Plant site.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabbard, who plans to run against Welch this year, said city officials are \u201ctoo close\u201d to the project and need independent experts to create a comprehensive planning framework. The ULI could, potentially, complete the study in six months, she added.<\/p>\n The previously estimated $135,000 analysis is a \u201csmall investment for a massive return,\u201d Gabbard said. \u201cIt would allow us to negotiate from a position of strength, not desperation.\u201d<\/p>\n Gabbard said previous requests for a committee to discuss the study \u201cwent unanswered,\u201d while an unsolicited redevelopment proposal dictated the administration\u2019s pace<\/a>. She wants to \u201ccatch our breath and consider the residents we serve.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmember Brandi Gabbard said she was told that the study could take six months. Image: Screengrab.<\/p>\n Some residents and organizations, most of whom also opposed the previous Tampa Bay Rays and Hines deal, would prefer the city to sell individual parcels of land and maximize financial returns. Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders called that \u201cgentrification, block-by-block,\u201d of an area that was once home to a thriving African-American community.<\/p>\n \u201cStop playing with my people,\u201d Figg-Sanders said. \u201cEvery time I hear someone wants to tell us what\u2019s best for us, as though the words of the descendants did not mean anything, I quiver. Stop playing with the history of what the Gas Plant means to the City of St. Petersburg.<\/p>\n \u201cThey didn\u2019t take it from us parcel by parcel.\u201d<\/p>\n Welch reiterated his position on the matter in a letter sent to the council Wednesday. He noted that members approved development agreements with the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines \u201cwithout the duplicative exercise now being suggested.\u201d<\/p>\n The letter highlighted multiple planning and visioning efforts that began in 2016, and that two community redevelopment area plans also guide the redevelopment process and reflect evolving needs. \u201cThis project is about people, history and long-standing promises \u2013 not simply a stadium site or a real estate transaction,\u201d Welch wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cPausing all progress for yet another planning exercise, after proposals have been submitted, risks repeating a familiar and painful pattern for this community: Plans discussed, promises acknowledged and action deferred,\u201d Welch added.<\/p>\n \u201cSt. Pete, including the families and descendants impacted by the original displacement, has already waited generations for meaningful progress. I do not believe further inaction serves them or the city.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmember Richie Floyd, who is \u201cvery sympathetic\u201d to Welch\u2019s position, expressed hope for common ground. He suggested that previous work could streamline the new study while allowing the proposal selection process to simultaneously progress.<\/p>\n Floyd also noted that he would \u201cevaluate whatever gets in front of me, no matter how it gets there.\u201d Figgs-Sanders guaranteed that the selected development team would acquiesce to the council\u2019s feedback.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/Screenshot-14592.jpg\")
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