Rays unveil dramatic ballpark vision

ST. PETERSBURG — The Tampa Bay Rays this afternoon revealed a bold plan for a new waterfront baseball stadium at one end of a dramatically transformed St. Petersburg downtown.

The Rays’ plans call for a $450-million, open-air, 34,000-seat stadium to open in 2012 at the current site of Al Lang Field. On the other end of downtown at Tropicana Field, the team proposes a massive retail and residential development.

"We’re talking about a major-league downtown," Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg said during a meeting with the St. Petersburg Times editorial board, where he previewed the concept.

"My goodness, it's beautiful," said Gov. Charlie Crist, after a rendering of the stadium was unveiled.

The break in the team’s silence comes after nearly three weeks of speculation. Rays officials said they spent 1 1/2 years working on the plan, which was first reported Nov. 9 by the St. Petersburg Times’ Web site, www.tampabay.com.

The team formally unveiled its plans at a 2:15 p.m. announcement that included Crist, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker and Major League Baseball president Bob DuPuy.

Several significant questions remain about financing, parking and the Florida heat.
Rays officials insist the project will not require new tax money. But the plan does call for $60-million in state tax money and property tax revenue from the redeveloped Tropicana Field site, as well as proceeds from the sale of that land.
The team says it believes it can stay within its $450-million stadium budget and, if not, would be responsible for any cost overruns.

"No new taxes," Sternberg said.

The stadium would require approval of St. Petersburg voters, because it involves a long-term lease of waterfront property. The team is asking for a November 2008 city referendum.

The stadium would include a sail-like cover, anchored to a 320-foot-tall mast, that could be used when it rains. It would be constructed in a way to maximize views of the waterfront and the city skyline in what Sternberg termed a "sweeping, open, inviting" design.

"We want to create something iconic … that will become the postcard shot of St. Pete," Rays vice president Michael Kalt said.

The Rays plan for the stadium to open for the 2012 season, which would allow the team to play host to the Major League Baseball All-Star Game within a few years. The team believes the stadium would become a destination, with fans spending hours before and after games in the area.

"We have the ability to make such an impact on the community, and we embrace our responsibility," said Rays president Matt Silverman.

Among the key points to the project:

Tropicana redevelopment

The Rays are working with one of the world’s largest private real estate developers to turn Tropicana Field and its adjacent parking lots into a mixed-use development worth up to $700-million.

Hines Interests in Houston has developed a plan to turn the 85-acre Trop site into a sprawling retail and residential community, anchored by a major outdoor merchandise chain. Rays officials declined to name the retailer.

The development would include 900 residential units and 1-million square feet of retail space, team officials said. Fourteen new acres of public parks would be created and centered around an enhanced Booker Creek.

If the Rays keep to their timetable, work on the site would begin in 2009, and a first phase would be complete by 2011.

"It’s a blank canvas for a developer," said Rays president Matt Silverman.

Combined with a new stadium on the waterfront, team officials said the development could finally push the growth of downtown beyond the waterfront while fulfilling the promise of economic development that never materialized at the Tropicana site.

In order for any of it to happen, though, the city first would have to request proposals for the site from developers — a requirement because the land is publicly owned.

The city would get to set the ground rules — how many residential units, how much retail — but the developers would set the asking price.

Rays officials said Hines is interested in developing the site, but recognize that other developers would be, too. Kalt said the team would ask the city to begin the development process within months.

Financing

Sternberg pledged that the stadium would be built with no new city taxes. The money, $450-million, largely would come from the Rays and the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site.

The cost includes a contingency, Kalt said, as well as money for improvements to a park to the north of the stadium. Any cost overruns would be the team’s responsibility, Kalt said.

Here’s how the financing would work:

The Rays, who now pay about $1-million a year in rent to the city, would increase their yearly payments to close to $10-million. The city would then issue bonds, with the rent as the pledged revenue, to pay approximately $150-million of the construction costs.

The Rays also would benefit from the sale and redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site. The team said the site could be worth between $250-million and $300-million to the Rays. Part of that money would come from the future property taxes created by the Tropicana redevelopment. Called tax increment financing, the program funnels city and county property taxes toward downtown capital projects.

