Move To Tampa Possible For Rays Despite St. Pete Redevelopment Proposal

ST. PETERSBURG, FL — It’s a critical time for the Tampa Bay Rays after St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch tapped the team and its Houston-based partner, Hines, to redevelop 86 acres in the Historic Gas Plant District, including Tropicana Field.

The Rays and Hines were one of four teams vying for the project. The mayor announced his selection at Monday’s State of the City address.

The Rays' proposal calls for construction of 5,728 residential units — 1,459 of them designated as affordable and workforce, including about 600 offsite — and a new ballpark with a fixed roof. The full proposal from Hines and the Tampa Bay Rays can be found here.

The team’s future in St. Petersburg has been in question in recent years as the Rays considered a move across the bridge to Tampa and even a split season in Montreal.

While its selection to redevelop Tropicana Field is a win for the team, it still isn’t fully committed to permanently calling St. Petersburg home.

Related Stories:

• Tampa Bay Rays, Hines Chosen To Redevelop Tropicana Field: Mayor Welch
• Developers Vying For Historic Gas Plant District Project Share Plans

The Rays' lease at the stadium expires in 2027, meaning they need to keep their options open, the team's president, Brian Auld, told Patch. “We need to be playing in a new ballpark on opening day of 2028."

The team being chosen to redevelop Tropicana Field and the surrounding area “fits that timeline,” but the Rays will continue to have conversations with the city of Tampa and stakeholders on the other side of the bay, Auld said.

“Time is of the essence,” he added. “We’ve got to pursue every option available to make sure this team stays in Tampa Bay. We owe it to everybody to make sure we do everything possible that this team stays here.”

He acknowledged that the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment “is so tied to the ballpark, to the integration around it, that it would be a very different project without a baseball stadium.”

Auld says he has faith in the project’s partners — Hines and architectural firm Gensler — to complete the development.

“I think they’re the right ones to see this thing through,” he said.

When asked if the Rays would continue working on the Tropicana Field redevelopment project if the team ultimately chooses a stadium site in Tampa or elsewhere in the region, Auld said, “It’s not something we’ve discussed, considered or have the slightest thought on right now. We’re all fully focused on doing our development, doing it in cooperation with the city and seeing (that) the future site of the Rays is on the site, as well.”

As the redevelopment plans moves forward, he’s excited for the future of the Rays and the city of St. Petersburg, but said a lot of work lies ahead.

“We’ve been sort of telling people, ‘This is great. We made it to the finish line,’” he said.

The proposal presented by the Rays and Hines was their “200-page vision for what we think the site could be,” he said.

Now, they’ll begin collaborating with city staff and stakeholders on the plan and how to finance the project, Auld said. “Figuring out how to pay for it is not the easiest part of the equation.”

He added, “What’s most exciting is we have a county, a city and, I believe, a city council who are all excited to get this moving forward. They’re all on board for the vision.”