PINELLAS COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman announced Thursday that he has chosen Midtown as the company that will redevelop the Tropicana Field site.
Midtown’s development, dubbed Creekside, will feature affordable housing, retail space, office space and park space.
“This has been a true community endeavor,” said Mayor Kriseman. “And if done right, will continue to be a community endeavor for many, many years.”
The mayor made the announcement with only a little more than a month left in office. It’s a major transformation of the city’s downtown area.
Mayor Elect Ken Welch issued a statement praising the move.
“Mayor Kriseman has worked hard to develop thoughtful and promising plans for the future of the Tropicana Field site,” he said. “As mayor, I plan to put the same amount of effort in evaluating those plans as well as new ideas and moving forward with a version that capitalizes on St. Petersburg’s incredible momentum and reconnects our community.”
The 86-acre Tropicana Field site was previously a thriving African American community. Creekside will have features that commemorate its history, as well as options to accommodate the Rays – should the team decide to stay in St. Pete after their lease expires in 2027.
The Reverend Watson L. Haynes grew up right about where third base is in the Trop. He believes that putting a neighborhood back to where a neighborhood once was has great importance.
“We’ve got to open this whole process up to more than someone buying a ticket to a game,” he said. “This has to be ours. And I’m not just talking about those of us who lived and were displaced. The whole community has to embrace this as our community. “