St. Pete Gas Plant timeline set

St. Petersburg just put dates on one of Florida’s most politically loaded redevelopment fights: city staff are shortlisting proposals now, a public meeting with shortlisted teams is scheduled for April, and Mayor Ken Welch says he plans to choose a proposal in June 2026. The city then expects Community Benefits Advisory Council meetings and contract negotiations in July 2026. (stpete.org) This is not a blank piece of land. The Historic Gas Plant District is the 86-acre area around Tropicana Field, and the city says the site carries the history of a Black neighborhood that was displaced roughly 40 years ago during the push for Major League Baseball and the construction of the stadium. (stpete.org) The current race started after the earlier stadium-centered deal collapsed. WUSF reported on February 6, 2026 that the city reopened the process after the Tampa Bay Rays backed out of last year’s plan to redevelop the 86-acre site and replace Tropicana Field. (wusf.org) That reset produced nine submissions, then eight active ones after Tempo Novus withdrew. The city’s redevelopment page lists ARK Ellison Horus, Foundation Vision Partners, Freedom Communities Company, Logical Sites and partners, Pinellas County Housing Authority, Reparations Land Trust and Development Authority, The Burg Bid, and The Tampa Bay Boom among the proposals. (stpete.org) By April 1, the field had narrowed again. St. Pete Catalyst reported that the city was down to four proposals from ARK Ellison Horus, Blake Investment Partners, Foundation Vision Partners, and the Pinellas County Housing Authority. (stpetecatalyst.com) The city is adding two filters before Welch picks anyone. First comes an Urban Land Institute study in April 2026 that will pull together earlier studies, community feedback, and other research; then comes a public meeting at the Coliseum followed by a 30-day resident input period. (stpete.org) That extra layer did not appear out of nowhere. St. Pete Catalyst said City Council member Brandi Gabbard had pushed for more community feedback, while city spokesperson Samantha Bequer said the administration considers that review part of its normal process because taxpayer money is involved. (stpetecatalyst.com) The June choice is not the end of the deal. The city says any selected proposal will still go through formal vetting by the Community Benefits Advisory Council and City Council, and the advisory council’s July meetings will include one public-comment session before term-sheet negotiations begin. (stpete.org) That sequence matters because this project has been argued over for years as both a land-use decision and a broken-promise decision. WUSF’s February reporting said most proposals center on mixed-use redevelopment with affordable or senior housing, which means the winner will shape not just the skyline around Tropicana Field but also how the city tries to answer for the neighborhood it erased. (wusf.org) For firms that do architecture, interiors, leasing suites, club rooms, model units, or residential amenities, the clock is earlier than the ribbon-cutting. The city’s April presentations, May review work, June selection, and July negotiations mean the relationship-building window is opening now, while teams are still refining how they will sell housing, public space, and community benefits to both City Hall and residents. (stpete.org, tbbwmag.com)