\u201cThe quality of the competition made this a better process and will make the outcome even more impactful to our outstanding city,\u201d Welch said. \u201cOur community has waited for decades for promises to become plans, for plans to become progress and today the progress begins.\u201d<\/p>\n
The site, which has quickly become one of the most coveted public development opportunities in the Southeast, was once a thriving, predominantly Black neighborhood until residents were displaced in the 1980s to build Tropicana Field. For nearly 40 years, city officials have promised equitable economic development for the area that\u2019s failed to materialize, Welch said Thursday.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Welch’s decision comes after something of a tortured history for the site.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 2020, then-St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman announced the Tropicana Field site would be redeveloped by Midtown Development. But Welch threw out that plan when he took office in 2022. Then, in 2023, Welch announced a new development plan with real estate investment company Hines and the Tampa Bay Rays that would keep the team in St. Petersburg. But in March 2025, the team’s then-owner, Stu Sternberg, announced the cost of building a new stadium in Tropicana Field’s footprint was too high for the team to meet its share. Now, the Rays’ ownership group has committed to building a new ballpark for the team to open in time for the 2029 season in Tampa, leaving the Historic Gas Plant District once again open for new development.\u00a0<\/p>\n
![\"St.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/IMG_5252_t850.jpeg\" "\\"St.")
<\/p>\n
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch.<\/p>\n
Photo by Anastasia Dawson<\/p>\n
In addition to adopting Blake\u2019s The Burg Bid, the city has also accepted a plan from the Pinellas County Housing Authority to dedicate a half-acre parcel to affordable housing. Plans for that project include 94 affordable housing units for seniors living at 80% of the average median income. Those who were initially displaced from their homes in the Historic Gas Plant District will be given priority for housing, said PCHA Director Neil Brickfield.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not building apartments, we\u2019re building 94 homes and we\u2019re not doing it on an empty lot, we\u2019re doing it on neighborhood land,\u201d Brickfield said. \u201cWe\u2019re restarting a neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
Blake\u2019s team includes some big names in development, planning and construction. The list includes:<\/p>\n
The Related GroupHedge fund Elliott Investment Management,\u00a0Wannemacher Jensen ArchitectsBlue Sky CommunitiesSkanska\u00a0KAST Construction\u00a0Gilbane and\u00a0Greystar\u00a0<\/p>\n
The team has also established a panel with 25 civic organizations that will work alongside the developers over the next 20 or more years, Blake said during Thursday\u2019s announcement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe share in the weight of this decision because we\u2019re from here and we\u2019re 100% dialed in on its future,\u201d Blake said. \u201cThe historic gas plant was a real place with real people, real churches, real businesses. Our project begins with honoring those people.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Burg Bid projects a total of $8.1 billion in development investments for the Historic Gas Plant District, and limits public investment to $75 million from the community redevelopment area. It includes more than 3,600 affordable and workforce housing units on and off the property, Blake said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Development plans center on a 13-acre park and a \u201cmuseum row\u201d that would include a public art museum and a permanent home for the Woodson African American Museum, which Blake said will be the first building constructed during the project. Plans also include a workforce training center, multimodal transportation hub, small business success center, indoor\/outdoor event venue and even an outdoor water facility for sports like surfing.<\/p>\n
And to make way for the new developments, Tropicana Field would be demolished, Welch said. The city expects to be reimbursed for most of the cost to rebuild the stadium, which had its roof ripped off during Hurricane Milton in 2024, from insurance and FEMA payouts, he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe old model of a new stadium further to the east is gone,\u201d Welch said. \u201cWe have to start thinking about the city of St. Pete.\u201d<\/p>\n
Welch confirmed that the Rays will continue to play at Tropicana Field until their lease is up at the end of the 2028 season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve also said that if things don\u2019t work out in Tampa and Hillsborough and they need a one or two year extension, we\u2019re open to talking about that if it makes sense for the city,\u201d Welch said. \u201cBut the city of St. Petersburg is moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now, city officials will begin negotiations, develop term sheets and bring agreements to City Council for approval, with a vote likely to come sometime next summer. A final agreement must be approved by City Council before developers can break ground on the site. Previously, council members voted 6-2 to slow down Welch\u2019s bid selection process, saying a site study should be conducted first. Welch ignored that resolution, though, and took six months to select The Burg Bid from submitted proposals \u2014 delivering a plan for redevelopment just before he faces voters for re-election in August.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Burg Bid proposal will also be reviewed by the City\u2019s Community Benefits Agreement Program, which is expected to meet this month.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m simply honoring the promise that I made when I ran that I would bring forward a plan to finally move this forward,\u201d Welch said. \u201cI was in high school at Lakewood when this started. There\u2019s no way you can call this rushed. It\u2019s been four decades. We have to move forward, and I am very excited about how we are going to take this opportunity to reconnect our neighborhoods with that district.\u201d<\/p>\n
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