Rays president talks baseball

Read Aaron Sharockman's interview with Matt Silverman from Sunday's newspaper.

Sarasota/St. Petersburg and Red Sox/Rays

Read this story from Sarasota and then replace Sarasota with St. Petersburg and Red Sox with Rays. It's kind of fun.

New stadium? Karl Nurse says no.

With the November referendum no longer an issue, it seems like nearly every local politician came out in support of a new stadium for the Rays this week.

But City Council Member Karl Nurse is not jumping on that bandwagon.

"Winning cures a whole lot of problems," he said while chatting about the stadium with a reporter. "The premise is they needed a new stadium to attract the fans, and they are proving that is not true."

Chamber's bullish report comes a day late for Rays

The day after the Tampa Bay Rays pulled the plug on plans for a waterfront stadium, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce offered a largely bullish report on the Rays’ now-defunct proposal.

Chamber officials, who had been reviewing the Rays’ proposal for months, did not come as far as endorsing the idea of a waterfront stadium on Thursday. The Rays’ change of plans meant the business community didn’t have to take a formal position.

But chamber officials and members of the group’s task force on baseball mostly supported the prospects of a downtown waterfront stadium.

A ballpark at Al Lang Field would cost less and potentially offer more, said Steve Raymund, the Tech Data chairman and head of the chamber’s baseball task force.

“One thing you can say about the waterfront, like it or hate it, you were going to leverage a lot of in place infrastructure,” Raymund said.

What they're saying

“I was excited about it and I think everybody was so it’s a little disappointing. We were looking forward to it. . . . It was something to get excited about. But we can deal with the turf. We’ve been playing on it for so long at the Trop, we’ve done good in the Trop. We just have to keep playing in the Trop and see what happens after that. Hopefully something will come up.” - Carl Crawford, longest tenured member of the Rays

On the Rays' announcement

Shelton: "Eventually, this will be about a building a ballpark, or it will be about losing a ball club. Me? I say they get it built. Near Toytown. By opening day, 2013. With a retractable roof. And, as happened with Miami's new stadium, without a vote."

Times ed board: "The decision to abandon the November referendum on a new waterfront stadium sends two encouraging signals about Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg: 1) He is willing to listen; 2) He's not spoiling for a fight."

DRaysBay (Rays fan blog): "The stadium news coming down today seems to be the logical course of action. This has seemed rushed from the beginning, trying to go from intial plans and presentation to having everything basically finalized within a year. That's a pretty short time considering the various approvals needed to go forward with it and the brief timeframe plays into the hands of groups like POWW using fear-mongering tactics to sway people to their side while presenting little in the way of actual facts."

St. Pete POWW: "We may have won the battle but that does not mean we have won the war.   Please do not get complacent about the Rays decision to not ask City Council to put this to a vote this November.  Until our waterfront is no longer under attack, and our purse strings are not being pulled in all directions, we must keep vigilant and keep working to preserve our wallets and waterfront.  Don't rush to get rid of your red signs -- keep them in your yard."

Fans For Waterfront Stadium: "There is VERY GOOD news that is coming out of this announcement.  Elected officials and business leaders acknowledge that the Rays need a new ballpark and are very committed to working with the Rays to find alternative locations.  In addition, they recognize the need to do it in the short-term."

Field of Schemes: "As for whether the team will stick with its proposal for a waterfront stadium with a fabric roof, paid for in part by a land swap for the site of their current home, the Tropicana Dome, newly anointed coalition leader (and Progress Energy president) Jeff Lyash said, "I think the waterfront stadium is a viable option. I wouldn't foreclose that as an option going forward just because I think what we want to do is step back very broadly and try to identify all the possibilities." In other words: We're open to anything we think we can win a vote with."

The Sports Economist: "It appears the decision has earned the team a good deal of goodwill as groups across the area have signed on in support of a broad search for a suitable site for a new facility."

Näkemiin (Goodbye) Ballpark Frankness

I wanted to let everyone also know that starting Saturday I'm off for three weeks for summer vacation. I'm heading to Europe (starting in Finland). In the meantime, the plan as of this a.m. is to keep Ballpark Frankness alive. Cristina will be your primary host, but hopefully other folks we'll be popping in from time to time. Our game plan is a little bit different now, with the Rays' news yesterday and all, but we think we can keep this blog cooking.

Let me or Cristina know if you have any ideas as we enter this next phase of the stadium discussion.

Heatcheck: Week 9

I've decided, for now, to keep Heatcheck Wednesday alive (though this week's installment comes a day late).

Week 9 of Heatcheck Wednesday, a permanent feature here at Ballpark Frankness. The idea behind this post is to track the past week's Rays home games and wonder how tolerable they would have been, had they been played outdoors.

Five home games since last Wednesday. Temperature was never really a problem. But rain was. We had heavy rains most all day Saturday (though actually the rain stopped around game time) and Sunday as well.

So after 43 homes games, 53 percent of the home schedule, here are our up-to-date standings:

How you feeling? Hot. Hot. Hot. ---- 1

Hot, but nothing a cold beverage couldn't cure. ---- 5

Take me out the ball game. ---- 37

Rain delay (Rain plays a minor factor) ---- 2

Rain out (Rain plays a major factor) ---- 1

What a Wednesday

How's everyone holding up?

Unless you've been living in a cave, you know by now that the Tampa Bay Rays trashed their waterfront stadium plans on Wednesday in favor of the creation of a community task force created in part to help the Rays find a new stadium.

We also know Progress Energy CEO Jeff Lyash will chair the group, but other members haven't been decided yet, and to be honest, we don't know who will be doing the picking. It doesn't sound like it will be the Rays.

