Bevirt, speaking at a St. Petersburg Downtown Partnership meeting Tuesday, said Ellison Development has discussed the generational project with the new owners of the Rays. They announced ambitious plans Oct. 7 to open the 2029 season in a new stadium surrounded by a massive mixed-use development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve heard a lot about Hillsborough (County), about moving to Tampa,\u201d Bevirt said. \u201cBut we\u2019ve also heard about them staying. That\u2019s why we put in the proposal the option for the Rays to stay, which we hope they will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
St. Petersburg-based ARK Investment Management partnered with Tampa-based Ellison, and Horus Construction Services, on the latest bid<\/a> to redevelop nearly 100 acres of culturally significant<\/a> land. Mayor Ken Welch announced Oct. 21 that the city will provide a 30-day public notice in mid-November before disposing of the community redevelopment area property, as required by state law<\/a>. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s because, obviously, they were interested in the proposal,\u201d City Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz told the Catalyst. \u201cIf not, they would have never triggered the statute to start with.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The latest Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment proposal does not call for Tropicana Field\u2019s demolition until after 2033. It also includes a stadium option. Renderings: Baker Barrios Architects.<\/p>\n The development team is now presenting their plans to various organizations. Bevirt said Tuesday that they know the owners of the Rays and Tampa Bay Rowdies \u201cquite well.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Bevirt and Rays CEO Ken Babby were once neighbors in Potomac, Maryland. Sidd Pagidipati, co-founder of Ellison, is one of the limited local partners who have joined the ownership group.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Rays are contractually obligated to remain in St. Petersburg through 2028. Ark Ellison Horus would not demolish the Trop until after 2033.\u00a0<\/p>\n Bevirt said having the Rays nearby is \u201cgreat\u201d for Ellison\u2019s mixed-use development, The Central<\/a>. Tropicana Field is about a half-mile from the highly anticipated project, which he called \u201cincredible\u201d for its 540-space parking garage<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cBut no decisions have been made,\u201d Bevirt added. \u201cAnd I don\u2019t know the time frame.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He said the development team named the Gas Plant redevelopment\u2019s second phase after Flagmon Welch, the mayor\u2019s grandfather. The elder Welch was a pioneer who moved to the city in 1917 and opened a woodyard that served the African American community<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Flagmon phase will feature an innovation hall, one of the redevelopment\u2019s multiple anchors. Ark Ellison Horus believes the facility will drive more activation, revenue and employment than a standalone stadium or convention center.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Flagmon phase also includes a stadium option. \u201cWe\u2019re not saying the Rays are not coming,\u201d Bevirt said. We\u2019re just saying if they can stay, we\u2019ve got a plan for it<\/a>, which is really important. And we do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A proposed music and entertainment venue.<\/p>\n Bevirt said the redevelopment\u2019s \u201cdeconstructed convention center\u201d would support a \u201cSouth by Southeast\u201d festival, similar to Austin\u2019s South by Southwest (SXSW). \u201cIt\u2019s this flywheel, if you will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The development team will meet with a national organization Wednesday that could oversee a proposed 4,000-seat indoor music venue and a 1,500-person outdoor amphitheater. \u201cWe\u2019re talking with what I would call marquee partners,\u201d Bevirt said.\u00a0<\/p>\n A 6.7-acre elevated park that reconnects Campbell Park with the Gas Plant will feature a Salvador Dali-inspired Unity Arch. Bevirt called a linear park along a revitalized Booker Creek a \u201cvery important\u201d part of the project.\u00a0<\/p>\n The proposal\u2019s third phase includes a 750,000-square-foot academic cluster. \u201cWe could see engaging with Stanford University,\u201d Bevirt said. \u201cWe could see engaging with any of the major universities that are out there.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n He said the project\u2019s 1.2 million square feet of Class A office space, and the surrounding development, will attract \u201cmajor corporations.\u201d Bevirt believes the ongoing \u201cflight to quality\u201d will help attract and retain talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n A multimodal transit center will accommodate the Sunrunner bus-rapid transit service. Bevirt stressed the importance of conveniently moving people throughout the district and city.\u00a0<\/p>\n He also confirmed that several project renderings feature eVTOLS (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles) buzzing over the Gas Plant. Bevirt called those \u201cthe future,\u201d and the city is actively working to accommodate and capitalize<\/a> on the rapidly progressing industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Stadium-proposal-e1759585708707-1024x534.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Gas-Plant-Music-Venue.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Ark-Gas-Plant-eVTOL.jpg\")
<\/p>\n