After months of evaluating proposals and gathering public feedback, St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch will soon select the developer, or developers, who will help shape the future of the Historic Gas Plant District.
According to Samantha Bequer, a spokesperson for the City of St. Petersburg, Welch is expected to announce his selection shortly after the Fourth of July holiday. The decision marks the next major milestone in one of the city’s most ambitious redevelopment efforts.
The nearly 100-acre Historic Gas Plant District encompasses roughly 15% of downtown St. Petersburg, making it one of the city’s largest redevelopment opportunities.
Long before it became the site of Tropicana Field, the Historic Gas Plant District was one of St. Petersburg’s oldest African American neighborhoods. Established in the late 19th century, it grew into a thriving community of homes, churches, schools, and Black-owned businesses despite the challenges of segregation.
The neighborhood was permanently altered by the construction of Interstate 175, which displaced residents and divided the community. Hundreds more families and businesses were relocated in the 1980s when the city cleared the site for what became Tropicana Field.
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When the city reopened the redevelopment process earlier this year, Welch said the effort reflects his administration’s broader “JHOP” initiative, which stands for Jobs, Housing, Economic Opportunity and Honoring the Promises.
“This redevelopment process is ultimately about people and progress,” Welch previously told the Catalyst. “When I was elected mayor, I made a commitment to honor the history and fulfill the promises of the Historic Gas Plant District; and I intend to keep my word.”
The Historic Gas Plant District has been the focus of multiple redevelopment efforts over the past two decades, none of which ultimately came to fruition.
In 2008, the Tampa Bay Rays unveiled plans for a new waterfront ballpark at Al Lang Stadium, with redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site intended to help finance the project. Those plans unraveled during the global financial crisis.
The city launched another redevelopment effort in 2020, seeking proposals for the 86-acre site. Officials later halted that process as economic conditions changed and priorities shifted toward affordable housing and equitable redevelopment.
In 2022, the city selected a $6.5 billion proposal led by the Rays and development firm Hines to transform the district into a mixed-use neighborhood anchored by a new stadium. After years of negotiations, that agreement collapsed last year following uncertainty surrounding the Rays and the team’s decision to withdraw from the deal.
Unlike previous redevelopment efforts, the city now controls the redevelopment parcels, allowing officials to move forward independently of the Rays.
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Welch has also emphasized that no final decision will be made until the administration has reviewed public feedback, previous studies and the strengths and weaknesses analysis of each proposal.
Although each proposal includes a mix of housing, commercial development and public space, they differ in how they envision the district’s future.
Foundation Vision Partners proposes a phased redevelopment in which the city would retain ownership of the land, with roads, utilities, and other public infrastructure built before individual parcels are developed over time. The plan envisions a mix of housing, commercial space, hotels, entertainment venues and parks.
ARK Ellison Horus proposes a mixed-use district centered on housing, research, and technology, pairing residential development with an innovation campus, office space, hotels, retail, entertainment venues and an expanded Woodson African American Museum of Florida.
The Burg Bid proposes a mixed-use neighborhood centered on housing, parks and cultural destinations. Its plan includes affordable and workforce housing, retail, hotels, museums, and a central park while reconnecting the surrounding street grid.
The Pinellas County Housing Authority proposal differs from the others by focusing on a single city-owned parcel rather than the broader district. It calls for an affordable senior housing development with preference given to former Gas Plant residents.
Welch’s selection will not conclude the redevelopment process. After the mayor announces his decision, the proposal will move to the Community Benefits Advisory Council for review before city staff negotiates a term sheet and development agreement. Any final agreement will require City Council approval.
Bequer said the city is targeting final approvals and a groundbreaking around the summer of 2027 if the process stays on schedule.
“We’ll announce it, and then we’ll start the Community Benefits Advisory Council committee process,” Bequer said. “This is basically just the next step in the redevelopment process.”
This content provided in partnership with StPeteCatalyst.com
