{"id":15113,"date":"2025-10-22T04:04:09","date_gmt":"2025-10-22T04:04:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/15113\/"},"modified":"2025-10-22T04:04:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-22T04:04:09","slug":"st-pete-will-soon-accept-proposals-for-developing-gas-plant-district-after-rays-deal-falls-through","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/15113\/","title":{"rendered":"St. Pete will soon accept proposals for developing Gas Plant District after Rays deal falls through"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"City <\/p>\n

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The city of St. Petersburg<\/a> will soon be fielding offers for 86 acres of prime downtown real estate, and some developers have already begun courting officials with their visions for the site.<\/p>\n

At a recent city council meeting, members discussed next steps and how to evaluate proposals. St. Pete council member Brandi Gabbard wants the city to hire a third party for an unbiased study.<\/p>\n

PREVIOUS: New Rays ownership pledges commitment to Tampa Bay area<\/a><\/p>\n

“Quite frankly, anytime a developer comes to you, it is based on the yield they are going to make on the property,” she said.<\/p>\n

Could the Rays stay in St. Pete? <\/p>\n

While the Tampa Bay Rays\u2019 future remains uncertain, the team hasn\u2019t fully ruled out staying in St. Petersburg. Two weeks ago, the new owners indicated all options were on the table, but St. Pete leaders aren\u2019t waiting around.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch said the city is now in a different position than it was during previous negotiations.<\/p>\n

RELATED: Local investors unveil redevelopment proposal for Gas Plant District, with or without the Rays<\/a><\/p>\n

“This is a different time, different circumstances,” Welch said. “One of the major leverage points was the development rights on the land. The city has that now.”<\/p>\n

Gas Plant District proposals <\/p>\n

Why you should care:<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, a local group of investors, Ark Ellison Horus, submitted a proposal for the Gas Plant District that includes housing, an African American history museum, an amphitheater, retail and a hotel.<\/p>\n

That plan appears to be attractive to the city and at least, in part, prompted the city to open up the process for “competitive” proposals. In a statement, Welch said he intends to ensure any redevelopment reflects the city\u2019s broader values:<\/p>\n

\"\" <\/p>\n

“I intend to ensure that any redevelopment reflects the values and priorities of our entire community, honoring our history while creating pathways for inclusive progress and a thriving future for all in our city,” he said.<\/p>\n

READ: Tampa Bay Rays sale finalized with new ownership group led by Florida-based business executive<\/a><\/p>\n

What they’re saying:<\/p>\n

Before the offers start pouring in, council members are weighing whether to fund an independent study to evaluate the land\u2019s best use and true value. Gabbard emphasized that question: “What is the best use of this property? And how can we get our best return on investment?”<\/p>\n

St. Pete council member Lisset Hanewicz added that basic city needs, such as whether parcels of land might be needed for a fire station, or other city functions, should also be evaluated.\u00a0<\/p>\n

“It\u2019s not like Barbie\u2019s dream house or a stadium,” Hanewicz said. “But it\u2019s the basics, we have to figure out the basics first.”<\/p>\n

What’s next:<\/p>\n

The Notice for Proposals is expected to be published in mid-November. Interested developers will have 30 days to submit their plans for one of St. Pete\u2019s most valuable \u2013 and closely watched \u2013 parcels of land.<\/p>\n

The Source: Sources for this report include a press release from St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch’s office, a city council meeting, and previous reporting by FOX 13.\u00a0<\/p>\n

St. Petersburg<\/a> <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The city of St. Petersburg will soon be fielding offers for 86 acres of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":15114,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[47,115,1157,202,204,203,199,201,200,628],"class_list":{"0":"post-15113","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-st-petersburg","8":"tag-fl","9":"tag-news","10":"tag-pinellas","11":"tag-st-pete","12":"tag-st-pete-headlines","13":"tag-st-pete-news","14":"tag-st-petersburg","15":"tag-st-petersburg-headlines","16":"tag-st-petersburg-news","17":"tag-us"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15113","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15113"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15113\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15114"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15113"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15113"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15113"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}