Members of four previously shortlisted development teams vying to reimagine the Historic Gas Plant District, currently home to Tropicana Field, field questions at The Coliseum on Thursday night. All photos by Mark Parker.
Several hundred St. Petersburg residents are still very much engaged in the latest effort to redevelop 86 hallowed acres – the Historic Gas Plant District.
While it may have felt like déjà vu, stakeholders filled most of the 500 seats at The Coliseum on Wednesday evening to meet the development teams vying to reimagine the Gas Plant, currently home to Tropicana Field, and offer their feedback. Another 102 watched from home, according to the city.
A similar scene unfolded in January 2023; residents had an hour to discuss the generational project with shortlisted developers, who then pitched their plans for the site, which was once home to the largest enclave of Black residents in St. Petersburg. The open-house-style event concluded with an economic-impact-focused question-and-answer session.
“I think folks were informed by the last process,” Mayor Ken Welch told Power Broker Magazine after the event. “I think from that past experience, folks were asking more definitive questions.”
Mayor Ken Welch (front, left) discussed the redevelopment with a resident.
ARK Ellison Horus, The Burg Bid, Foundation Vision Partners, and the Pinellas County Housing Authority each set up booths and handed out informational materials. The former two development teams offered custom hats and T-shirts.
Each then had 20 minutes to present competitive pitches. The crowd was surprisingly raucous, as applause was encouraged.
The city selected questions to read from over 100 submissions, and developers often struggled to answer within the allotted two minutes. Workforce development, a key unfilled promise to former Gas Plant residents, was a hot topic.
Anddrikk Frazier, speaking on behalf of Foundation Vision Partners (FVP), reiterated that if selected, the city would uniquely retain ownership of the site. “One of the most inclusive processes you can find, from a legislative standpoint,” would then guide business procurement, he said.
“So, it absolutely has to include small, local, and minority-owned businesses from a design, development, and construction standpoint,” Frazier added. “There’s not going to be a long process related to what needs to go into the actual development agreement. What that means is that we can start people to work here sooner than any of our competitors.”
Representatives from The Burg Bid said they would build micro-retail spaces throughout the reimagined site, similar to what the group created at the St. Pete Pier. Businesses owned by women and people of color have secured $3.3 billion through the joint venture’s previous projects.
“We’re working with our local partners that are going to have mentorship programs – that have existing programs – to ensure the local community is involved in the construction process,” said Thompson Whitney Blake, founder of Blake Investment Partners.
ARK Ellison Horus has embedded accountability into its workforce development proposal. The development team has set a 40% participation goal for underserved business owners.
They will also dedicate 15% of retail space to small businesses, including food trucks wanting to open a brick-and-mortar location. The developers expect to create 14,296 “higher wage” technology and research and development jobs.
Casey Ellison, CEO of Ellison Development, said a council of local community leaders will help ensure the team fulfills those promises. A public dashboard will allow residents to see the number of jobs created and how many people have permanent roles, “from the time we start until 20 years from now.”
“We’re really committed to making sure it sticks through the whole project,” Ellison said of job creation. “Tech’s not for everybody and blue collar is not for everybody, but … if you want an opportunity, you’ll be able to take advantage of it all.”
The city estimates that over 500 people, either in-person or virtually, participated in the event.
Another question focused on the amount of office space in each proposal that could foster six-figure salaries. The Burg Bid’s plan includes 1.4 million square feet.
The developer will build a percentage of that square footage during each construction phase to accommodate large companies seeking a local office. Blake said his group will create “access to capital in a way that Tampa Bay has not seen before.”
“We already have the capital in hand,” he added. “We are ready to go; ready to bring those jobs here.”
Conroy said FVP’s master planning and infrastructure-first approach would incorporate “all the great ideas you’re hearing from the other competitors tonight.” He also believes that splitting the site into small parcels would “allow for more participation from our homegrown base.”
Questions regarding workforce and economic development did not directly apply to the housing authority, which partnered with Ascension Real Estate Partners and STORYN Studio for Architecture on its proposal. The group wants to create a seven-story affordable senior housing facility with 80 affordable units on a .68-acre city-owned parcel used for overflow parking during Tampa Bay Rays games.
Before the presentations, Ascension founder John Barkett said the project is “extremely needed now; it’s something that’s actionable now.” He noted that it will take a year before the city signs any development agreements, and seniors are currently choosing between paying their rent and purchasing medicine.
“Down the road, we can fully integrate into whatever master plan is chosen,” Barkett said. “But we’ll be at a ribbon cutting before these other things are breaking ground. That’s the reality.”
Barkett said monthly rents would start at $530, and affordable senior housing was a key priority for the Community Benefits Advisory Council during previous redevelopment negotiations with the Rays. Former owner Stuart Sternberg walked away from the deal in March 2025, leading the city to restart the process.
Welch addressed previous attempts to redevelop the Gas Plant in his opening remarks. “It’s time to move forward to fulfill the decades-long promise of equitable and beneficial development of this site,” he said.
“The community has told us, time and time again, what progress should look like on this site: Jobs, housing, inclusive economic opportunity, and honoring the promises that were made to the Gas Plant community,” Welch continued. “It’s time to finally act on those priorities through intentional and equitable action.”
To view the presentations, visit the website here.
To submit feedback, visit the website here.
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