So where do we go from here?  Who knows. I will tell you the St. Pete Chamber is coming to the Times today to talk about the results of its baseball committee. We'll also today try to start poking around to see who's going to be on this baseball coalition.

Where else?

Rays postpone stadium plans
Now that a November vote is off, what sites should the Rays consider for a ballpark?
New stadium at the Trop
Waterfront
Toytown
St. Petersburg/Clearwater Airport
Tampa

Stadium Plan Delayed Indefinitely

Tampa Bay Rays president Matt Silverman talks with reporters at a press conference at the Valpak facility near Gandy Blvd. [Edmund D. Fountain, Times]

UPDATE (3:38) The conference just finished. Bay News 9 ended up not airing it live.

Rays President Matt Silverman is on TV now: "We are withdrawing our proposal and we will no longer be seeking a November referendum on a waterfront ballpark."

Why?

"There has not been sufficient support for the timelime that we put forth."

It is up to the community now to decide what to do about the stadium, Silverman says.

"Our discussion has brought us together despite our differences on many points...Today the Rays are passing the torch to the community and a new coalition."

"We are very optimistic that with the work of this community coalition that a plan will come together to keep Major League Baseball in St. Pete for years to come."

UPDATE (4 p.m.) Mayor Rick Baker is on TV now. He is praising the Rays' commitment to St. Petersburg.

Jeff Lyash, CEO of Progress Energy, will head up the community coalition on the stadium.

UPDATE ( 4:07) Lyash says he is excited to be involved.

"I have watched and listened and participated in the debate on the waterfront stadium over the last few months...I have been most impressed by the common ground that exists between all parties."

Lyash says the community needs to "step up its game" and support the Rays.

UPDATE (4:30) The Rays stadium proposal has been delayed indefinitely, not until 2010 as some elected officials said earlier today. Lyash's coalition will work to develop a new timeline.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

County Commissioner Duncan chimes in

This email just came in:

Statement from Pinellas County Commissioner Ronnie E. Duncan

Re: Tampa Bay Rays

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

I apologize that I am not able to attend the press conference today. Unfortunately I have travel and speaking commitments in South Florida. But I did want to speak to your statements today and to my thoughts on the Rays franchise in Pinellas County.

A baseball franchise is more than simply a team on a field, playing almost daily to maintain their standing and move the club forward in the national standings. While winning is important to maintain the fan base - and you all have invested in players, in the structure and in the community to achieve this level of play - being a part of the community and region in which the team plays is paramount.

The club draws interest and attention to the community and the region. To the rest of the world, the team ensures that St. Petersburg, Pinellas County and Tampa Bay are mentioned daily if not more often. That recognition results in economic development and job creation. It is a known fact that corporate relocation specialists seek out sport franchise operations as one of several criteria for their clients.

The team and its opponents do draw tourists to our region. As a young ball club, the team following is growing in depth. But many come to our area to see their opposition - the ball club that they grew up with in their home communities in other parts of the country. That adds jobs and creates revenues to businesses - as well as once again exposing the beaches and the golden nuggets of tourism to many many more.

And to those baseball fans in our region, the Rays adds to the quality of life that we value so highly. While an intangible factor, people know it when they feel and see it - and the Rays is just that!

I applaud the Rays' management and ownership for their decision to seek other opportunities in our region and will work, as a County Commissioner, to insure that their objectives are met in a manner that mitigate and address the objections of our community and environment. The franchise has worked closely with the community and I know that they will continue to involve the public in this renewed initiative. Their decision to work with this Pinellas County community speaks volumes for their credibility and their commitment to the quality of life that we hold so dear.

-Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

Talk is flying fast and furious now...

In the past couple of hours we've heard that the Rays may in fact be delaying a potential referendum indefinitely, not just until 2010. Apparently, this may be to accommodate a full examination of all potential locations.

We've also heard two credible sources say two different things regarding the waterfront location. One said the Rays today will say the waterfront site is off the table. The other says they won't.

I guess we'll find out in about 2 1/2 hours.

UPDATE: The Chamber of Commerce's baseball task force apparently this afternoon also is meeting at Valpak, and that's why the Rays chose it as a site.

From the Rays PR desk

WHAT:  The Rays will make a major announcement regarding the proposed ballpark.

WHEN:   Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 3:30 p.m.

WHERE:   Valpak, One Valpak Avenue North, St. Petersburg, 33716.

UPDATE: Our partners at Bay News 9 say they are planning to carry the press conference live.

Rays a no-show at this morning's Big C meeting

Rays senior vp Michael Kalt was expected to give a presentation to a group of beach community governments this morning. He didn't attend.

At this morning's meeting, Indian Shores Mayor Jim Lawrence said Kalt called him yesterday at 2 p.m. to cancel an appearance before the council today.

"It didn't upset me. It certainly surprised me," Lawrence said. "As we talked, it became clear that the Rays had other plans, other considerations, that are afoot right now and he (Kalt) didn't want to answer questions publicly."

-- Cristina Silva, Times Staff Writer

It's 9 a.m. Here's what I know

Here's what I'm hearing:

• The city is preparing to announce the creation of some type of committee to explore potential locations for a new stadium. Progress Energy boss Jeff Lyash may be named the chair.
• The Archstone bid may be not for nothing. It is entirely possible and in fact likely, that the city will still continue to pursue both a full and partial redevelopment (with a new stadium) of Tropicana Field. (There is no real legal recourse for the developers, by the way).
• The debate most likely will turn with what to do with Al Lang. As you may remember, the City Council was pretty clear in saying it's not going to let the electorate make land use planning decisions for the city. The city has said it would perform a visioning process for that site.
• On a referendum, a stadium not on the waterfront will not require a referendum. Before the Rays announced their plans for a waterfront ballpark, every public official I spoke with said any new ballpark plan would have to be approved by referendum. In the last month or so, everyone's talk became much more muddled.
• The new stadium will now likely fall to the next mayor, not Rick Baker. If Kathleen Ford (who said she's not running) would become mayor, that's really bad news for the Rays. The team's new best friends may be Bill Foster, Jamie Bennett, Ken Welch or anyone else who seems interested in helping the Rays get a new stadium --- but under the "right" circumstances.

