Rays Ballpark

Did You Know?

• Nearly 14,000 parking spaces were identified for the proposed ballpark, not including roughly 7,000 on-street spaces.
• The first official public hearing on the park was held on February 22, 2008, before the St. Petersburg City Council.
• On June 13, St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Baker recommended City Council accept a redevelopment bid from Archstone-Madison offering $65 million for Tropicana Field.

Design

The Tampa Bay Rays worked with Populous on a design from at least early 2007. The stadium's central feature was a "Mast and Arch" retractable roof: a fabric covering stored in the shade of the seating, deployed by a pulley system at the mast top in six to eight minutes. The roof would have resembled a sail raising on a boat or a circus tent being torn away by wind, a design unique in baseball. The concourses, enclosed and air conditioned with glass fronts on the field side, were similar to those at Pittsburgh's PNC Park. Bayshore Drive, running along the east side of Al Lang Field, was to be closed during game days and incorporated into the ballpark. The ballpark would have faced the opposite direction of Al Lang Field, with centerfield to the north, allowing home runs to be hit into Tampa Bay beyond right field, similar to AT&T Park. This orientation would place most fans in the grandstand's shade as the sun set on summer afternoons, mitigating heat, and the open access to the bay would provide a cooling breeze. Original designs called for filling up to 2.55 acres of Tampa Bay; by the public proposal, this was reduced to 1.05 acres. In May 2008, a new design moved Bayshore Drive to a bridge structure, reducing landfill to 0.4 acres. The plan website stated that moving from a dome to an open-air stadium could reduce the team's carbon footprint by up to 70%, though an ABC group analyzing stadium needs said any new stadium must have a fully retractable roof.

Financing

Rays owner Stuart Sternberg was to contribute up to $150 million, or one third of the cost. The team planned to seek Florida's 30-year, $60 million sales tax rebate for new sports venues, and to fund the park through sale of redevelopment rights to Tropicana Field, with new property taxes projected to generate $800 million. On January 7, 2008, the Rays announced they would temporarily abandon seeking the subsidy, as using public funds in Florida proved difficult; the Florida Marlins had failed several times to get the sales tax rebate, and the state anticipated heavy shortfalls in fiscal year 2009. Because Al Lang Field sits on city property, city voters would need to approve a new use for the land via a referendum expected on the November 2008 ballot. To allow the city to forgo property taxes, a long-term lease would be signed with the Rays, and Pinellas County would take control of the site, similar to Tropicana Field. On May 16, 2008, the financing plan was revealed: in addition to Sternberg's $150 million, at least $70 million would come from selling Tropicana Field; $100 million from extending the Pinellas County tourist development tax 25 to 30 years; $75 million redirected from city debt payments on Tropicana Field, extended 25 to 30 years; and $55 million from parking fee revenues, guaranteed by Sternberg, who would pay any cost overruns.

Cancellation

Local officials argued that the plan to put the stadium question on the ballot was too hasty. By June 25, 2008, the Rays dropped their push for a November vote and shelved the project due to growing resistance. A year later, on May 22, 2009, the team said it had completely scrapped the idea of a waterfront ballpark in St. Petersburg, instead favoring a site farther north in Pinellas County. Michael Kalt, a senior vice president, noted that it was obvious the public did not want a stadium there, and the team agreed. A coalition led by Progress Energy’s Jeff Lyash was formed to review other locations and assess fan support and business backing, though no timeline was made public. Among seven possible sites were Derby Lane greyhound track and Toytown, a former landfill with environmental issues reported by the St. Petersburg Times. A 15-acre spot in the Carillon area was also considered; an internal Rays study showed it had double the population within a 30-minute drive compared to either downtown St. Petersburg site, plus good parking options and easy access to I-275. In 2012, CityScape proposed a 35,000-seat stadium called Rays Park at Carillon, but the plan fell apart in mid-2015 when CityScape decided to develop the land for mixed-use purposes without the ballpark.

Aftermath

St. Petersburg City Attorney John Wolfe stated the city, with a lease agreement through 2027, would only approve a stadium project within St. Petersburg. The exclusive dealings clause forbids the Rays from negotiating to play elsewhere, with any violation causing irreparable harm and damages to the city. He stated the city had been preparing for any scenario, with hundreds of millions invested and 16 years remaining on the contract. MLB Commissioner Bud Selig said in April 2012 that the Rays needed a new ballpark and that Sternberg was talking to all parties; his successor Rob Manfred echoed similar sentiment. In October 2014, Sternberg, frustrated with efforts to build a new stadium, discussed moving the Rays to Montreal, which had been without an MLB franchise since the Montreal Expos moved to Washington, D.C., in 2005. In January 2016, St. Petersburg allowed the team to explore options for a new ballpark.