Plans are moving forward for the redevelopment of the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District in St. Petersburg after Mayor Ken Welch selected Blake Investment Partners as the preferred master developer for the Tropicana Field site and surrounding publicly owned land. Led by St. Petersburg native Thompson Whitney Blake, the development team includes Miami-based Related Group as co-developer and Elliott Investment Management as capital partner. The proposal, known as “The Burg Bid,” envisions an approximately $8.1 billion mixed-use district with residential, office, retail, hotel, cultural, and public open space components, representing one of the largest urban redevelopment opportunities in the Southeastern United States.
The selection follows a competitive solicitation process launched after the collapse of the city’s previous redevelopment agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines. Blake Investment Partners’ proposal was chosen over three other shortlisted teams, including Ark Ellison Horus, Foundation Vision Partners, and the Pinellas County Housing Authority. The Burg Bid proposes purchasing approximately 58 acres of the district for $275 million, the highest land offer among the submitted proposals, while the city would retain ownership of roughly one-third of the Historic Gas Plant District.
Credit: WJArchitects
The master plan is organized around a 13-acre central park and calls for a long-term mixed-use district that would introduce new residential neighborhoods alongside office, retail, hotel, civic, and cultural uses. Public gathering spaces, pedestrian-oriented streets, and employment centers are also planned throughout the redevelopment. A museum row anchored by a new home for the Woodson African American Museum of Florida is envisioned as one of the project’s defining civic features, with the museum expected to become the first building delivered. The proposal also includes the Legacy Link walking trail, intended to strengthen pedestrian connections between The Deuces and downtown St. Petersburg.
Credit: WJArchitects
Housing forms a significant component of the proposal. Blake Investment Partners has committed to delivering more than 3,600 income-restricted residential units through a combination of rental and for-sale housing. Approximately half of those units would be located within the Historic Gas Plant District, while the remaining residences would be developed elsewhere throughout St. Petersburg, expanding the proposal’s affordable housing impact beyond the project boundaries.
Credit: WJArchitects
The redevelopment would also ultimately reshape the future of Tropicana Field. The existing stadium is proposed for demolition as part of the long-term vision for the district and would eventually be replaced with a new ballpark. The Tampa Bay Rays remain under contract to play at Tropicana Field through 2028, though city officials have indicated that an extension may be necessary while negotiations surrounding the franchise’s long-term stadium plans continue. The proposal follows the city’s approximately $58 million investment to repair damage sustained by Tropicana Field during Hurricane Milton in 2024.
Credit: WJArchitects
Beyond the physical redevelopment, Blake Investment Partners intends to establish an advisory panel composed of approximately 25 local organizations to provide ongoing community input throughout the planning and construction process. The full buildout is expected to occur over roughly two decades as individual phases are designed, financed, and constructed.
Credit: WJArchitects
In addition to selecting Blake Investment Partners as the preferred master developer, Mayor Welch also selected the Pinellas County Housing Authority to develop a separate 94-unit affordable senior housing tower on a city-owned site adjacent to the Historic Gas Plant District. The project is intended to complement the broader redevelopment while expanding housing opportunities for senior residents.
Credit: WJArchitects
The selection marks the latest chapter in the city’s decades-long effort to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District, a site named for the predominantly Black neighborhood that once occupied the area before it was cleared for the construction of Tropicana Field. Blake Investment Partners becomes the third development team selected for the property within the past six years. The city’s previous redevelopment agreement with the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines received approvals in 2024 before unraveling after the Rays withdrew from the project in 2025, prompting the city to reopen the selection process.
Credit: WJArchitects
The current process began after an unsolicited proposal submitted by Ark Invest, Ellison Development, and Horus Construction prompted the city to solicit additional redevelopment concepts. Nine proposals were ultimately submitted, with four teams advancing to the final round before Blake Investment Partners was selected.
The project will now move into negotiations between the city and the selected development team. Binding redevelopment agreements are expected to be prepared over the coming year before advancing to the St. Petersburg City Council for consideration. Final approval will be required before construction can begin on what is expected to become one of Florida’s largest and most ambitious mixed-use redevelopment projects.
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Great looking development. Dense heavy which is good planning for around the stadium. Love all of the open space and what looks like environmentally forward thinking. Hope this is executed well. Love the look of the proposed new stadium. This could be a game changer for the City if done well.
Of course the museum will be the centerpiece and the first thing built to honor “their” “contributions”. I’m sure that helped Walsh’s decision sooooo much easier on who’s proposal to choose.
Looks like Dubai, with more grass. Hideous.