Rays to announce delay of possible stadium vote

The Tampa Bay Rays may soon abandon their push for a November referendum to build a $450-million waterfront stadium.

An announcement could come as early as Wednesday, city and county officials with knowledge of the Rays’ plan told the St. Petersburg Times. The Rays have contemplated delaying a vote on the stadium until 2010.

The team is “considering a change of direction,” said Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch. “I’m just glad from the county’s perspective that folks are not talking about forcing a November referendum.”

Rays executives did not return calls for comment on Tuesday, and team officials denied as late as Monday the possibility of pushing back the referendum. Senior vice president Michael Kalt was scheduled to make a stadium presentation to a coalition of beach communities Wednesday morning.

News of a delay, if true, would slow down a process that city and county leaders from the beginning said was moving too quickly. The Rays announced their proposal to build a 34,000-seat ballpark at the site of Al Lang Field on Nov. 28.

No one the Times spoke with on Tuesday expected the Rays to halt their quest for a new ballpark, or even one on the waterfront. But the extra time would allow the city and county to possibly consider alternative locations for a new stadium.

“It’s fairly obvious this process needs to slow down,” said Welch, who spoke with Rays president Matt Silverman this week about delaying a citywide vote on the stadium plan.

Mayor Rick Baker, who knows of the Rays’ plans, officials say, did not return calls for comment.

Members of the St. Petersburg City Council were unaware of a possible delay. “If the rumor is in fact true, I am pleased to hear it,” said City Council member Herb Polson.

City Council member Jeff Danner said he heard the Rays were preparing to make a big announcement, but he did not know what it was.

From the beginning, the Rays argued for a 2008 referendum to capitalize off the high voter turnout associated with a presidential campaign.

Quietly, team officials believed that a broader electorate might help the Rays. They also said the project cost would likely escalate if a vote was pushed back because of the rising price of steel and concrete.

But city and county leaders consistently have argued for a possible “Plan B.” Former City Council member and likely mayoral candidate Bill Foster became the latest to advocate a more protracted approach last week, when he suggested forming a baseball blue ribbon committee.

St. Petersburg’s Council of Neighborhood Associations, which opposes a November referendum, also has asked the team and city to slow down their plans.

A referendum of St. Petersburg voters is required because the Rays are seeking to lease waterfront property for the new ballpark. A non-waterfront location would not require a citywide vote, though city officials could insist on one anyway.

Plan B: What is it?

So, anyone who's been to the blog recently has noticed much of the discussion is surrounding a Plan B for the Rays. So the question is, what is that?

Former City Council member Bill Foster and CONA offered one template -- to form a "blue ribbon" panel to come up with a viable alternative. It seems plausible. But it may just be a waste of time if you believe the St. Petersburg Times/Bay News 9 poll from earlier this month.

If you remember, when voters were asked if they would be willing to extend the tax payments at Tropicana Field to pay for a new stadium if it did increase your taxes, 59 percent said "No." And when asked what your biggest one or two concerns is surrounding the new stadium, 56 percent of voters said "The cost to taxpayers." Actually, among the six options we listed, "Waterfront Location" finished last with only 11 percent.

So what does that all mean? If you believe the numbers, there are only two viable options. The Rays stay at Tropicana Field. Or the Rays pay for a new stadium entirely themselves.

But here's the rub. Maybe none of that would matter. As you might know, the reason the city is contemplating a referendum in November is because of the waterfront location of the proposed stadium. If the stadium were to be built at the Trop or Toytown, a referendum would no longer be required.

Could the city get away without holding one?

And if it did, is there any likely outcome where the Rays get a new stadium?

Those are just two more of the questions to chew on as this process moves along.

Baseball chief needs to butt out

From the Times editorial board

Memo to baseball commissioner Bud Selig: Butt out.

Trop's price likely top issue in talks with developers

ST. PETERSBURG — Now that the city has picked a potential developer for Tropicana Field, negotiations will quickly turn to a key provision in the deal.

What is the Trop site worth?

The current offer of developers Archstone and Madison Marquette is $65-million. But that's $2-million to $3-million short of what the city wants in what would be St. Petersburg's biggest land deal ever.

The purchase price likely will be Topic A on Monday when the city and Archstone-Madison begin six weeks of talks on remaking the 86-acre site.

Failure to reach an agreement before August would doom the $1.65-billion downtown redevelopment, including the Tampa Bay Rays' plan for a $450-million waterfront ballpark.

"There's a gap we need to cover," city economic development director Dave Goodwin admits. "More money needs to be paid for the land. Or more money needs to be paid for the land sooner."

Sternberg talks stadium

Rays prinicpal owner Stuart Sternberg was at Tropicana Field for Saturday's game and talked a bit about the stadium situation. Here are some excerpts:

As for the new stadium issue?
"It's been touch-and-go obviously the last couple months. We continue to work really hard and probably have worked too hard on it for the last year, year-and-a-half. And it's still a work in progress.''

As for commissioner Bud Selig's comments that the Rays can't be successful at Tropicana Field?
"Bud has been extraordinarily supportive not just through the process of the stadium but everything we have been doing. He gives a lot of interviews and he speaks about a lot of things and he's been through 25 or 27 new stadium projects so specific to what we have going on here, I don't know that you want to take every word and hang on it. But we've spoken a great deal about it, he understands the situation and knows that we need to have something done within a period of time. I'm very happy with the building. The way the building is playing right now, you get 25,000, 30,000, 35,000 people in here, it's a nice place, a great facility for that. But long-term it doesn't give us the opportunity, mid-term and long-term, to sustain what it is we've begun to build here.''

