St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch says his administration is reviewing “in detail” an unsolicited proposal from developer Casey Ellison and investor Cathie Wood to buy available portions of the Tropicana Field site and redevelop it in phases.
The historic Gas Plant district is an 86-acre parcel of land occupying space once home to a thriving Black community displaced by the stadium’s original construction.
In his statement, Welch thanked Ellison, Wood and Jonathan Graham, President of the Black-owned HORUS Construction Services, for their interest in reimagining the space. Baker Barrios, an architecture firm, is also a project partner.
“I appreciate their interest in developing the Historic Gas Plant District — which remains a top priority of my administration — as well as their ongoing commitments to our community,” Welch said. “While we review this proposal, our primary focus will remain on pursuing impactful outcomes that reflect the needs and aspirations of our residents, and on honoring the promises of inclusive economic opportunity made to the Historic Gas Plant community.”
The pitch “is anchored in three commitments” to the city, according to a proposal obtained by Florida Politics.
“First, to repair past harm and reinvest in the community that was displaced; second, to create pathways to housing and meaningful employment for thousands of St. Petersburg residents; and third, to elevate the City’s profile as a destination for innovation, culture, and opportunity,” a proposal introduction reads.
The group writes that their vision can be achieved using private investment to include housing, cultural and civic spaces and a strong emphasis on fiscal responsibility.
The proposal estimates that the project, when complete, would generate $1.2 billion annually, reaching $28 billion over 30 years. The group also predicts that 14,000 high-wage jobs will be created.
Total investment would be $6.8 billion, according to the presentation. It would include 3,701 new homes, including 863 affordable units, 618 affordable units for seniors, 444 workforce units and 1,776 market rate units.
The plan also calls for more than 1,500 hotel rooms, all while reserving nearly 45% of the site for public parks, culture and civic spaces.
The group is requesting $120 million from the city for public infrastructure. For perspective, the previous proposal from the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines to redevelop the site with a baseball stadium called for $142 million in public investment for roads and sewers to support the project.
The plan would include a Welch priority, expanding the Woodson African American History Museum. The project calls for a new 50,000 square-foot facility anchoring the entire project.
To honor the site’s legacy, the plan would include affordable housing components in Phase 1 to provide needed units to the city’s struggling housing market. And the phases themselves would be named after individuals and neighborhoods that were displaced by Tropicana Field, including Woodson, Flagmon, Dunmore and Webb City.
Project partners also pledge equitable hiring and contracting processes, with 40% of the project workforce targeted toward small, locally-owned and minority-owned businesses, which would be enshrined into a Community Benefit Agreement with the city tied to project milestones.
Within the first 1,000 days, the project would break ground on a new Woodson Museum, deliver 446 affordable housing units with street-level retail, create a Main Street program enhancing the 16th Street corridor, launch a Gas Plant Business Accelerator, and improve public realm components such as reconnecting neighborhoods.
Other eventual amenities would include a 200,000 square-foot innovation hall and 750,000 square-foot academic cluster tied to Florida-based institutions and nationally recognized partners; a 500,000 square-foot incubation and research space; a 1.15 million square-foot Class-A corporate campus for innovation; an 80,000 square-foot music hall; a 1,500-seat amphitheater; and a festival-ready park with programmable capacity for 300,000-400,000 attendees over a 10-day festival, comparable to South by Southwest in Austin, Texas.
“This is more than a redevelopment; it is a chance to reshape the future of the City in a way that is inclusive, equitable and lasting,” the group wrote. In another section of the proposal it reminded that “St. Petersburg has a bright future with or without the Rays,” adding that “this proposal delivers exactly that.”