The tax program has been in place in downtown St. Petersburg since 1982 and runs through 2035.

The two revenue streams, Kalt said, are "sufficient to form a financing plan."

Sternberg said the team also would pursue $60-million in state funding in the form of a sales tax subsidy.

"It is a significant amount of money that would cause us to make changes in our design" if the legislature rejects the funding, Sternberg said. But, "it wouldn’t be a show stopper."

Weather issues

Though the stadium would be open air, a sail-like roof that could be deployed in about eight minutes would provide cover in the event of rain, resulting in postponements or delays only in extreme conditions.

The Rays would play mostly night games in the stadium and would plan to keep the cover on during the afternoons to keep the temperature in the seating area down. Fans or misters would provide cooling, and some stadium areas — possibly the concourses — would be air-conditioned.

Team officials said with that technology and the breeze coming off Tampa Bay, the stadium would be relatively comfortable even without full air conditioning. The team has hired a climatologist who estimates it would be about 4 degrees cooler than the average temperature for a game in Atlanta, and on par with summer conditions in Kansas City and St. Louis.

Stadium design

Rather than the retro look that has been popularized in Baltimore, Cleveland, Arlington, Texas, and San Diego, the proposed stadium would have an open, modernistic “21st century design” without a brick in the building.

Though the 34,000-seat stadium would be a snug fit when oriented on the Al Lang site, the field dimensions will not be compromised, with somewhat standard measurements, including 320 feet down the rightfield line, with balls that go over the wall and splash into the water.

The roof would be attached to the top of the stadium and anchored to a 320-foot mast in left-centerfield. The cables for the roof would be strung permanently over the playing field but high enough that they would only come into play in the most extreme circumstances. (Architects said the same thing about the catwalks at Tropicana Field, but they are hit regularly.)

"Essentially it’s a glorified umbrella," Kalt said.

"I like to think of it as a convertible top," Silverman said.

The seating areas would be constructed to maximize views of the water and St. Petersburg’s skyline, with what would be the smallest upper deck seating area (about 10,000 seats) in Major League Baseball. There would be no seats from the rightfield foul pole across to left-centerfield.

Although the stadium will be designed for baseball, it will be able to accommodate other events, including football, which could lead to a college football bowl game.
To accommodate the stadium, the Rays say they would need to fill in a small area of the waterfront to shift a section of Bayshore Drive east. The road would be closed to vehicles on game days.

At today's announcement, Rays' first-baseman Carlos Pena hit balls from what would be the spot of home plate in the new ballpark. After several attempts, he hit a ball into the Tampa Bay.

Parking

There would be minimal parking on the site, provided by a small garage. The Rays say there are enough existing spots in lots and garages in the area. They say there are 12,000 spots within a 15-minute walk of the stadium and that many could be used for game parking, that more could be available, and there will also be parking at the Tropicana Field site, with some type of shuttle service.

-- By Aaron Sharockman and Marc Topkin, Times staff writers

Comments

[Paul]

I am proud to say, 'Vote No'. Save the city owned waterfront property. No its not awesome, this is a huge land grab and a hidden backroom deal.

[Mathew]

I think this is exactly what the Bay area, as well as St. Petersburg, needs. The Rays have the will and determination to make this succeed, and they have done a lot of work to make sure it's a viable plan. I think this would benefit the entire bay area as a whole, and create hundreds, if not thousands, of new residential areas as well as jobs.

[Paul (no, not that one)]

I love the idea. Creative design that will bring a new dimension to Saint Petersburg's waterfront and a better use of the current Tropicana site.

If there really is no tax money involved, how could a citizen not love this idea?

As for "saving city owned waterfront," Al Lang is an unoccupied relic. How about building a beautiful new building that will be the landmark structure of downtown?

[Pete]

Huge land grab? Going from an 85 acre property to a 10 acre property? What math are you using?

You're right. Let's let the team stay in a 20 year old structure that's an embarrassment to MLB and pathetic to look at from anywhere in downtown and not develop the rarely used waterfront property that... oh by the way, is a baseball field.

