Mayor Ken Welch officially announced his preferred pick for the Historic Gas Plant redevelopment this morning: Blake Investment Partners (The Burg Bid) and Pinellas Housing Authority \u2013 but preferences aren\u2019t certainties, and the final say will hinge on City Council\u2019s approval, and some council members, including mayoral challenger Brandi Gabbard, are expected to resist the decision.<\/p>\n
Under the shade of live oaks at Campbell Park, beside which I-275 redlines the south side from Tropicana Field and downtown, the stadium\u2019s tilted white dome popping over the highway horizon, Welch told attendees: \u201cThe quality of the competition [between the four final developers] will make this even more impactful.\u201d<\/p>\n
The impact: Blake Investment Partners will develop a mixed-use project that includes residential housing, retail, office space, hotels, parks and other community amenities designed to create a walkable neighborhood.<\/p>\n
In tandem, Pinellas County Housing Authority will redevelop a nearby city-owned parking lot into a seven-story, 80-unit affordable senior housing community with community gathering spaces and direct access to the Pinellas Trail.<\/p>\n
Neil Brickfield, Executive Director of the Pinellas Housing Authority, noted that historically displaced people from the Gas Plant District will be given tenant preference.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe aren\u2019t building apartments; we\u2019re building homes,\u201d said Brickfield, \u201cand we\u2019re not doing it on an empty lot; we are doing it on neighborhood land. We aren\u2019t going to be moving people in \u2013 when these folks move in, we are restarting a neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to Thompson Whitney Blake of The Burg Bid, the Woodson African American Museum relocation site will be the first priority to break ground in homage to the predominantly Black residents who were displaced for the development of Tropicana Field.<\/p>\n
Welch noted that while two developers have been picked, he\u2019s emphasizing the affordable housing project as the most urgent need to satisfy the city. \u201cMy intent is to move forward with PCHA separately and more immediately,\u201d Welch said.<\/p>\n
Following the event, Denise Young, advisor within the Blake Partnership, told the Catalyst, \u201cWe are humbled and look forward to finally moving forward on this project.\u201d<\/p>\n
But also swiftly following Welch\u2019s selection for the redevelopment deal, Councilmember Brandi Gabbard urgently re-insisted that the Gas Plant not be sold to a single developer, signaling that Welch\u2019s picks may face opposition when presented to City Council.<\/p>\n
In a prepared statement, Gabbard said: \u201cTrue stewardship means exploring alternative models, like long-term ground leases or dividing the site into manageable parcels under a master plan that the city itself develops and directs. Retaining public ownership ensures that St. Petersburg dictates the terms of development and guarantees that community benefits remain a permanent priority, not a temporary afterthought.\u201d<\/p>\n
While a potential single no-vote from Gabbard won\u2019t totally torpedo the process, there is already precedent suggesting unease among additional members of the City Council. Earlier this year, Council voted 6-2 on a nonbinding resolution asking the mayor to pause the developer selection process until additional planning, including the ULI study, was completed.<\/p>\n
Gabbard seems to be unsatisifed with how the study was handled, arguing: \u201cThis study was initiated by City Council under my leadership, but it seems has been hijacked by the administration in a possible attempt to control the outcomes. I will continue to work with ULI and stakeholders that have come to the table to ensure, on behalf of City Council, that this independent evaluation of the site stays just that; independent and free of influence for political gain or developer benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Further complicating the matter is that only two sitting City Councilmembers, Copley Gerdes and Deborah Figgs-Sanders, have openly endorsed Welch\u2019s reelection campaign, leaving enough uncertainty about where the vote on Gas Plant redevelopment will ultimately land.<\/p>\n
While Welch declared his preferences, City Council must approve and binding agreements with the developers penned before a golden shovel can be stomped into the dirt of St. Pete\u2019s most valuable and cementitious property.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been four decades,\u201d Welch insisted, \u201cand it\u2019s time to move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gabbard was not immediately available to answer clarifying questions.<\/p>\n
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