Site work and new construction of a stadium in St Petersburg, Florida. Working plans call for the construction of a stadium; and for site work for a stadium.

https://stpeterising.com/home/20-story-tower-to-anchor-second-phase-of-the-edge-collective-mixed-use-project-in-the-edge-district Nov 16, 2023 The 500,000-square-foot development is situated directly across the street from the upcoming $6.5 billion Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment being spearheaded by The Rays and Hines. _________________________________________ https://floridayimby.com/2023/11/the-hines-historic-gas-plant-partnership-proposes-affordable-housing-for-1659-3rd-avenue-s-st-petersburg-florida.html Nov 12, 2023 The Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership hopes to flip a 0.58-acre parcel into a residential housing complex. If approved, the project would offer at least 80 affordable housing units and 2,500 square feet of retail and surface parking. Our sources indicate that residency would be available to those earning less than 100 percent of the area median income. The U.S. Census reports that the median household income in the area is $64,375.The Tampa Bay Business Journal reports that the complex would likely start construction by 2027, taking shape in a single phase. The proposed build site is currently home to a parking lot. The Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership comprises two entities: the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines, a Houston-based development firm. Recently, Florida YIMBY reported that the Tampa Bay Rays were currently in negotiations to redevelop Tropicana Field. While various aspects are still in the works, plans call for a 30,000-seat stadium that would open in 2028.Part of the negotiations for Tropicana Field involves investing $30.5 million in affordable housing, educational programming, and the nearby Woodson African American Museum. The Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership could have a decision on the 80-unit proposal by the end of the month. It would be located at 1659 3rd Avenue S., St. Petersburg, Florida, 33712, in Pinellas County. _________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/orlando/news/2023/10/27/florida-orlando-magic-business-component-poll.html Oct 27, 2023 Now, MLB's Tampa Bay Rays are diving into their own multibillion-dollar endeavor -- including a new $1.3 billion, 30,000-seat stadium -- that includes a myriad of real estate uses. OBJ sister publication Tampa Bay Business Journal reported the stadium would be part of a larger $6 billion redevelopment of Tropicana Field that will be a mixed-use district that includes a 7 million-square-foot redevelopment plan featuring 5,700 multifamily units, 1.4 million square feet of office space, 300,000 feet of retail and 700 hotel rooms on 86 acres. As such, Orlando Business Journal is polling readers to get a sense of which aspect of the project could have the biggest effect on local business. Click here to go to that poll and share your choice. _________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2023/10/30/tropicana-field-redevelopment-questions-loom.html St. Petersburg City Council members had their first chance to delve into the redevelopment plan for the Historic Gas Plant District -- and many voiced concerns with the city's proposed development agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays. The total project -- a new baseball stadium and surrounding mixed-use development -- is expected to cost $6.5 billion. The stadium will cost roughly $1.3 billion, of which $600 million will come from public funds: $312.5 million from Pinellas County and $287.5 million from St. Pete. Some council members, during a Thursday meeting as Committee of the Whole, expressed concerns about moving forward with a deal that would spend millions in public funds; others shared their excitement at finally activating the underutilized downtown property and keeping the Tampa Bay Rays in the Sunshine City. The conversation lasted more than five hours and ended with a sense of hesitant acceptance because council members still had looming questions. Chair Brandi Gabbard requested another Committee of the Whole meeting be scheduled for spring to further discuss the agreements. Racing against a deadline Brian Auld, Rays co-president, emphasized the need to move quickly to get a new stadium built by Opening Day 2028. To meet that deadline, the Rays will begin looking for consultants to start design work for the ballpark next month, even though the project will be months away from being approved. The city said the decision was an act of "good faith" by the team and showed their commitment to the project. The council will still need to sign off on all the agreements by spring 2024 if the stadium construction can begin by November 2024. Michael Harrison, senior managing director at Hines, compared the deal to several other projects Hines has completed. He said when former