YBOR CITY, Fla. — In the face of celebration in St. Petersburg Tuesday, we found a sense of reflection in Tampa.
This comes after the Ybor City community was passed up as a possible home for the Tampa Bay Rays.
"I'm happy for St. Petersburg," said Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. "We clearly wanted them here in Tampa, but they've made the business decision to keep them over there, and as I've said, all of our professional teams are Tampa Bay, so it's good to have the Rays here."
And mixed with that reflection was also a relief for some, like Ybor City historian Joe Howden.
"I'm very pro-development. I just wasn't pro-stadium," said Howden. "What the stadium would have represented for us is a huge increase in traffic, a huge increase in problems dealing with the neighborhood."
Both the mayor and Howden tell ABC Action News they're looking forward to the area's future, including the completion of the Gas Worx development, a Brightline station, and the possibility of other professional sports teams coming to town.
"As a former athlete, any pro teams we can bring to our city, I'm all for it," said Mayor Castor.
But Howden adds that he hopes any new development will keep the history and culture of the community in mind.
"I feel strongly that Ybor City should be defined as a landmark historic district, obviously retail, entertainment and residential, all mixed together. But to try and turn Ybor into something it's not, I have always thought that was a mistake," he said.