So what would you do if it fails, and what is Plan B? "You don't throw good money after bad, whatever work and whatever money we've put into it to this point,  and I can sit here and tell you it's substantial, the money has been a quite a bit and most importantly, the organization and the amount of work a number of people have done, has been substantial. So you don't just keep throwing money after it, and more importantly, time and energy, just because of what you've done. As far as Plan B, you're looking at it. It always was. The nice thing is we have a Plan B. Our lease is not up, it's not raining in here. The humidity is fine. It's 72 degrees. We fortunately made the difficult decisions over the last few years to refurbish the place and put a lot of dough into it, because you always sort of need a Plan B.
But for how long? "At least five years and not 15. I'm probably down to at least four years and not 14 at this point. The building itself can't sustain the length of its lease (through 2027) just A) from an upkeep standard and B) what it would do for us to recharge the fan base in addition to what we're doing right now.''

- MARC TOPKIN

Poll of the Week: Was the City Council right?

Opinion Polls & Market Research

Who will the council pick? Hines or Archstone

Archstone has to be a heavy, heavy favorite, but stranger things have happened.

The City Council is expected to start their weekly meeting in a few minutes, and the Tropicana Field RFP question is pretty high up on the agenda. We know the folks from Archstone will be in the audience. We expect Hines will be represented here, too.

Keep checking back to see what happens.

UPDATE (3:05 p.m.) --- The meeting is just starting. Council member Jeff Danner is reading a proclamation recognizing St. Pete Pride. (For St. Petersburg regulars, the Pride proclamation is one of the very few, if only proclamation in the city that Mayor Rick Baker does not sign).

UPDATE (3:15 p.m.) -- Trop discussion just now getting underway. The city's lead negotiator, Rick Mussett, is on vacation. So economic development director Dave Goodwin is taking the mic. Mayor Rick Baker just also walked in.

UPDATE (3:35 p.m.) -- Council members are now launching into their questions for staff.

UPDATE (3:55 p.m.) -- City Council member Karl Nurse, praising the Archstone selection, and comparing it the failed developers of Bay Plaza: "The strength of Archstone group is like 25 times, 50 times stronger than the Bay Plaza group."

UPDATE (4:20 p.m.) -- The meeting, no offense, is turning into a pretty boring event. A camerawoman with channel 10 is sleeping the front row.

UPDATE (4:30 p.m.) -- Council selects Archstone-Madison 5-1. Herb Polson voted 'yes.' It was Leslie Curran who voted 'no.'

(City Council chairman Jamie Bennett is away on vacation, so vice chairman Jeff Danner is running the meeting).

-- Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer

Selig's tough Trop talk

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has only attended one game at Tropicana Field as far as anyone knows, and that was in June 2004, before all the improvements by the Stuart Sternberg-led ownership group.
But that didn't stop Selig from bashing the Trop, in his bid to push the importance of the new stadium, in an interview with ESPN's Howard Bryant, which is excerpted below. And the way Selig answered the St. Pete/Tampa question is interesting, especially since the Rays have a lease with St. Petersburg through 2027.

Tampa Bay has been the league's success story in the first half, but it has not translated to better attendance. What is your level of concern for the future of baseball in Tampa?
Look, they're really pushing on a new ballpark. I think if they can get it done, it will really help them, no question about it. They've got a good club. They've done a great job scouting and drafting. Their attendance is up 4,500, but it's not enough. They can't make it in that ballpark. Have you been there?

Many times.
Do I need to tell you any more than that? And so, they need a new stadium. The demographics of the Tampa-St. Pete area are good enough for baseball.

On the St. Pete side, though?
Well, they're going to have to make that judgment. If they can get rights … I know there are people who think it needs to be on the Tampa side, but I'm going to leave that to (principal owner) Stu Sternberg. If they can get a new ballpark built, yes, I think they can be a very successful franchise.

- MARC TOPKIN

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig has only attended one game at Tropicana Field as far as anyone knows, and that was in June 2004, before all the improvements by the Stuart Sternberg-led ownership group.
But that didn't stop Selig from bashing the Trop, in his bid to push the importance of the new stadium, in an interview with ESPN's Howard Bryant, which is excerpted below. And the way Selig answered the St. Pete/Tampa question is interesting, especially since the Rays have a lease with St. Petersburg through 2027.

Tampa Bay has been the league's success story in the first half, but it has not translated to better attendance. What is your level of concern for the future of baseball in Tampa?
Look, they're really pushing on a new ballpark. I think if they can get it done, it will really help them, no question about it. They've got a good club. They've done a great job scouting and drafting. Their attendance is up 4,500, but it's not enough. They can't make it in that ballpark. Have you been there?

Many times.
Do I need to tell you any more than that? And so, they need a new stadium. The demographics of the Tampa-St. Pete area are good enough for baseball.

On the St. Pete side, though?
Well, they're going to have to make that judgment. If they can get rights … I know there are people who think it needs to be on the Tampa side, but I'm going to leave that to (principal owner) Stu Sternberg. If they can get a new ballpark built, yes, I think they can be a very successful franchise.

- MARC TOPKIN

Ed Board: Look beyond fuzzy plans for Trop site

The business partnership that St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker has recommended negotiating with to develop the Tropicana Field site may offer an attractive blend of retail and residential expertise. But City Council members, who are being asked today to authorize negotiations with Archstone-Madison, should be wary of basing their decision on fuzzy artist renderings and big numbers. By the developer's own admission, those are subject to change.

