St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch seeks input on Tropicana Field’s future

Community leaders and city staff encouraged over 100 residents to “let (their) imagination run wild” as they discussed the future of Tropicana Field at the mayor’s first community conversation Tuesday.

But throughout the evening, public speakers often returned to unfulfilled promises of prosperity made to Black residents of the historic Gas Plant neighborhood who were displaced for the stadium’s construction nearly 40 years ago. At the forefront of the discussion — ensuring the redevelopment includes lots of affordable housing and job opportunities.

Tuesday’s event at the Center for Health Equity, the first of three public forums, comes after Mayor Ken Welch announced he would be restarting the redevelopment process for Tropicana Field. He has said that, since the initial request for proposals in 2020, the economic fallout of the pandemic and an affordable housing crisis “warrant a fresh look.” Welch also said proposals must include a baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.

The mayor has previously said he is looking for proposals that prioritize affordable housing.

“It’s important that we not lose track of the impact of housing and price increases,” Welch said Tuesday night.

Welch, whose family was displaced by the stadium’s construction, said he was also looking for “tangible and sustainable” ways to honor the displaced Gas Plant community.

“They’re all over south and west St. Pete. So to me, the question is, how do you build programs that help support those folk and their descendants, wherever they are,” Welch said.

Community leaders and city staff discussed three priorities of the redevelopment: housing, business and workforce opportunities, and recreational and arts and cultural amenities.

Brian Caper, the city’s manager of public-private partnerships, presented ballparks in the nation that could serve as inspiration for redevelopment, including Wrigley Field in Chicago and Petco Park in San Diego. A mixed-use development could include retail shops, entertainment options, pedestrian walkways, public transportation and offices.

“It’s a place that you want to be not only on game day, but all year round,” Caper said.

Participants were then split into smaller groups to discuss what they envisioned for the 86-acre property.

Janice Kicklighter, 66, a lifelong St. Petersburg resident, said she remembers what the Gas Plant neighborhood looked like decades ago — the church, the barber shop, the dry cleaner. When fruit ripened in the community garden, she said, everyone shared it.

The city’s promises at the time of Tropicana Field’s construction included more affordable housing, more jobs, and “pretty much what we already had, but better,” she said. Now, when Kicklighter passes Tropicana Field and looks at the empty parking lots, she thinks about the lost community and the city’s unkept promises.

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Kicklighter said she hoped the mayor would prioritize housing for low-income and elderly people and do right by displaced families and their descendants.

“I believe it’s finally going to happen,” Kicklighter said.

The next community conversations are at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday at St. Petersburg College/Gibbs Campus and July 28 at 5:30 p.m. at the University of Florida St. Petersburg. The last conversation will offer a virtual component.

The city plans to hold more public forums after the request for proposals is developed in the coming weeks. The public can also submit comments online.