ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Fans of the Tampa Bay Rays may be about to breathe a collective sigh of relief as a deal appears to be ready for a new stadium for the team in St. Petersburg.
The team hasn't confirmed a deal is in place, but the team's website reported on the probable agreement Monday afternoon. More information is expected to be released by the team at a full press conference Tuesday.
“What we need to do to keep the Rays in Tampa Bay has always been the issue," said Michael Lortz.
The deal ends years of squabbling over a new stadium. Rays owner Stu Sternberg threatened to move the team if he didn't receive a new stadium deal from either St. Petersburg or Tampa.
“We didn’t want to do the sister city thing. We didn’t want to lose them to Nashville or Montreal or Las Vegas or wherever else,” said Lortz.
With the new deal apparently in place, it should ensure the Rays will be in the region for the next 30 years.
The new stadium deal was needed because the lease on Tropicana Field was expiring in 2027. Without a deal in place, Sternberg appeared ready to move the team to a new city if one could be found and agreed upon by MLB.
According to the team's website, the stadium "would be built on the redeveloped Tropicana Field site, an 86-acre area known as the Historic Gas Plant District, and serve as the Rays' home ballpark beginning in 2028.
The Rays' proposal featured an approximately 30,000-seat ballpark with a fixed roof, turf field, operable walls, and a pavilion design with a cost of $1.2 billion, the Rays website reported.
St. Pete Mayor Ken Welch announced in January that he chose Hines & Tampa Bay Rays redevelopment proposal for the historic Gas Plant District, which includes Tropicana Field.
"I thought the Hines Rays proposal was more practical. That their capacity was better and would help us to actually get the project done," Mayor Welch said.
Hines, joined with the Tampa Bay Rays franchise, is proposing to make 23% of the project housing affordable, with 859 units on-site and a $15 million investment in off-site programs for homeownership and rental assistance.
“Development also creates an opportunity for neighborhoods to become neighbors around the department itself to become more expensive. And what we're trying to do is stem that tide,” said Buwa Binitie, the founder and CEO of Dantes Partners, who is heading the affordable housing element of the Hines & Tampa Bay Rays project proposal.
With the stadium deal in place and the Rays ready for another playoff run, Rays fans couldn't ask for a better season.