The problem is that Baker's staff chose Archstone Smith and Madison Marquette primarily because the companies propose to build 5.4-million square feet of retail, residential and office buildings. As city administrator Rick Mussett writes: "The Archstone-Madison proposal is a more intensive urban vision for the project that takes better advantage of the development opportunities."

Put the emphasis on vision. The rub is that no one can readily predict the economic environment that will drive a project expected to take at least a decade, and Archstone senior vice president Kenneth Miller was candid enough on Wednesday to acknowledge the plan could ultimately shrink in size.

"You at least want to start with shooting for the stars," he said.

Continue reading here.

Clearwater City Council wants to get in on the Rays' debate

Rays officials were asked to attend Thursday's City Council meeting. Will they attend? Check our new Times' blog, Bay Buzz, to find out.

Archstone vp talks with Times editorial board

Archstone senior vice president Ken Miller is meeting with the St. Petersburg Times editorial board today starting at 1 p.m. Check back this afternoon to hear what he had to say.

UPDATE: Miller just wrapped up more than an hour-long discussion with the editorial board. Not a lot of new information to be shared. Miller talked about partnering with the city and the community on the project, and how new retail space could kickstart the area.

Some other highlights:

• The movie theater would likely by a "niche" theater that wouldn't compete with BayWalk, Archstone officials said, and would include space for a bowling alley, lounge, and possibly other entertainment options.
• Archstone says it believes it can attract a department store to the new project.
• Archstone officials have hardly spoken with the Rays, though the two sides hope to meet shortly. "Hines was rather aligned with the Tampa Bay Rays," said Archstone's Gary Colton. "It would seem presumptiuous to insert ourselves in there."
• As we talked about in today's story, Archstone admitted that their proposal was only one possibility. In fact, they described it as "shooting for the stars." The group seemed committed to the first phase (about 800,000 square feet of retail, 500 apartments) but after that, they said the market would dictate what would happen.

Years could change what works in Trop site redevelopment

From this morning's paper:

ST. PETERSBURG — The proposal to remake Tropicana Field into an anchor for downtown's west end relies on a steady course of construction over 10 years, with each brick building on the next.

Starting at 10th Street S and moving west to the interstate, the three-phase $1.2-billion project would bring retail, then residences, then office space.

The plan is conceptual. City Council members first must agree on Thursday to pick a developer, then city voters must agree in November to build a new stadium on the waterfront.

But experts in the development industry, and those familiar with St. Petersburg, caution that the plan — if it comes to fruition — is likely to change. In fact, the proposal submitted by Archstone, one of the nation's leading apartment builders, and its partner Madison Marquette, may only be a template for the 86-acre site.

Shifting dynamics are typical of such a large scale development built over several years, developers say. What may seem like a good fit for office space today may end up working better as an apartment high-rise by 2015 or 2020.

"You have more variables to get right," said Steve Mauldin, senior vice president with Crosland, a mixed-use developer in Charlotte, N.C. "Or not get right. The difficulty of a project like this is exponential.

"It's tricky from a financing standpoint. It's tricky from an operational standpoint. It's tricky from a construction standpoint."

Heatcheck: Week 8

Week 8 of Heatcheck Wednesday, a permanent feature here at Ballpark Frankness. The idea behind this post is to track the past week's Rays home games and wonder how tolerable they would have been, had they been played outdoors.

Four home games since last Wednesday. We had nice temperature days for Friday, Sunday and Tuesday's games. We rated Saturday "Hot, but nothing a cold beverage couldn't cure."

However, we got our first serious rain on Friday. We had pretty heavy downpours from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., followed by a light rain that lasted until about 8 p.m. The game would have been played, even if there was no sail at a downtown ballpark, but not without a likely delay. So we'll add two new categories to our contest: Rain delay, and rain out. Friday ranked a "rain delay"

So after 38 homes games, 47 percent of the home schedule, here are our up-to-date standings:

How you feeling? Hot. Hot. Hot. ---- 1

Hot, but nothing a cold beverage couldn't cure. ---- 4

Take me out the ball game. ---- 33

Rain delay ---- 1

Rain out ----

Gotta love our elected officials

Remember how we said last week that the city was moving back its second of three referendum related City Council votes back a week so that the County Commission could take up its piece of the pie first on July 22.

Well, my colleague Will Van Sant just informed me that the county will now push its decision on the bed tax back to Aug. 5, letting the city of St. Petersburg take the first step on July 24.

Is it pretty clear no one wants to be the first to vote up or down on this project?

Out on the beaches

My colleague Nick Johnson reports in tomorrow's Neighborhood Times about the Rays' pitch to a small group of beach hoteliers. I got the story posted here on the jump.

Hines smackdown on city

I'm guessing this letter from Hines vice president Michael Harrison to city officials Dave Goodwin and Rick Mussett will officially end the POWW contention that the Tropicana RFP process was set up for Hines to win. Harrison, of course, is responding to the city's decision to recommend Archstone-Madison for the Tropicana redevelop. In the letter below, he's referencing specific portions of that recommendations. (The final paragraph is really a doozy).

"Gentlemen:

As you no doubt will appreciate, we are extremely disappointed with your joint recommendation to the Mayor and City Council.

You write the caption

(Times photo / Chris Zuppa)

Mayor Rick Rick Baker and Tampa Bay Rays president Matt Silverman speaking Tuesday before a news conference announcing the Rays plans to renovate the Azalea Little League complex in St. Petersburg.

Archstone's plans for Trop site

Since it seems like we'll be turning our attention solely to the Archstone-Madison proposal for Tropicana Field, I wanted to share a couple of the images from the proposal. Above is the masterplan for the Trop site.

