Inside St. Pete mayor's reported Tropicana Field redevelopment picks
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A rendering of the Historic Gas Plant District envisioned by Blake Investment Partners. Image: Courtesy of Zyscovich and Wannemacher Jensen Architects
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch selected Blake Investment Partners to redevelop Tropicana Field, several news outlets reported.
Why it matters: It's a major step forward for the city's most consequential piece of land and for Welch's campaign promise to remake the Historic Gas Plant District.
- But the issue is far from settled. Any plans are subject to City Council approval, and the results of the upcoming mayoral election could upend the process.
Zoom in: Blake's proposal, called The Burg Bid, offers the city $275 million in cash for 58 acres of the Trop site. That's the highest offer of his competitors, and the city would retain ownership of about a third of the land.
- The proposal includes plans to build more than 3,600 income-restricted housing units, with half planned for the district and the remaining units scattered throughout the city.
- A 13-acre park would be named after a Gas Plant descendant and feature a "Museum Row" anchored by the Woodson African American Museum of Florida. Local artists Chad Mize and Mark Aeling would lead a nearby Museum of Public Art.
- The proposal also calls for hotels, a small business incubator and a workforce training center, plus a Legacy Link walking trail that would connect The Deuces to downtown.
Along with the Blake bid, Welch also selected a pitch from the Pinellas County Housing Authority to build 80 affordable apartments for seniors on a half-acre of the 86-acre property, the Tampa Bay Times reported.
Between the lines: City spokesperson Samantha Bequer did not confirm the mayor's picks to Axios or other media. City Council members either did not respond or declined to comment to Axios.
- Thompson Whitney Blake, the St. Pete native and investor who spearheaded the Blake Investment Partners proposal, also did not return requests for comment.
The intrigue: Peter Schorsch, a local political operative and the publisher of FloridaPolitics.com, scooped Welch's announcement Tuesday night at a City Council candidate forum organized by Suncoast Tiger Bay.
- Schorsch's wife, Michelle Todd Schorsch, is managing the mayoral campaign of one of Welch's opponents, former Gov. and U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist.
What's next: Welch is set to announce his selections at a news conference at 9am Thursday at Campbell Park. It will be livestreamed on the city's Facebook page.
- Welch's picks will be vetted by the Community Benefits Advisory Council, a resident panel that will hold two meetings in July, including one open to the public to offer feedback.
- Welch will then begin negotiating the terms of the project, which will go before the City Council for approval.