Mayor Rick Kriseman's proposal came across his desk, he "threw it in the trash can" because the Rays were not involved. Harrison said the only way this made sense was to have the Rays as a "core anchor tenant" and it was only under Mayor Ken Welch's proposal that Hines took a serious look at the site. Identifying best use Council member Richie Floyd raised concerns about giving up roughly 20 acres for a ballpark when that land could be used for other development, like affordable housing. David Abrams, a consultant with Inner Circle Sports hired by the city and county, assured council members the stadium project would be a "catalyst for development." Floyd said many studies, including one published in 2022, showed little to no boost to the economy of cities that subsidized stadiums with public money. Instead, Floyd pointed out that the studies found the subsidies tended to drastically exceed the "public benefits." Abrams said the data was outdated and claimed the uniqueness of paring a mixed-use development with the stadium sets St. Pete apart. Council member Lisset Hanewicz questioned whether an alternative anchor for the redevelopment had even been considered, citing concerns about the city forgoing property tax revenues on the 20-acre site. She questioned why keeping the Rays in St. Pete was the top priority and asked for data that proved this was the "best benefit" for the site rather than another type of development. "Isn't our goal to maximize the use of the property for the greater benefit of the citizens" Hanewicz asked. Welch responded that the data was the response to the RFPs from both his administration and the former administration. Hines, he said, had a proven record, and the Rays have been strong partners to the community for years. Abrams said pairing the ballpark with the rest of the development would "accelerate the highest and best use of that property." He said it's not the only way that could work, but "marrying" the stadium with the rest of the project "ensures" it would happen. "If you were to issue an RFP just for development, my guess is, and I'm not a real estate developer, and it's not my capital in it, that the timeframe around which you would see actuation or it fully developed might be 10 or 15 or even 20 years longer," Abrams said. Councilmember John Muhammad said that the city would be spending millions on this project while in a crippling housing crisis. Welch cited several projects outside the Gas Plant area that the city has moved forward with to provide affordable housing for the community. He said the Gas Plant will bring 1,200 units to the city's inventory and they have pushed to ensure half of the total units are for those making at or below 80% of the Area Median Income. __________ https://siouxcityjournal.com/sports/professional/mlb/the-rays-are-finalizing-plans-for-a-new-stadium-which-means-mlb-expansion-could-be/article_2394f210-49b0-59d0-bd95-628164f64645.html The Tampa Bay Rays are finalizing plans for a new ballpark in downtown St. Petersburg, which is a positive development for baseball fans in Florida. Indirectly, it could also mean great things for baseball fans in a couple other cities -- eventually. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred has made it clear several times over the past few years that he's interested in expanding to 32 teams, but that sentiment came with a caveat: All current 30 big league teams needed to have stable stadium situations before adding teams for the first time since 1998. Now that the Rays have announced plans for a new 30,000-seat ballpark -- as part of a $6.5 billion development project that includes affordable housing, retail, bars and restaurants and a Black history museum -- that appears to be the case. The Oakland Athletics have also struggled with stadium issues for decades but are in the midst of a proposed move to Las Vegas -- one that's pending MLB approval and isn't finalized yet. Assuming the Rays and A's proposed stadiums are greenlit for construction, and even if MLB decides to push from 30 to 32 franchises, it'll be quite a while before those teams would take the field. Here is some of the history, process and cost when it comes to MLB expansion. THE PATH TO 32 It's been 25 years since MLB expanded, adding the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay Devil Rays in the 1998 season for the league's 29th and 30th teams. MLB had 16 teams for the first six decades of the 20th century -- not counting the Negro Leagues or short-lived Federal League -- before the American League added two teams in 1961. The Washington Senators became the Minnesota Twins and a new franchise in Washington kept the Senators name. The Los Angeles Angels were also added. The National League followed suit in 1962, adding the New York Mets and Houston Colt .45s. MLB went to 24 teams in 1969, adding the Seattle Pilots and Kansas City Royals in the AL, along with the San Diego Padres and Montreal Expos in the NL. The Pilots lasted just one