To help get you oriented, the site of the dome right now is in the lefthand corner between 16th Street and I-175.

Some of the text may be hard to read, but the tallest building Archstone proposes is 20 stories just west of 16th street. The focal point of the development however, is on the eastern edge of the site (east of Booker Creek), where developers proposed nearly 800,000 square feet of retail space.

The intersection marked "Galleria Plaza" would be the hub of the area. (That's what the smaller image is depicting).

The area east of Booker Creek is what Archstone is calling phase 1. Plans call for that area being completed first, by 2013. It would include a movie theater/entertainment complex, outdoors store, grocery chain, and other retailers.

Rays parking downtown

Also over the weekend, the Times' performed its own analysis of one aspect of the Rays' plan for parking at a downtown stadium. See the results in a special interactive report here.

If not on the waterfront, where?

Why the waterfront — why not somewhere else? That question, largely unaddressed publicly by the Tampa Bay Rays, continues to flavor public debate over a new baseball stadium for St. Petersburg. Teams are pushing for modern stadiums in tight urban settings, ringed with shops, restaurants and off-site parking. Rays officials say they need a new home before their Trop lease expires in 2027. That said, much of the reaction to the Rays' waterfront concept has been chillier than Fenway in April. Two-thirds of respondents in a recent St. Petersburg Times-Bay News 9 poll opposed the idea. Public officials keep asking why other sites won't suffice. Okay, where else?

-- Stephen Nohlgren, Times Staff Writer

Rays must overcome missteps in stadium plan

Lots of news to get to from over the weekend... I'll start with my story (since I run this blog) about the Rays' missteps to date.

ST. PETERSBURG — After 20 months of secret planning, the Tampa Bay Rays circled December 2007 for the public launch of their ambitious waterfront stadium and redevelopment proposal.

The news, however, hit the pages of the St. Petersburg Times a month early, and the Rays have been playing catchup ever since.

At each pivotal step, the Rays have been caught off guard, either by criticisms or questions, according to local elected leaders.

The reactions and responses of team officials have further frustrated these leaders, who say they are getting an earful from opponents and little political cover from the team.

Now, with less than 60 days before the city and Rays must reach agreement on a $450-million ballpark, the team faces certain defeat unless the dynamics change and substantive negotiations begin.

The time for "we're working on that'' has ended.

"It's almost like they didn't have a road map of how county government works or how local government works in Pinellas," said Pinellas County Commissioner Ken Welch.

Just in: City picks Archstone-Madison

ST. PETERSBURG — Mayor Rick Baker on Friday recommended developers Archstone and Madison Marquette to turn Tropicana Field and its sprawling parking lots into a urban village accented by an outdoor mall almost as big as International Plaza.

The $1.2-billion development, which would be the largest in the city’s history, hinges on the Tampa Bay Rays’ plan to construct a new stadium on St. Petersburg’s waterfront. The City Council also must approve the recommendation of the mayor next week.

If it passes both tests, however, the Archstone-Madison development would include 1,935 for-rent apartments and 755 for-sale condominiums and townhomes, 800,000 square feet of new office space and at least two hotels totaling 600 rooms.

The Washington D.C.-area developers beat out finalist Hines, a Houston company that had been working with the Rays on a smaller redevelopment concept. The Rays on Friday congratulated Archstone-Madison and said they were eager to work with the Washington, D.C.-area developers.

Though it was the largest proposed development, Archstone-Madison’s apparent selection comes as a surprise. For months, opponents of the Rays’ stadium and redevelopment proposal argued that the process was set up so that only the Rays-backed bid of Hines could win.

And even some stadium supporters simply believed Hines would prevail simply because the company was better known.

“We wouldn’t have recommended Archstone-Madison if we weren’t comfortable with them,” said city senior development administrator Rick Mussett. “We’re looking for what’s in the city’s best long term interest. We felt Archstone had a little better vision.”

Read the recommendation here.

City staff to announce Trop site pick today

So, each morning I usually start my day here by glimpsing through the comments from the night before. I have to tell you, I don't how you guys end up talking about the things you do!

Anyway, we're supposed to hear from city staff today who they want to redevelop the Trop site, if the Trop site gets redeveloped. (The City Council would have to sign off at a meeting June 19).

On the surface, it seems like an easy call. If you believe Archstone-Madison, which is proposing to build more on the 86-acre Trop site, you pick them. If you don't, you pick Hines.... We'll see, hopefully, in a couple of hours.

UPDATE (3:12 p.m.): Still no word from the city.

Setting the stage: Hines vs. Archstone

Here's a tale of the tape on each project. You can see more about the projects in an interactive display we created here.

Hines

• Retail --- 790,000 square feet
• Office --- 600,000 square feet
• Residential --- 1,591,296 square feet
• Hotel --- 125,000 square feet
• Phasing --- Six phases over six years
• Purchase price --- $60.64-million ($19.52/sq ft)

Other notes. Hines agrees to pay an additional $20/sq ft. for any construction that occurs beyond what's listed above. Hines will pay $5-million toward demolition of Tropicana Field, and would accept full responsibility if the city could provide additional existing conditions documentation. Hines not willing to guarantee tax revenues or pay for environmental remediation. Developer says project will create 3,172 net new jobs and $4.3-million in new city taxes a year at build out. Hines also wants to purchase city parcel just east of Trop site for an additional $1.57-million.

Archstone-Madison

• Retail --- 1,126,000 square feet
• Office --- 800,000 square feet
• Residential --- 3,162,850 square feet
• Hotel --- 360,000 square feet
• Phasing --- Three phases over 10 to 13 years
• Purchase price --- $65-million ($11.93/sq ft)

Other notes. Will pay $5-million toward Trop demolition. Remainder comes off purchase price. Will not pay environmental remediation. No tax revenue guarantees. Would guarantee up to 1-million square feet of retail construction as part of Phase 1. Developer says project would create 5,574 net new jobs and an additional $7.4-million a year in city taxes at buildout.