Join the 21st Century. It's pretty nice here.

[Pete]

Huge land grab? Going from an 85 acre property to a 10 acre property? What math are you using?

You're right. Let's let the team stay in a 20 year old structure that's an embarrassment to MLB and pathetic to look at from anywhere in downtown and not develop the rarely used waterfront property that... oh by the way, is a baseball field.

Join the 21st Century. It's pretty nice here.

[Pete]

Huge land grab? Going from an 85 acre property to a 10 acre property? What math are you using?

You're right. Let's let the team stay in a 20 year old structure that's an embarrassment to MLB and pathetic to look at from anywhere in downtown and not develop the rarely used waterfront property that... oh by the way, is a baseball field.

Join the 21st Century. It's pretty nice here.

[Jason]

It's a land grab!? There's already a field there!!! Plus the site of the Trop gets a huge park. With the building of the park itself and the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site, think of all the construction jobs generated over the next 10 years. Get a job hippi! I say vote YES!!!!

[Paul (yes, that one)]

The point is, the city did a snowjob on hiding this from folks who wanted this designated park forever. The concern is when this 3rd ballfield doesn't work, the developers again salivate and then they build more condo's where Al Lang field is now. That's exactly what they're doing now, knocking down a 17 yr old ballfield to develop a new neighborhood. They don't want a new waterfront ballpark, they want the land that the Trop sits on. Don't be fooled again.

[Mike]

Sounds great! I'm moving to St. Pete so I can vote YES!!!!!!!!!!

[Steve]

Paul is obviously an idiot. He is always on here harping about "save the waterfront, save the waterfront, blah, blah, blah." And now he's already predicting the new Rays stadium will be torn down for condos. Idiot. You, and I will more likely be long gone by then, but anyway the stadium will be huge for downtown. Vote yes...and Paul, take a break from the message board.

[Kay]

No new taxes. True, but they want the proceeds from the sale of taxpayer property. Will my landlord do that for me too?

[Casey Peterson]

Folks who are all up in arms about preserving the St. Petersburg waterfront need to get a grip. Al Lang is unoccupied ten months out of the year, and after this year, it will be a vacant old baseball stadium that is hardly ever in use. Want to preserve the baseball legacy of Al Lang? Create a monument to the greats who trained here. Don't dishonor their legacies by blindly asserting that their empty home should be preserved at all costs.

Seriously, folks: no new taxes. And pending a legal agreement, the team will be responsible for the possible (inevitable?) overruns in cost.

I'm beginning to think that the dissidents of revitalizing downtown St. Petersburg and its waterfront are blindly sticking to their guns and are unable to compromise when positive change is right around the corner.

Does anyone see hoe excellent this will be for the city, the county, and the Tampa Bay area as a whole? A new stadium, a revitalized downtown sector, a team that has no where to go but up, and the possibility of hosting college bowl games and the MLB All Star Game are all reasons to rejoice at the plan the Rays have put into place.

I understand the wary attitude of folks toward the Rays; a full decade of LaMar can do that to a person. But, folks, believe me when I say that Sternberg, et al are in this for the long haul. They aren't the malicious team owners that lots of people are making them out to be - no, they do not want to move out of St. Pete (they cannot do this for many years to come); no, they do not want to make some sort of diseased cash cow like the Rays of yesteryear; and no, they do not want to rob the city of its storied landscape. They want to make it all better.

After years of bad decisions, this team is finally coming around. I implore the voters of St. Petersburg to vote in favor of this plan when it is presented to them on the ballots next year. You will not regret it.

Thanks for your time, and as always, GO RAYS!

[Terry]

Truly a beautiful structure...something that we all could be proud of.

[Brent]

Paul... WHAT?????? Vote No!! Save the City, are you listening to yourself... You're kidding right? Have you been to St. Pete lately? It is run down and the waterfront structures are old and the Trop: good God is that thing a Monstrosity on the skyline... if you want to save the city then join the 21st century and Vote Yes!!!!!

