Tampa Bay Rays/Hines proposes affordable housing near Tropicana Field
By Breanne Williams
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Nov 9, 2023

The Tampa Bay Rays and Houston-based development firm Hines have submitted an unsolicited bid to St. Petersburg to develop affordable housing near Tropicana Field.

The team, known as the Hines Historic Gas Plant Partnership, has offered to lease the 0.58-acre site located at 1659 Third Ave. S from the city to build a minimum of 80 affordable for-rent units and 2,500 square feet of retail and surface parking.

Michael Harrison, senior managing director for Hines, wrote in an Oct. 11 letter to the city this project will be a part of its “robust Intentional Equity commitments” for the Historic Gas Plant District (HGPD).

The project will be built in a single phase and the proposal says the developer will “make commercially reasonable efforts to commence project construction from 2025-2027.”

The team is currently in negotiations with the city to develop the 86-acre HGPD, which is home to Tropicana Field. As part of its proposal for the HGPD the team promised $50 million in “intentional equity commitments,” including $15 million for affordable housing, $10 million for a new Woodson African American Museum and $5.5 million for education programming.

Off-site affordable housing is included in the developers' proposal to redevelop the 86-acre Trop property.

“The Tampa Bay Rays and Hines organizations place great emphasis on supporting equity and growing the participation of S/W/MBE (small business enterprise, women-owned business enterprise and minority-owned business enterprise), and, if awarded the opportunity, it will benefit from our HGPD master plan, and our district-wide commitments for the HGPD are to intentional equity and diverse workforce,” the proposal read.

The unsolicited proposal for the site near the Trop shows the team is asking for a 99-year ground lease with rent at $1 per year for the full term.

The proposal has triggered an open process for other developers to offer to develop the site. Proposals are due by 10 a.m. on November 28.