Rays' presentation to TDC

Here is a copy of the Rays' presentation they made to the TDC on Wednesday, if you're interested. (Probably a big file to open).

More on the bed tax

An add-on to today's story about the hotel bed tax (I'm hoping this is easy to follow):

• The county's hotel bed tax is 5 percent on hotel stays
• Currently, the county contributes the entire "4th cent" (or one-fifth of the entire tax) to help pay off the debt of Tropicana Field.
• The Rays propose to extend the use of that tax to fund a new ballpark, but the team says it wants to cap the committment of county funds. Put another way, the Rays don't want all of the money generated by the 4th cent (as they now receive at the Trop), just enough to pay for $100-million of the construction of the ballpark.
• That means that between 2016-2046, according to the Rays, the 4th cent will generate $140-million that will not be directed to ballpark construction. That money can be used for tourism advertising, which in turn could free up more money for beach renourishment.

The Rays are asking the county to contribute $100-million to the project. Because the county would have to borrow the money and then repay it over 30 years, the cost would be much greater, like a mortgage.

The Tourist Development Council is expected to make a recommendation on extending the use of the hotel tax on July 9. And the county commission is tentatively scheduled to follow with a decision July 22. The 4th cent, in case anyone was wondering, will not expire if the Rays proposal is denied. It's simply a question of how the money should be spent.

First reading of referendum ordinance moved back one week

The city will push back the first reading of the stadium referendum ordinance from July 17 to July 24, senior city development administrator Rick Mussett told Ballpark Frankness this afternoon.

The change does not affect the second reading, which would still happen Aug. 7, or the prospects of a November citywide vote, Mussett said.

It was made so that the Pinellas County Commission can consider its part of the financing package -- $100-million from a tourism tax --before City Council members would have to take a vote on holding a citywide referendum. The county's vote on the financing plan is scheduled July 22.

Rays proposed stadium 3-d video

I've been waiting patiently to share this with you all. And finally, it's here.

The city of St. Petersburg has a new, 45 second, 3-d video model showing the Tampa Bay Rays proposed waterfront stadium in its proposed downtown surroundings. Check it out. My hunch is that this video will support the opinions of both people for and against the waterfront stadium.

Big thank you to the city and specifically Julie Weston for helping us get copy of this video.

Uhurus link weekend death to new stadium proposal

The Uhurus just posted the below announcement on Craig's list. In short, the Uhurus claim that the death of 17-year-old Javon Dawson this weekend is tied to the Rays' plan to build a new waterfront baseball stadium. The group is planning a June 22 "information conference" to announce their opposition to the ballpark plans.

“Not one more black life!”

Bed tax talk

The county Tourist Development Council has just started its monthly meeting. The Rays are the second item on the agenda. The first is a presentation from a member of the Hillsborough TDC... He's not exactly setting the tone the Rays would probably like.

He just said: "You need to be really judicious with the dollars your spending today. Your bed tax dollars are not going to go in an upward direction."

Of course, the Rays are asking the county to tie up about 20 percent of its tourist hotel tax revenues from 2015 to at least 2040.

UPDATE: Rays president Matt Silverman is at the podium, taking TDC members through a general overview of the stadium and redevelopment project.

UPDATE: The meeting is just wrapping up.  The TDC is expected to make a recommendation at its July 9 meeting. 

Heatcheck Wednesday

Week 7 of Heatcheck Wednesday, a permanent feature here at Ballpark Frankness. The idea behind this post is to track the past week's Rays home games and wonder how tolerable they would have been, had they been played outdoors.

No home games since last Wednesday (luckily for the Rays, I think). So our standings remain the same.

After 34 homes games, 42 percent of the home schedule:

How you feeling? Hot. Hot. Hot. ---- 1

Hot, but nothing a cold beverage couldn't cure. ---- 3

Take me out the ball game. ---- 30

Bed tax primer

After six months of debate in St. Petersburg, the Tampa Bay Rays’ $450-million stadium proposal shifts to the desks of county government on Wednesday, as Rays’ officials make an introductory pitch for $100-million from the extension of a county tourism tax.

The Pinellas Tourist Development Council, meeting at 9 a.m., is expected to make a recommendation to the Pinellas County Commission next month. (You can watch the TDC meeting live on Bright House channel 618; Knology channel 18).

At issue is how a 1 percent tax on all hotel stays is spent.

Mailbag Time

Here's a couple of questions I've received in the past few days. Thought they'd be worth sharing.

Chris asks, "Just wondering... What will be the name of the new stadium? Will it still be called Tropicana Field or something new?"

Chris, the team hasn't started talking about a new name for the stadium. While Tropicana Field has naming rights at the dome until 2027, if a new stadium opened, the team could resell naming rights. The team likes the Tropicana brand but I'm sure other companies might be interested.

Mary Ann asks, "Who would pay for the balance of the loan that I am sure is not satisfied at this time for the present facility (Tropicana Field)?"

Mary Ann, The Rays' plan to pay for a new $450-million ballpark includes paying off the money still owed at Tropicana Field (about $90-million today). The Rays say the developers purchasing the site should agree (as their purchase price) to pay off the Trop debt. Currently the developers' offer for the land falls about $2-to-$5-million short of paying off that debt. The city hopes the developers can close the gap. We'll see.

Jack asks, "How many years would the city be in debt paying off a new stadium?"

Jack, 25-to-30 years.

