Group gets okay for Toytown development

The Pinellas County Commission today signed an agreement with a development consortium looking to build big mixed use project at the old Toytown Landfill. The agreement gives the group a year to do geological testing and another three years to get the needed regulatory approvals.

The Toytown site, at the corner of I-275 and Roosevelt Blvd., has been mentioned as an alternative site for a new Tampa Bay Rays ball park.

Matt Daniels, president of Bear Creek Capital, part of the development group, told the commission that he's had no discussions with the Rays about Toytown as a ball park site. But, he said, if the state, city or county voiced an interest, Daniels is more than willing to consider the idea.

"We would be very open and excited about doing that," he said.

Risk vs. reward: 1986 and 2008

Deputy Editor of Editorials Tim Nickens, who covered the debate over building a domed stadium downtown  as a young reporter for the Times in 1986, compares the city's risks  then and now.

In 1986, City Council voted to build the dome entirely with public money. There was no guarantee the city would ever get a baseball team. There was no viable ownership group, only the unlikely alliance of the civic-minded parent of the local utility company and a Sarasota developer.

Nickens writes:  "Several City Council members made short speeches before the vote. One stuck with me. The late J.W. Cate Jr. remembered riding a merry-go-round as a child and never reaching for a brass ring. I looked up his exact words again the other day.

"There's a brass ring there, my friends,'' Cate said just before the vote, "and I'm going to risk the thing this time.''

Fast-forward 22 years.

Rays, NAACP reach agreement on minority participation in stadium project

The Rays just announced that they have struck a deal with the St. Petersburg branch of the NAACP on minority participation in development of a new waterfront stadium. According to a Rays release, the Rays have agreed to:

• Creating opportunities for youth through scholarships, internships, job training and neighborhood development programs;
• Providing increased opportunities for African Americans, women and other minority groups within all levels of the Rays organization and through increased vendor opportunities
• Advocating for the development of a fair, affordable housing initiative and anti-discrimination plan for the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site;
• Advocating for the development of a local hiring and minority business participation plan for the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site; and
• Developing and implementing a local hiring and minority business participation plan for the Rays proposed waterfront ballpark.

“The advocacy and promotion of civil rights, equal education, and increased economic opportunity for St. Petersburg’s African American and minority community is an essential ingredient in the NAACP’s drive towards achieving the vision of a vibrant and growing community,” said Oretha Pope Jr., Economic Development Chairperson of the St. Petersburg Branch of the NAACP.   “We recognize that this unique partnership between the Rays and NAACP can strengthen both organizations, our neighborhoods, and our City.”

The Rays, meanwhile, said have engaged the Ariel Business Group, a Tampa Bay area consulting firm led by Thomas Huggins, to help develop this comprehensive program to include local residents and minority and women-owned business enterprises in all opportunity areas in the design, construction and operations of the proposed waterfront ballpark.

“The construction of a new $450 million waterfront ballpark will create enormous economic opportunity through the creation of 5,000 – 6,000 construction jobs and hundreds of other professional and service jobs and contracting opportunities,” said Matt Silverman, Rays President.  “The Rays are committed to allocating necessary resources and developing a comprehensive program to link the minority communities within the City to this great opportunity.”

Developer Hines meets with Times ed board

Hines senior vice president Michael Harrison spent nearly an hour with members of the St. Petersburg Times editorial board Tuesday morning answering questions about his company's proposed redevelopment of Tropicana Field.

Among the highlights:

* Harrison said he would not, nor would any developer, guarantee to the city that Hines make its tax revenue projections for the project. Hines is estimating $858-million in new tax revenues over a 35-year period the development. Those projections are critical to the Rays' plan to finance a $450-million waterfront ballpark;

* Homes in the Hines project would start in the mid-200's, with condominiums going for up to $600,000 The company wants to build 1,173 homes;

* According to Harrison, the company already has spent "several hundred thousands of dollars" developing its plan;

* If chosen as the developer, Hines will campaign for its project ahead of a possible November referendum.

Harrison also criticized the bid of his competitor Archstone-Madison, calling their design "fractured."

BOTTOM LINE: It'll be interesting to see what the city asks for in the way of a guarantee and what Hines and Archstone-Madison are willing to offer. If developers won't come to the table, will the Rays have to? Or will the potential deal be too good for city leaders to pass up?

Mayor recommends negotiating with two Trop developers; Williams Quarter may be out

Mayor Rick Baker is recommending the city negotiate possible deals with two of the three developers bidding to purchase Tropicana Field. In are Hines and Archstone-Madison; out is Williams Quarter.

On the surface, this moves seems to make sense. The city might be trying to leverage one bid against another to drive up the asking price. The City Council is scheduled to approve or reject the mayor's recommendation on Thursday.

Read the entire recommendation here.

Anyone surprised Williams Quarter, a developer with local ties that proposed 4,000 units of affordable, for-rent housing, is out?