Midtown Development of Miami released renderings of its proposed redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site.
Courtesy of Midtown Development of Miami
By Max Steele
Following years of discussion, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman announced that he has chosen Midtown Development of Miami to redevelop the 86-acre site that the Tampa Bay Rays’ Tropicana Field currently sits on.
The downtown site has seen controversy since its creation, as it was originally built atop a historic Black neighborhood and has since yielded relatively little financial success due to low attendance at Rays’ games.
Midtown’s redevelopment plans, coined “Creekside,” include thousands of housing units, office space, retail shops, parks, open walkways, designated areas for artists, and a 510-room hotel.
Midtown estimates that Creekside will cost anywhere from $2.7 to $3.8 billion with construction taking place between 2023 and 2048.
Midtown’s plans vary depending on whether or not the Rays remain in St. Petersburg. On Dec. 7, Rays owner Stu Sternberg met with Tampa Mayor Jane Castor to formally propose a move to Ybor City.
The move would free up nearly 26 acres of the downtown site, allowing Midtown to build more infrastructure. If the team decides to stay, Midtown has proposed building a new, state-of-the-art stadium located between Booker Creek and 16th Street.
Midtown has pledged to reconnect south St. Petersburg to the site and aims to desegregate the neighborhoods within the development. The developers also plan to build Heritage Trail, a commemorative walkway with memorials and monuments that emphasize Black history.
With newly elected Mayor Ken Welch inaugurated on Jan. 6, 2022, the redevelopment plans won’t move forward until they are fully approved by both Welch and the St. Petersburg City Council.
“As mayor, I plan to put the same amount of effort [as Kriseman] in evaluating those plans, as well as new ideas and moving forward with a version that capitalizes on St. Petersburg’s incredible momentum and reconnects our community,” Welch said.
Only time will tell what will become of the Tropicana Field site, but with seemingly endless ideas and a prevailing desire to expand, St. Petersburg will only continue to innovate and evolve.