season -- immortalized in Jim Bouton's book "Ball Four" -- and moved to Milwaukee for the 1970 season. In 1977, MLB went to 26 teams, adding the Seattle Mariners and Toronto Blue Jays. It took 16 years for the National League to match, adding the Colorado Rockies and Florida Marlins in 1993 for 28 teams. THE POTENTIAL TIMELINE Even if MLB quickly moves to expand, it would probably be around 2028 at least before any new teams start competition. For a reference point, the move to 30 teams started with the formation of an MLB expansion committee in March 1994. Five groups made presentations to the committee in November 1994 -- Orlando, Florida.; Phoenix; St. Petersburg, Florida.; and two from the Northern Virginia area -- with Phoenix and St. Petersburg awarded teams in March 1995. Three years later, both teams started play, ending a four-year process. THE POTENTIAL CITIES The top four candidates for expansion appear to be -- in no particular order -- Charlotte, North Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; and Montreal. The South has a growing population base that would seem ripe for another team, though it's doubtful that both Charlotte and Nashville would get franchises. Portland would expand the sport's West Coast presence. Montreal -- which had the Expos from 1969 until relocating to Washington in 2004 -- was a much-loved stop on the schedule before the franchise's acrimonious exit to the U.S. capital. Fans have clamored to bring the sport back to the city pretty much ever since it left. Other cities are possible, and presumably MLB would listen to all pitches. Locations that have been mentioned are Salt Lake City and Austin, Texas. THE POTENTIAL COST One thing appears to be certain -- a new franchise is going to be a costly investment. Manfred said back in 2021 that expansion fees could be in the range of $2.2 billion per team, which is what Sportico estimated as the average MLB franchise value. For reference, the Vegas Golden Knights paid a $500 million fee to join the NHL in 2016. The NBA hasn't expanded since 2004 with the addition of the Charlotte Bobcats for $300 million. The NFL last expanded in 2002, adding the Houston Texans for $700 million. The Diamondbacks and Rays both paid $130 million to enter MLB in 1998 while the Marlins and Rockies paid $95 million in 1993. Back in 1977, the Blue Jays ($7 million) and Mariners ($6.5 million) paid even less. Those costs wouldn't cover construction of a new ballpark, either. While the expansion fee would likely be paid by private team investors, the stadium could require upward of $1 billion in public money. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ https://www.bizjournals.com/tampabay/news/2023/10/25/st-pete-council-to-discuss-trop-development.html St. Petersburg City Council on Thursday will have its first chance to dive into the redevelopment plans for the Historic Gas Plant District, which is home to Tropicana Field. Council, meeting as the committee of the whole, will receive a presentation by the Tampa Bay Rays and Houston-based development firm Hines. The committee will also review a stadium development term sheet, a Historic Gas Plant Development term sheet and a bond/financing plan from the city. The presentation from the Rays shows the group is committing to the following community benefits: $50 million intentional equity initiatives $15 million for the city's Housing Opportunity for All program $500 million as a minimum commitment to minority, small and women-owned businesses The proposed timeline shows the ballpark and infrastructure design will begin next month with the goal of receiving city approval by March 2024 and starting construction in November 2024. This will allow the new ballpark to be completed by opening day 2028. The presentation also further breaks down its affordable and workforce housing commitments. The team is proposing building a total of 1,200 affordable and workforce units that will be for those making 60% to 120% of the area median income. The units will serve residents making $30,000 to $73,000 a year. There will also be 100 units designated for senior residents. The development will also aim to have 4,800 market-rate residential units, 600 market-rate senior residences, 1.4 million square feet of office/medical space, 750,000 square feet of retail space, 100,000 square feet of entertainment space and 750 hotel rooms. There will also be 14 acres of park space. At a minimum, the development will have 3,800 market-rate residences, 1 million square feet of office/commercial space, 400 hotel rooms and 10 acres of park space. The breakdown for the $1.3 billion stadium is as follows: Rays: $700 million Pinellas County: $312.5 million St. Pete: $287.5 million _______________ All questions shall be in writing and must be submitted no later than 12:00 p.m., Friday, October 13, 2023 to Michael Schlesinger, Purchasing Manager, to michael.schlesinger@stpete.org or via Online Discussions through Sourcing site. Confirmed Shortlist.