Final 2 Tropicana Field Developers To Be Chosen Soon By St. Pete

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — The rollercoaster ride of whether the Tampa Bay Rays are leaving St. Petersburg or staying may end soon as St. Petersburg leaders narrow down the list of potential Tropicana Field site developers to two teams, and they must include plans of how to work with the Rays.

In a letter to the St. Pete City Council sent Friday, Mayor Rick Kriseman said that based on a review of all information received to date, he intends to eliminate two of the four remaining developers, and select two development teams as finalists. He expects to make a final selection by Friday, May 28.

The issue is how best to redevelop 86 acres at the Tropicana Field site. The outlines submitted include what each firm would like to build, which include, businesses, parks, family activities and other community ideas. To view the full list of plans in detail, click here. Plans were asked by the city to be submitted with and without the stadium. The community and the city don't know if the Rays are staying when their contract expires in 2028.

"Once the final two development teams have been selected, my staff and I will meet with the two teams once again to ask any additional questions we may have regarding their proposals and to focus in on areas of interest, question or concern," Kriseman said. "Additionally, at a committee of the whole to be scheduled, the two teams will appear before council to make a presentation, and answer any questions or address any concerns council may have regarding their proposals."

Following the city council meeting, the Rays will be invited to meet with the finalists to see their proposals, and discuss how the chosen developer can work with the baseball team to coordinate the stadium location's construction. Kriseman said St. Pete residents, council members, city staff and the Rays will have the opportunity to provide their opinions on the two developers contending for the job.

"While your hesitancy about moving forward with redevelopment until we receive greater certainty related to the Rays future has been made clear, I believe these two paths are not mutually exclusive," Kriseman wrote. "I believe we can continue to move forward with selecting and beginning to work on a term sheet and, ultimately, a development agreement with the developer selected, while simultaneously renewing our negotiations with the Rays over a new lease or use agreement, in addition to a financing plan for construction of a new stadium."

A Review Of The Tropicana Field RFP Time Frame, Process, According To The City

• June 2016, the city contracted with HKS Architects to develop a master plan for the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site. The contract, which was partially funded by the Rays, called for two master plans, one with a stadium located on the site, and one without a stadium.
• March 2017, HKS completed its work on both scenarios.
• February 2018, the Rays announced Ybor City for a potential future site. In December 2018, the team decided not to pursue an Ybor City location.
• June 2019, Rays owner Stu Sternberg announced his interest in pursuing splitting regular and postseason games between Tampa Bay and Montreal.
• March 2020, Duke Energy released a site readiness report that focused on infrastructure, workforce and targeted industries.
• January 2021, nine proposals in response to the Tropicana Field request for proposals were received by the city, two of which were eliminated as non-responsive or untimely. The seven remaining proposals were shortlisted to four developers. The Rays and the city went back and forth with discussions about redevelopment proposals, and the ball club presented a proposal that would give it control of about 60 percent of the site to redevelop. The proposal was rejected.
• January 2021 to April 2021, the four remaining developers were required to submit a three- to five-minute video, an executive summary, and visual site renderings regarding their proposals. The public gave its feedback when these items were placed online for review.
• April 2021, 26 city staff members reviewed the four remaining proposals, and discussed strengths and weaknesses of each site with the mayor. The city had HR&A review the proposals and provide an independent evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of the four reaming developers.

Related Patch Stories:

• Rays And City Of St. Pete Can't Reach Tropicana Site Compromise
• Final 4, City Of St. Pete Narrows Down Trop Developer Firms