Questions remain in dazzling proposal

Why are the Rays doing this?

Because they want to. The Rays could stay at Tropicana Field, but say they are making this pitch because they see the opportunity to not only get a new stadium but to help transform downtown as well.

What if this stadium deal falls through?

From what the Rays say, things would be pretty much status quo. They’d keep playing at Tropicana Field – they have a lease through 2027 – and probably try again for a new stadium at a later date. But it would remain to be seen how long Stuart Sternberg would want to own the team in that situation.

What would the new stadium be called?

It depends who wants to pay for it, because the naming rights will be available for purchase. According to the Rays, Tropicana’s naming rights are specific to the current stadium, so presumably they would get a refund. There is talk of preserving the history and tradition of the site by including a reference to Al Lang – in either the stadium name or the “cove” behind the rightfield wall – to preserve the tradition.

What’s with the design?

Rather than a brick-based  retro look that has been all the rage, the Rays are looking to the future with what principal owner Stuart Sternberg termed a “more sweeping, open, inviting” design. And without a brick in it.

What’s the tall pole all about?

That’s a 320-foot mast that anchors the roof and is part of what the Rays consider an "iconic" design.

What are the specifics?

The stadium would hold 34,000 fans (most in the lower deck) and would be open air with a cable supported, sail-like covering that a team official described as "a glorified umbrella." The field would have standard dimensions. Balls hit over the rightfield wall would splash into the bay.

Isn’t it going to be hot and sweaty?

Of course, it’s Florida in the summer time. But the Rays say it will be reasonably comfortable – more so than Atlanta, on par with St. Louis or Kansas City – for several reasons: the roof, which will be deployed during the day to keep heat from building up; the breezes off Tampa Bay; and cooling devices such as fans or misters.

What about rain and lighting?

The sail-like cover can be deployed in about eight minutes, and the Rays say it would provide enough covering to prevent postponements and delays expect in the most severe storms.

What about parking?

It may be a problem, especially at first. Like Wrigley Field in Chicago and Fenway Park in Boston, there will be very little parking at the site. The Rays say there are currently are about 12,000 spots within a short walk of the stadium, and there may be more when it opens. Fans would have to get used to walking or taking shuttles.

Is there really enough room for a stadium on that site?

It’s going to be tight, but by reorienting the field – so rightfield abuts the water – and extending Bayshore Drive into the bay it can fit with standard dimensions. To make it work, there would be no seats from the rightfield foul pole across to left-centerfield.

Would players like it?

The heat would certainly have an effect on the players, as it does in Texas and Miami, though they might enjoy being outside. The Rays would likely play as many games at night as they could.

Would there be more than Rays games there?

Probably. The stadium could accommodate a football field, which could lead to a college bowl game, and could be the site of concerts and other events.

How can the Rays sell the Tropicana site even though they don’t own it?

They can’t. The team would need the city and Pinellas County to agree.

What about the debt the city and county still have outstanding on Tropicana Field?

The Rays said what to do about the debt remains a question.

Do the Rays have a developer in mind for the Tropicana site?

Yes. The Rays are working with Hines Interests of Houston. But because the land is publicly owned, the city would have to issue a request for proposals from developers. A developer other than Hines could be awarded the site.

What retail options are coming to the Tropicana site?

The Rays won’t say. But they do at least have one specific major outdoors retailer in mind.

Where’s the money coming from for the new stadium?

The biggest chunk, the Rays say, would come from the sale of Tropicana Field and adjacent parking lots to a private developer. The Rays say that transaction could raise between $250-$300-million toward the new stadium. But that includes property tax revenues generated by the redeveloped Trop site.

What are the Rays contributing?

The team said it is prepared to increase its rent payments from about $1-million a year to $10-million a year. The money, which will be paid to the city, would then help pay for construction of the new ballpark.

Is the team seeking money from the state?

Yes. The Rays say the money, $60-million paid out over 30 years, is important but not a deal breaker.

Who’s on the hook if the stadium goes over its $450-million budget?

The Rays say they will cover cost overruns.

– Marc Topkin and Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writers

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

Crist and Baker to attend stadium announcement

The Rays will have Florida Gov. Charlie Crist and St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker on hand for the Nov. 28 official announcement of their plans for a new stadium at the current site of Al Lang Field.
MLB President Bob DuPuy, who usually handles such matters for commissioner Bud Selig, will also attend.
The Rays will be represented by principal owner Stuart Sternberg, team president Matt Silverman and senior VP Michael Kalt, the point man in negotiations for the stadium.
The Rays plan to "announce details and renderings of a new waterfront ballpark and redevelopment of Tropicana Field.''

Home opener festivities under way

ST. PETERSBURG -– The 10th Devil Rays opening day started Friday much like the first in 1998.
Lots of excitement. Measured expectations.

Yes, there’s a new flower garden, fresh paint and a bigger rightfield video scoreboard.
“But they should have spent that money on a relief pitcher,” said an almost grumpy Al Willis, picking up his season tickets.

The Rays new owners oozed goodwill last year offering perks like free parking. But that charm has now dulled under the intense pressure of the win column.

A sellout crowd of more than 38,000 was expected Friday. Thousands of fans had already made their way to Tropicana Field hours before the 7 p.m. game. Some fired up their grills and tapped a beer keg. Some searched for extra tickets. One group from Valrico painted their chests --- G-O-D-E-V-I-L-R-A-Y-S-!-!-!

“Anything can happen,” said Kevin Hug, a middle school geography teacher who took the day off to get ready for the game against the Toronto Blue Jays. Hug, a converted Chicago Cubs fans, knows a thing or two about being patient. The Cubs haven’t one a World Series since 1908. So to Hug, the Rays 9-year drought seems almost trite.

-- AARON SHAROCKMAN, Times Staff Writer