A prominent development firm has asked St. Petersburg to extend its window for submitting Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment proposals. Some people are tired of waiting.
Mayor Ken Welch announced Tuesday that, starting in mid-November, he would officially welcome proposals to reimagine the area around Tropicana Field, for 30 days. Troy Simpson, president of Delray Beach-based Kolter’s mixed-use division, emailed council members and the city’s procurement department Wednesday to request 90 days.
The receipt of two recent unsolicited proposals did not trigger the process, despite conflicting reports. State law requires local governments to provide at least 30 days’ notice before entering into “any contract to sell, lease, or otherwise transfer real property” within a Community Redevelopment Area.
Providing a much shorter window, compared to the previous two Trop site requests for proposals (RFP), sparked online discourse. Simpson echoed some of those sentiments in his brief email.
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“A proposal for a project of this significance warrants more than 30 days to evaluate and prepare,” Simpson wrote. “As a consideration for St. Pete to attract a development team prepared to deliver a world-class project, we ask that (the) invitation window be extended.”
Kolter has built three luxury condo towers downtown: ONE St. Petersburg, Saltaire and Art House. City council members unanimously approved a land use change Oct. 16 that allows the firm to build up to 776 housing units at St. Petersburg College’s Allstate campus.
‘Let’s move the needle’
Former Mayor Rick Kriseman opened a six-month RFP process in July 2020, eventually selecting Midtown Development. Welch provided a 90-day window when starting anew in September 2022.
The Tampa Bay Rays and global development firm Hines walked away from that $6.5 billion redevelopment deal in March after over two years of negotiations. ARK Investment Management, Ellison Development and Horus Construction submitted a $6.8 billion vision for a new, similarly-termed “world-class” project Oct. 3.
“From my standpoint, this land has been sitting and continues to sit,” Council Chair Copley Gerdes told the Catalyst. “Every day counts for the people who are counting on us to fulfill the promises on that piece of land.”
Tuesday’s announcement stated that the city is acting pursuant to Florida Statute 163.380, which regulates the disposal of property in a community redevelopment area acquired through eminent domain. An unsolicited proposal received in March did not trigger the same – or any – response.
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“Public notice allowing an opportunity for competing or alternative proposals from private developers or other interested parties for the lease, purchase or development of all or a portion of the Historic Gas Plant District property” is not an RFP or a solicitation. It is a state requirement before selling the land.
“I understand that’s a hard timeline – thirty days is a short period of time in the development world,” Gerdes said. “But we’ve got a responsibility to move both intentionally and quickly.”
Welch has repeatedly pledged to do just that since the Rays walked away from the previous agreement. The self-described “child of the Gas Plant” witnessed the displacement of his and thousands of other Black families in the name of economic progress over 40 years ago.
“Honoring the promises made to our community, including the residents of the Historic Gas Plant District, has been a top priority of my administration, and we continue to explore ways to pursue impactful outcomes that reflect the needs and aspirations of our residents,” he said in the announcement.
The public notice period should, and seemingly has, put pressure on developers who have sat on the sidelines since the first RFP in July 2020 or in the seven months since the previous deal died.
They also have over 30 days to prepare a proposal. The mayoral administration provided a nearly month-long heads up that it planned to issue the 30-day notice.
Gerdes reiterated his belief that the administration wants to ensure “there’s movement for some of the things that, I think, the community expects and has been promised.”
“Even if we can deliver on some of those sooner rather than later, let’s move the needle,” Gerdes added. “Because the needle hasn’t been moved in 40 years.”
Negotiations with a selected developer should move expeditiously, as there are no stadium agreements or associated funding sources to consider. Pinellas County and Major League Baseball are no longer involved.
“My expectation is that the city is able to move through negotiations faster, and the development is able to start sooner,” Gerdes said.