[duh]

Regardless of what anyone thinks, this or something like it will happen because MLB and Uncle Charlie want it to. Enjoy the ride, and deal with it.

[Rex]

Yes! We need this type of forward thinking! Does Saint Pete have to always be associated with old farts??

That is exactly who will vote no - the people that won't live long enough to matter anyway.

Yes!!

[Rob]

Yes - We are getting there!

[Rid]

What a joke this is. They claim no new taxes will be used, but they want the taxes generated from the redevelopment of Tropicana field, which they don't own, to pay for the stadium. That is using tax money to pay for the stadium. If the Rays left town, we could still redevelop the Tropicana site and reap those taxes for the city.
I will vote No on this plan, unless the Rays ownership puts up the entire $450 million.

[Darrell]

As a former Bay Area resident, I'm not surprised about the nabobs of negativity who say vote no. I'd vote yes in a heartbeat. New ballparks (and this one looks as if it would be very nice) can really revitalize a downtown area. And waterfront parks are very special (just look at the park in San Francisco). Hidden backroom deal? Who cares? That's how deals are made. Anyone who can't see that has never made a big-time business deal.

[KC]

I'm curious what you would like done to the waterfront property, Paul?

[Nate]

I say no. I go to 12+ games a year at the trop, the improvements from last year alone are great. Also, I am a new home owner, and while my taxes are 4 times more than my immdediate neighbors, if a new stadium comes, I hope their taxes increase. Also, the waterfront is in of no need for a facelift, since it has been getting one from North beach pool down to Bayboro already.

[John]

Very pretty, flashy, even! Here's the deal. Who is going to walk 15 minutes in 90+ degree heat during an afternoon LIGHTNING STORM to a Rays "evening" game downtown? More importantly, who, other than St Pete residents, are going to go through the HASSLE of driving all the way from Clearwater, Tampa and beyond to fight the traffic and spend an hour hunting for an overpriced parking garage spot? They won't even do that for games at the easily accesible Tractor Pull dome now!!! And the following quote "The team believes the stadium would become a destination, with fans spending hours before and after games in the area"....they said THE SAME EXACT THING when they sold us on the Trop!!! And furthermore, if "most of the games" will be played at night, then who's going to see the water in the dark? Who's going to spend hours in downtown St Pete at night getting chased around by bums, the homeless and panhandlers? Are you people seriously out of your minds??

Tear down Al Lang, make it a PERMANENT PARK as it was destined to become in the 1st place. Tear down and re-develop the Trop site, and move the team to a location that will draw fans from ALL over the TAMPA BAY AREA. GEE, there's 80+ undeveloped acres at Toytown!!! (275 and Roosevelt), there's PLENTY of land in Carillon at the east end of the property (Ulmerton & 275) RIGHT BY THE BRIDGE!!! There's PLENTY of room at the old Boatyard Village (NE Corner of St Pete Clwtr Airport property @ the Bayside Bridge).....This is NOT Boston, we do not have comparable downtowns, folks. We need a stadium that is centrally located for ALL residents to enjoy. And I am a native of St Pete, if that matters. Oh, and don't even get me started about the BLUE HAIRS in Bayfront Tower next door constantly complaining about noise....can you imagine 34,000 people a block away from their bedrooms? BAHAHAHHAHA good luck we'll see how that works out for ya Stu!

[Paul]

Yes, I've been to downtown St Pete. I'm looking out my window now at it, and I live just a mile from here as well, which I'm pretty sure many of you don't. I just watched the conference on TV and all the Rays owners kept saying is delopement, development, revitalize downtown... they are in it for the money, and it'll cost us, the taxpayers. Yeah, sure the new design looks cool and all, but come on, we need more condo's and stores? Who are they kidding? There are so projects trying to get started in this part of town, we certainly don't need 70 acres of anything. Sorry but you guys asked... and for Al Lang, leave it as is, or make it a... park. Yes, we like parks downtown, that's why we all moved here.

[Irena]

Yes!!! We need it! This area looks and feels very behind with the times. We need to speed up and become upto date like Miami, Chicago, Seattle, etc..

