Here is Midtown Development’s vision for the future of Tropicana Field
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Dec 10, 2021

St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman’s selection of Miami-based Midtown Development to redevelop the Tropicana Field site has set the pieces on the board to begin a game that will take years, if not decades, to complete.

Kriseman called the 86-acre Trop redevelopment a “generational project” and said his selection will be something that future mayors and city council members will have confidence in. One big question surrounding the development is will the Tampa Bay Rays stay in St. Pete or go once their lease on the city-owned stadium ends in 2027. Midtown has a vision for both scenarios drafted.

There are still many steps ahead before the redevelopment becomes a reality. When Mayor-elect Ken Welch comes into office in January as the city’s first-ever Black mayor, he will review the proposal and decide where he stands on the plan.

Welch’s roots in the area run deep. He grew up in the Gas Plant neighborhood, his church was demolished to make room for Tropicana Field and he had his first job at hisgrandfather's woodyard business before it was displaced when the interstate was built.

“Mayor Kriseman has worked hard to develop thoughtful and promising plans for the future of the Tropicana Field site,” Welch said in a release following Kriseman’s selection of Midtown. “As mayor, I plan to put the same amount of effort 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.''

The next steps include creating a term sheet with the developer and then a development agreement will need to be formed. Once an agreement is made the city council — which has three new members coming in next term — must approve the agreement before it can move forward.

The proposal from Midtown includes 6,000 to 8,000 residential units — at least 1,000 of which would be for affordable and workforce housing. There is a 510-room hotel pitched, a 50,000-square-foot conference center, 36 acres of “public realm” space, 100,000 square feet of spec office space and 3.3 million to 3.95 million square feet of indoor/outdoor office space.

An interesting aspect of the proposal is to include 300,000 to 400,000 square feet of art and cultural spaces. The company intends to do something similar to its 62-acre Midtown Miami project at the former Buena Vista Rail Yard by having areas set aside specifically for artists and entrepreneurs.

Currently, the proposal includes demolishing a part of Interstate 175, which is adjacent to the property, to aid in connection to the Creekside development it wants to build on the site. While a study is underway to examine the impact of removing part or all of I-175, nothing solid is in the works. Welch has voiced his concerns of supporting that suggestion without further analysis on the impact it would have on response times for EMS.

Alex Vadia, who leads Midtown Development, said they are planning for this to be a long-term investment. He said Midtown is prepared for the real estate market to go through “a couple of cycles on this project” and aims to plant the seed now knowing the value that will come in time.