\u201cTo be really blunt, I think if we\u2019re going to be serious about this, start counting votes now,\u201d Councilmember Gina Driscoll said to the administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cIf I\u2019m not comfortable with the process, I\u2019m probably not going to be comfortable with the proposal that\u2019s brought before us to vote on.\u201d<\/p>\n
She and multiple colleagues believe the city should have conducted a new appraisal in the time between the Tampa Bay Rays, now under new ownership<\/a>, exiting a new stadium deal in March, and Welch\u2019s Oct. 21 announcement that he would welcome additional proposals in mid-November.\u00a0<\/p>\n Officials received an unsolicited $6.8 billion<\/a> bid Oct. 3 from a group led by ARK Investment Management and Ellison Development. The city is acting pursuant to a state statute that mandates a 30-day window before selling<\/a> property in a community redevelopment area (CRA).\u00a0<\/p>\n Councilmember Lisset Hanewicz said an appraisal typically occurs before making a deal, \u201cnot after the fact.\u201d City Development Administrator James Corbett noted that St. Petersburg spent two years negotiating redevelopment agreements with the Rays. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not going to wait for the appraisal until after we start negotiating a deal,\u201d Corbett added. \u201cIt will be before that. I also want to time the appraisal where it\u2019s not too dated.\u201d<\/p>\n Councilmember Brandi Gabbard said several constituents have expressed concerns over the site\u2019s unknown valuation. Ark Ellison Horus will pay the city \u201cat least\u201d $202 million for 94.5 acres.<\/p>\n The group believes its $2.1 million per-acre offer<\/a> reflects the project\u2019s \u201cpremier location and transformative potential.\u201d The Rays planned to purchase 65 acres for $105 million \u2013 $1.6 million per acre \u2013 and offered $50 million in community benefits.<\/p>\n Gabbard is among those who want a formal RFP process and additional time. She also reminded her colleagues that they approved her Oct. 16 request for a committee discussion on hiring<\/a> the Urban Land Institute (ULI) to conduct an unbiased, professional study on the Gas Plant\u2019s best uses.<\/p>\n Welch wrote that reissuing an RFP is neither necessary nor beneficial since the project\u2019s 23 guiding principles, established in 2022 and \u201cconfirmed by subsequent community convenings,\u201d remain unchanged. He also noted that developers previously had 60 days from the time of his announcement to submit proposals, and now have 105.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand this rush for a win<\/a> right now,\u201d Gabbard said.\u00a0<\/p>\n The former Black community is home to Tropicana Field and a sea of surface parking lots. Photo by Mark Parker.<\/p>\n Councilmember Mike Harting is \u201cgood\u201d with not reissuing an RFP. He also credited Councilmember Richie Floyd for requesting additional time, and Welch for acquiescing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Municipalities prioritize the \u201cgreater good\u201d over profits, Harting continued, and the generational project will exponentially increase property tax collections. However, those benefits are hard to quantify.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re not going to sell the property for what it\u2019s valued at,\u201d Harting said. \u201cWe\u2019re going to sell it for less \u2026 And I get that, but I want to be comfortable with the logic \u2026 and what that looks like for the city.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders said she thinks about \u201cthat little girl whose church was totally destroyed\u201d when the city displaced thousands of Black residents in the 1980s to build the stadium. She took issue with people who call the process rushed or believe officials should maximize their financial return.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t stand when people want to make decisions for other people like that \u2013 what\u2019s best for other people?\u201d Figgs-Sanders said. \u201cI can\u2019t place value on letting some of the descendants of the Gas Plant area finally see something<\/a> done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n She also questioned whether the ULI study would include locals who understand the area\u2019s history and importance. No one understands the property\u2019s worth better than the people who once called the Gas Plant home, Figgs-Sanders added.<\/p>\n Gabbard said the ULI group could include experts from throughout the region \u2013 the organization has a Tampa office \u2013 the state or beyond. Community partners would work with people who \u201cunderstand very complex projects.\u201d<\/p>\n Corbett said the city would launch its community benefits process once officials and the selected developer establish a term sheet. Welch wrote that jobs, housing, equitable economic development, resilience, green space and \u201cmeaningful recognition\u201d of the Gas Plant community remain atop the priority list.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThe only material change from those principles is that the inclusion of a new stadium for the Tampa Rays, in partnership with Pinellas County, is no longer instrumental in planning the redevelopment,\u201d states his memo. \u201cOur unified work to include the Tampa Bay Rays in the long-term vision of the Historic Gas plant, and their subsequent abdication, have provided more clarity for our city and the property.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Tropicana-Field-aerial-Mark-Parker.jpg\")
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