I would also like to see some major department stores like Macy's, Nordstrom and Borders open downtown giving us the ability to do shopping out side and walking the streets of St. Pete which is also very healthy for us.

[Tim]

What is one of the main complaints about the Trop other than it being indoors....the balls hitting the catwalks. You all know it will only be a matter of time, especially with all the steriod-bulked players, before balls are hitting the support cables and the complaints will come again. If they can prove that the highest pop-flys will never reach them, then it seems like a good idea. I do love how they compare the temperatures to Atlanta and St Louis. Don't both of these teams have fat payrolls and World Series rings. People will show up in 100 degree heat if the team is in the plaoffs all the time. A fancy stadium will not bring any more fans if the team still stinks.

[Thomas]

"The Rays also would benefit from the sale and redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site. The team said the site could be worth between $250-million and $300-million to the Rays."

WAIT JUST A MINUTE.
IT'S NOT THEIR LAND.

Did this point escape everyone. It's like the Rays proposing to "redevelop" the land that your home is on and then use that money to fund a stadium.

IT's NOT THEIR LAND, IT'S NOT THEIR MONEY.

They simply are a tenant of the Trop. They DO NOT own it.

Where is the sanity ?

So, first we just hand over the redevelopment of the Trop site to the Rays. Then we hand over the waterfront property that Al Lang sits on too?

The Rays get TWO PUBLIC LAND PARCELS for free?

Oh, but "there's no new taxes" -- At least when they ask for tax funds, they're honest and direct.

I'm outraged that the city council would even listen to this absurd proposal.

By the way - the WaterFront is ALREADY beautiful, we dont need a baseball park to "beautify" the area.

[Joe]

I work downtown and utilize one of the 12,000 slots that are available within a 15 minute walk of the proposed stadium. It seems to me that most of these spaces are already being used daily by those of us who work downtown. What happens on a workday afternoon when most of these spaces are in use and the Rays have an afternoon game? Are people who plan to attend the game going to show up before 8:00 am to insure that they get a parking space?

[D-Ray]

Yes, Paul and his pessimistic cronies are idiots.

This is an absolute HOME RUN!

Grow up St. Pete, become a major league downtown... http://www.majorleaguedowntown.com

[Chris]

I think the downtown area is nice. Why does it need to be revitalized as if it were some slum or blighted urban area? It has thriving businesses and condos.

[Chris]

Please remind me, how will this address our starting and relief pitching? Oh yeah, I get it, the more humidity, the more the ball weighs the less it travels.

BRILLIANT!!!!

[Jason]

This would be great for the team, and great for the city. San Francisco, and Seattle constantly sell out, even though they have fielded teams worse, or as bad as the rays for years. People like going to a nice stadium to enjoy a nice night outdoors. Being that close to the water will cool off the local air, plus those overhead tarps make a huge difference. It's a small parcel of land, that isn't even used for the most part. I really don't see any real arguements against this proposal that make any sence.

[D-Ray]

Well stated, Jason. And I agree, if the public shells out no money, its a huge win-win. Something for St. Pete to be proud of... postcard worthy.

[Thomas]

JASON SAYS: "I really don't see any real arguements against this proposal that make any sence(sic)"

OK, THEN LET'S ALSO REDEVELOP THE LAND THAT YOUR HOME IS ON, BUT INSTEAD OF GIVING THE MONEY TO YOU, THE RAYS GET TO HAVE IT INSTEAD.

You see Jason, it's not "a new tax" but it is clearly funnelling hundreds of millions of public dollars to the Rays. They are stealing the land at both the Trop and Al Lang field.

We get NOTHING back for it.

(Spare me the "it will generate a lot of money/jobs for the economy" - because it doesnt. It didnt at the Trop, and it hasnt in any other city either)

Remember, being a fan of the Rays doesnt mean you have to put on a dunce hat and start writing blank checks to the team.

Supporting this plan is illogical on every level.

[jeff]

Home of the Tent Slashers

[Jason]

I see your points. Well, if it involves giving away public land and giving away tax money for maintenance, I'm against it. Thanks for the info.