Rays count on heavy hitting lawyer to deliver stadium

The Tampa Bay Rays, needing a critical "yes'' vote from Pinellas County commissioners this summer, have hired a college pitcher-turned-lawyer whose political connections reach far into the courthouse.

Clearwater land use attorney Ed Armstrong joined the Rays' lineup in May — not because the team needed legal work, but because it needed access.

Armstrong, 51, has contributed both cash and savvy advice to help elect most of the seven-member commission. He counsels commissioners on everything from policy to media relations, and he represents developers before them.

"There is nobody that has more influence than Ed Armstrong when it comes to changing public policy," St. Petersburg City Council member Karl Nurse said.

Read the entire story by Will Van Sant here.

SPPD creates new "code" for stadium sign stealing

From my colleague, Abhi Raghunathan

ST. PETERSBURG — One culprit left a large boot print in Caesar Civitella's front yard but not much else in the way of evidence when he stole an anti-ballpark sign. Others were bold enough to steal signs from yards in broad daylight from lawns on Snell Isle.

Now, the theft of anti-stadium signs has grown so widespread that police have created a master report number to track the phenomenon.

Creating a master report is a step the Police Department takes to track crimes that fit a similar pattern, such as a series of broken car windows in a neighborhood.

For opponents of the proposed Tampa Bay Rays stadium, the thefts reveal how heated the debate has become.

"This is getting ugly," said Civitella, 84, who lives in the 200 block of Westwood Terrace N. "Who knows what type of characters these people are going around destroying, or in this case stealing something off your lawn."

Nurse's response to SP Times ed board

Here it is:

Being on the receiving end of two editorials in two days, both of which personally attacked me, I would like to correct some impressions.

UPDATE: Nurse just emailed Ballpark Frankness with two paragraphs in his letter that he says were edited out. We agreed to publish them below.

"You are correct that I sought the appointment to City Council to bring change.  In the first weeks I have pushed on a number of issues which can have a real impact on our community but received no press attention.  I asked the City to redirect housing funds to radically boost the foreclosure prevention services available in St. Petersburg.  Staff is preparing a plan to do this.  Hundreds of foreclosures may be avoided to do this shift in resources.   I asked that we make a policy shift in our code enforcement resources toward the most violations and away from the “Hatfield’s vs McCoy’s complaints.   This is likely to happen.

"During the capital budget workshops, I have been advocating for a faster implementation of the energy efficiency opportunities at city buildings and in fleet replacement.  We can literally save millions of dollars each year this way.   Yesterday at Council, I suggested that developers, as a matter of course, not be allowed to demolish buildings downtown until they have approved building plans and the financing in place.  Councilman Danner and the Mayor reinforced the idea and the legal department is researching how to implement it.  This will prevent the missing tooth appearance that happens when projects collapse early in the process."

Waterfront loved, but it isn't sacred

ST. PETERSBURG — For months, the heated debate over whether to build a baseball stadium on the downtown waterfront dominated dinnertime conversations and chatter at City Hall.

Backers said it would draw tourists and keep Major League Baseball in St. Petersburg.

Opponents claimed it would ruin the waterfront.

The year was 1940, and the ballpark was Al Lang Field, now the site of the Tampa Bay Rays proposed downtown stadium.

Today, as elected officials debate the merits of building a $450-million stadium, the question of whether voters would approve a new stadium along downtown's distinctive waterfront has re-emerged.

Read Cristina Silva's full story here.

You write the caption

 

The evolution of the Rays design

I thought it might be interesting to see how the ballpark design has evolved. At top is the current proposal. On the bottom (from left to right) is a series of proposed designs from March 2007, May 2007, November 2007 and February 2008.

The deep black line in the bottom row is where the current seawall location is. The original concept called for filling in 2.55 acres of the bay and would have filled in the entire channel between the main land and Demens Landing. (You can click on the bottom row to get a better look).

Rays response on enviro issues at new ballpark

The dredge and fill is down to .4 acres, the Rays report in this newest correspondence with the city.

UPDATE: The link should work now.

FYI: July 17 meeting is a first reading, not public hearing

The July 17 City Council meeting is not a public hearing, but simply a first reading. The public will not be allowed to speak. The public will be allowed to speak before the Aug. 7 second hearing (if there is one).

Rays clear one hurdle; now things get really tough

So my prediction was pretty close. If anyone watched, I think Leslie Curran was clearly not thrilled with the state of affairs (she asked the Rays to delay the whole question) but in the end Curran voted with the majority of her colleagues to move the process along. So the vote was 7-1, not 6-2 as a I thought.

Now, let's forecast here into the future.

My sense today is that on the July 17 vote, only one vote appears like it could change. While most of the council (except Polson) has agreed with Mayor Rick Baker's thinking that Aug. 7 is the real drop dead date, Jeff Danner is saying July 17 is his drop dead date.

Assuming, he doesn't change his mind, and assuming he doesn't have all the info he needs then (city staff are targeting a Aug. 1 clean-up date), that means he should vote "no." But, again, if nothing else changes, the vote should move on to Aug. 7, 6-2.

Now on Aug. 7 (assuming the county and the city are all happy on the $$$$) the Rays need five votes to make the ballot. They appear to have two for sure (Dudley and Bennett). And I think they have to be pretty confident Wengay Newton will come along.

So from the remaining five (Polson, Kennedy, Curran, Danner, Nurse), they need two.

Believing Polson is not going to change his mind, the Rays need two of the remaining four. And if Danner votes no on July 17, is it possible he votes yes on Aug. 7? I guess it's possible, but probably a little iffy.

That potentially means the Rays need two of the remaining three.

That's a much more difficult proposition. (And is worth watching).

Nurse has all but said he's against the Rays' plans. And Curran hasn't exactly seemed delighted by the idea either. Good night St. Petersburg.

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