Ken Welch’s 30-day gas plant proposal window faces City Council challenge

St. Petersburg City Council member Richie Floyd hopes to give developers more time to submit proposals for the redevelopment of the city’s historic Gas Plant district, setting up a potential conflict with Mayor Ken Welch’s administration over how quickly the process should move forward.

Welch’s administration has called for a 30-day request for proposals (RFP) period to begin in mid-November, but it was done so with an unsolicited redevelopment pitch from developer Casey Ellison and investor Cathie Wood, and a separate offer from the Pinellas County Housing Authority already in hand. 

Floyd’s resolution, set to be considered at Thursday’s City Council meeting, asks the administration to extend the submission period to at least 90 days. The measure also requests that the city issue a formal RFP outlining clear criteria, guidelines and benchmarks for potential developers.

The resolution argues the redevelopment of the 86-acre Historic Gas Plant District is a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” that warrants a full RFP process reflecting the city’s current goals and circumstances.

Ellison’s $6.8 billion proposal outlines 3,701 new homes, including 1,776 market-rate units, 863 affordable units, 618 affordable units for seniors and 444 workforce units. It also includes more than 1,500 hotel rooms, public parks and cultural spaces across 45% of the site. It also asks the city to invest $120 million in public infrastructure.

The Housing Authority outlined plans to redevelop a city-owned parking lot at 1659 Third Ave. S. into a seven-story, 80-unit affordable senior housing complex. The project, designed in partnership with Ascension Real Estate Partners and STORYN Studio for Architecture, would target lower-income seniors and include rooftop and ground-level community spaces with direct access to the Pinellas Trail. The proposal calls for the property to be transferred to the Housing Authority for $1.

The administration’s 30-day RFP window follows Welch’s decision to restart the redevelopment process after a previous deal with the Tampa Bay Rays and development firm Hines collapsed earlier this year. That $6.5 billion plan, chosen after a 90-day RFP in 2022, was intended to keep the Rays in St. Petersburg with a new stadium, but the agreement fell apart after Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field last year.

The redevelopment question comes as the team itself enters a new chapter. In late September, Jacksonville home developer Patrick Zalupski led a group that acquired the Rays from longtime owner Stu Sternberg, who held the team for nearly 20 years. Zalupski’s group, which includes Ken Babby — owner of the Triple-A Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp and the Double-A Akron RubberDucks — has signaled plans to continue pursuing a long-term stadium solution.

It remains unclear whether a new baseball stadium will be part of future redevelopment plans.

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Florida Politics Senior Politics Editor Janelle Irwin Taylor contributed to this report.