A panel discussion about the Gas Plant District’s future took place Tuesday evening at the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg’s Center for Health Equity.
A diverse selection of panelists spoke about the future of the troubled 86 acres, home to Tropicana Field and its sprawling asphalt parking lots since the early 1990s, and what could or should take the place of the now-dead revitalization project proposed by the Tampa Bay Rays organization and its development partner Hines.
Panelists included Mozell Davis (a 92-year-old former Pinellas County teacher, and widow of the first Black principal of St. Petersburg High School), Peter Kageyama (author of For the Love of Cities), Erica Hall (Member, Board of Directors, Sierra Club), Jillian Bandes (Executive Board Member, Urban Land Institute Tampa Bay) and Dr. Elizabeth Strom (Associate Professor, University of South Florida).
The area has a storied history. Before the iconic stadium was built, it was a bustling African American neighborhood that included a variety of Black-owned businesses. When the City cleared the land to make way for the stadium, residents were forced to relocate. As compensation, they were promised economic returns that never came to fruition.
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A general consensus among panelists was that the property should honor its roots while keeping the future in mind. The district should create economic opportunities for the community, as the City had promised decades earlier.
Kageyama, the son of a Japanese-American, spoke of the experiences his father’s family faced during World War II when many Japanese-Americans were incarcerated on U.S. soil. In 1988, President Ronald Reagan issued restitution, or a financial compensation, for the government’s actions.
While his father appreciated the money, he was more happy that the country’s actions were finally acknowledged. The apology meant a lot to him. “The hole was just too big,” Kageyama said.
He suggested that the Gas Plant District experience might be similar to local African Americans, and that the new development could be a way to apologize for previous actions.
Kageyama also stated that he believes St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch, a former Gas Plant resident, is the right person at the helm, because he understands how many feel about the Gas Plant District.
“I think Mayor Welch sees that hole in a way many of us don’t,” he explained.
Hall emphasized that any future projects should be reflective of the district’s legacy. “It should have things that mean something to each one of us,” and be a community hub where residents can thrive.
Whatever is created, it needs to be something that “welcomes family,” Davis added.
She also believes that descendants of the African American families who lived in the Gas Plant District should be consulted about the future redevelopment. “I think they should be talked to, to see what they would like to see happen.”
One idea most of the panelists agreed on was that new development should feature a public park. Green space is invaluable, Bandes added.
As to who develops a reimagined Gas Plant District, members of the panel discussed how the City should partner with a master planner while hiring various local, national and statewide organizations to help bring the development to life.
They agreed that the community should be actively involved. However, Bandes spoke of the importance of hiring an expert to oversee the project due to its large undertaking.
Panelists recognized that any project for the Gas Plant District would take decades to complete. Strom mentioned that many developments are designed with today in mind, rather than future generations.
This led to a discussion about how critical it is that a redesigned Gas Plant District is not “rushed.”
“We just do not know” what people will want in the future, she said. The development should be thoughtfully planned and be flexible based on changing needs.
We are “selfish bastards” if “we are making the decision for us, the collective us, and not thinking about our kids and our grandkids,” Kageyama said bluntly.
What will actually happen to the Gas Plant property? Only time will tell.
While the Rays-Hines deal is off, it’s still in official offboarding. Tuesday night’s conversations were just thoughts of what the future could hold.
What was underscored, however, was a sense of optimism and urgency to do right by the local African American community.
Whether the baseball era of St. Pete is over or not – depending on the Rays’ ultimate decision to stay or go – the area needs a renovation, panelists and the audience agreed wholeheartedly.
“Anything is going to be better than a parking lot and ugly stadium,” Kageyama said, receiving a round of applause.
The panel discussion was presented by the Tampa Bay Times and the Foundation for a Healthy St. Petersburg.
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
