ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The massive, transformative redevelopment of the historic Gas Plant District in St. Petersburg is one step closer to reality.
During a Thursday night meeting, a slim majority of St. Pete City Council members voted to approve a series of agreements the redevelopment project will need to move forward.
People like St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce President/CEO Chris Steinocher couldn’t be happier.
“My heart is filled with gratitude today,” he said to council during the meeting.
Steinocher and others say the plan to redevelop the city’s historic Gas Plant District will be a catalyst for economic growth, new jobs, and immense benefits to the people of St. Pete.
The more than $6 billion project will include a $1.3 billion stadium, which will serve as the new home for the Tampa Bay Rays.
“What we didn’t realize is we would get the largest economic development project in the Southeast,” Steinocher added Thursday.
The redevelopment plan also calls for new housing, a portion of it affordable; space for offices, retail, and hotel rooms; an African American history museum; and more.
In the Thursday night meeting, council members voted 5-to-3 on the project’s vest and redeveloping agreements. A second and final vote is scheduled for July 11 but could be delayed if council members fail to receive the final agreement documents in time.
The plan, however, is not without its critics. Some still feel it’s not worth the investment from city taxpayers.
“I do not support progress at the sake of the people,” Jabaar Edmond told council members during the Thursday meeting.
For the stadium alone, the City of St. Pete would chip in $287.5 million of the cost.
“How are we giving all this money, you know, when we have people right out here just a couple blocks away over at Mirror Lake every night?” added William Kilgore with the St. Petersburg Tenants Union. “Public money needs to be used on public needs.”
One by one, community activists and others implored council members to pump the brakes and make sure the deal is the best deal for the city.
Council members like Lisset Hanewicz agreed. She argued more time is needed to vet the deal.
“It is a rushed process, and for that, I’m voting no,” she told her council colleagues.
Nevertheless, a majority of council members voted to advance the redevelopment plan.
