In the late 1980s, an African-American neighborhood in St. Petersburg, Fla., known as the Historic Gas Plant District, was the victim of displacement by the city to make way for the construction of the Tropicana Field stadium.
Fast forward to September 19 of this year, when the Tampa Bay Rays Major League Baseball team announced that it had reached an agreement with St. Petersburg and Pinellas County on a $6.5 billion, 86-acre mixed-use development that will include a new 30,000-seat ballpark and an array of office, housing, hotel, retail, and restaurant space totaling 8 million sf. (The stadium will be between 850,000 and 950,000 sf.)
The first phase of this project’s 20-year buildout is scheduled to begin construction late next year and be completed by opening day of the 2028 baseball season.
The developer Hines, through its Historic Gas Plant Partnership, is the master developer on this project, which will occur on land currently occupied by Tropicana Field. Hines’ involvement includes a $50 million commitment to equity initiatives with South St. Petersburg that encompass affordable housing, employment and business support, education programs, and minority/women owned business enterprise hiring.
Part of Entertainment District trend
This project can be placed within a larger development trend for entertainment districts that are proliferating around the country. Among the metros where entertainment districts have been proposed, or are currently under construction, are Miami, Gainesville, and Pompano Beach, Fla.; Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo.; Anaheim, Calif.; Norman, Okla.; Clarksville, Tenn., and Springdale, Ark. In many cases, as in St. Petersburg, these districts are positioned as vital pieces of larger urban revitalization and economic growth campaigns.
The St. Petersburg project, when it’s completed, will increase the number affordable housing units built by the Partnership to 1,200, with at least half of those units to be built within the redeveloped district.
The project will include 4,800 market-rate housing units, 600 senior-living units, 1.4 million sf of office and medical space, 750,000 sf of retail, 750 hotel rooms, 100,000 sf of performance/event space that include a 3,000- to 4,000-seat concert hall; 100,000 sf of conference and meeting space, 50,000 sf of cultural and community space that encompasses the Carter G. Woodson African American Museum of Florida; 14 acres of public open space, and 14,000 parking spaces.
The Rays will pay more than half of the $1.3 billion cost to build the new ballpark, and the city and county will contribute an aggregate $600 million.
“Hines … is honored to bring this transformative, city-defining project to life,” said Michael Harrison, Senior Managing Director with Hines, in a prepared statement. “Our goal is to create St. Petersburg’s next great place to live, work, and play.”
The public approval process by the city and county is expected to start this fall.
Tampa Bay Rays, Hines finalize stadium-anchored multiuse district in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Related Stories
Mixed-Use | Oct 18, 2022
Mixed-use San Diego tower inspired by coastal experience and luxury travel
The new 525 Olive mixed use San Diego tower was inspired by the coastal experience and luxury travel.
Multifamily Housing | Oct 7, 2022
Design for new Ft. Lauderdale mixed-use tower features sequence of stepped rounded volumes
The newly revealed design for 633 SE 3rd Ave., a 47-story, mixed-use tower in Ft. Lauderdale, features a sequence of stepped rounded volumes that ease the massing of the tower as it rises.
Sports and Recreational Facilities | Sep 8, 2022
Chicago Bears unveil preliminary master plan for suburban stadium district
As the 2022 NFL season kicks off, the league’s original franchise is fortifying plans to leave its landmark lakefront stadium for a multi-billion-dollar mixed-use stadium district in northwest suburban Arlington Heights.
| Aug 31, 2022
A mixed-use development in Salt Lake City provides 126 micro units with mountain views
In Salt Lake City, a new 130,000-square-foot development called Mya and The Shop SLC, designed by EskewDumezRipple, combines housing with coworking space, retail, and amenities, as well as a landscaped exterior for both residents and the public.
| Aug 15, 2022
Boston high-rise will be largest Passive House office building in the world
Winthrop Center, a new 691-foot tall, mixed-use tower in Boston was recently honored with the Passive House Trailblazer award.
Mixed-Use | Jul 21, 2022
Former Los Angeles Macy’s store converted to mixed-use commercial space
Work to convert the former Westside Pavilion Macy's department store in West Los Angeles to a mixed-use commercial campus recently completed.
Mixed-Use | Jul 18, 2022
Mixed-use development outside Prague uses a material made from leftover bricks
Outside Prague, the Sugar Factory, a mixed-used residential development with public space, marks the largest project to use the sustainable material Rebetong.
Mixed-Use | May 19, 2022
Seattle-area project will turn mall into residential neighborhood
A recently unveiled plan will transform a 463,000 sf mall into a mixed-use destination site in the Seattle suburb of Bellevue, Wash.
Building Team | May 18, 2022
Bjarke Ingels-designed KING Toronto releases its final set of luxury penthouses
In April 2020, a penthouse at KING Toronto sold for $16 million, the highest condo sale in Toronto that year or the year after.
Building Team | May 6, 2022
Atlanta’s largest adaptive reuse project features cross laminated timber
Global real estate investment and management firm Jamestown recently started construction on more than 700,000 sf of new live, work, and shop space at Ponce City Market.
