St. Pete shortlists Trop site proposals, mayor provides selection update

St. Petersburg officials have recommended that four of eight proposals to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District, currently home to Tropicana Field, advance to the next phase of evaluation.

​However, stakeholders should not expect Mayor Ken Welch, who recently provided a process update, to make a final decision until sometime before the end of the year. According to evaluation forms obtained Friday, staff endorsed proposals from Ark Ellison Horus, Blake Investment Partners, Foundation Vision Partners, and the Pinellas County Housing Authority and eliminated four others from contention.

​Welch said the selection process has slowed “a bit” since the city council approved a resolution in early February advocating for additional land-use studies. While he disagrees with further delaying a pivotal project meant to help fulfill long-deferred promises of economic opportunity at the site, his administration is meeting with stakeholders to discern what would give them “more comfort from the planning perspective.”

​“I still see this moving through a process where there’s a selection made this year, there are public meetings this year … with the community benefits process included in that as well,” Welch told Power Broker Magazine. “So we’re still moving forward with a slight adjustment to incorporate what the council wants to see in terms of additional planning.”

​The city also issued a statement on Friday regarding the proposal process. “At this stage, staff evaluations are an initial review of the submission and do not represent a final selection of shortlisted proposals,” said Samantha Bequer, public information officer. “These evaluations will be forwarded to Mayor Welch for his consideration and determination.”  

​Housing and Neighborhood Services Administrator Amy Foster, Managing Director of City Development Beth Herendeen, and Assistant City Administrator Tom Greene each completed a two-page analysis between March 16 and March 19. They evaluated each proposal based on public interest, alignment with the community redevelopment area (CRA) plan, economic development and investment, housing and community benefits, urban design and compatibility, infrastructure and implementation, and development team capacity and feasibility.

​Submissions from Ark Ellison Horus and Blake Investment Partners received favorable remarks in each category. The three evaluators did not score or rank proposals.

​Submissions from Freedom Communities Company, the International People’s Democratic Uhuru Movement, Logical Sites Inc., and Tampa Bay Boom were not recommended for additional evaluation. Each was eliminated for a lack of detail or similar project experience.

Here are the four proposals Welch will consider:

​Ark Ellison Horus

​Ark Investment Management, Ellison Development, and Horus Construction submitted an unsolicited proposal in October 2025, which led Welch to launch the land disposition process. The development team’s $6.8 billion pitch encompasses four phases and 95.5 acres.

​Ark Ellison Horus offered $202 million for the land, which includes $50 million in community benefits and demolition of the Trop. The developers pledged to break ground on a new Woodson African American Museum of Florida, provide 446 affordable housing units with street-level retail space, enhance the 16th St. South corridor, and launch a minority-focused business accelerator within the first 1,000 days.

​The proposal includes a total of 3,701 new homes, with 863 designated for people who earn between 30% and 80% of the area median income. Ark Ellison Horus set a small, local, and minority-owned business participation goal of 40% and expects the 20-year project to create 14,296 permanent “higher wage” jobs.

​Foster said the group submitted the “most detailed and thorough proposal that includes many of the previously outlined goals.” She also credited their focus on creating facilities that foster research and innovation.

​However, Foster believes that the city’s infrastructure investment “needs to be further discussed and evaluated.” Herendeen questioned the development team’s ability to complete a project “of this scale.”

​Blake Investment Partners / The Burg Bid LLC

​St. Petersburg native Thompson Whitney Blake, founder of Blake Investment Partners, enlisted the Related Group, a Miami-based development firm, and several local organizations for his $8.1 billion proposal. A 13-acre central park and pedestrian-centered “museum row,” featuring a new Woodson Museum, would anchor the district.

​The developers would purchase 58 acres for $275 million and create 3,600 on and off-site affordable and workforce housing units. Community leaders representing over 20 organizations will serve on a permanent Historic Gas Plant Visionary Panel.

​Studies on disparity and structural racism will inform efforts to provide “meaningful economic opportunities.” The proposal also prioritizes reconnecting South St. Pete neighborhoods, continuous workforce development with apprenticeship and placement programs, environmental sustainability, and innovation.

​Herendeen credited the proposal’s design elements, “including towers influenced by the original Gas Plant tanks,” and connectivity. She also listed “limited specific economic development information, such as the number of jobs created,” as a weakness.

​Greene appreciated the development team’s “limited request for city funding,” just $75 million from CRA coffers. However, he also questioned their ability to “acquire land sufficient to meet the 1,800 off-site affordable housing target.”

​Foundation Vision Partners

​Former members of the Rays and Hines development team partnered with Will Conroy, founder of St. Petersburg-based real estate investment firm Backstreets Capital, to submit a unique proposal that would allow the city to retain ownership of the land. The group, Foundation Vision Partners (FVP), would take a master planning and infrastructure-first approach to transforming the area into a vibrant, mixed-use community.

​FVP plans to co-create a master plan with the community before starting the project’s design, permitting, and essential infrastructure phase. St. Petersburg would pay an estimated $67 million in upfront costs to unlock $510 million in land sales, according to the proposal.

​While Foster found the proposal “hard to evaluate,” she noted the “relatively low bar for city investment” and potential for “deep community involvement.” Conversely, she believes the project “could become bogged down or convoluted with ongoing public input.”

​Greene wrote that the concept would “allow the city to ensure that the public interests are met throughout the redevelopment process.” He also highlighted the “risk of market value changes during the development period.”

​Pinellas County Housing Authority

​The Pinellas County Housing Authority (PCHA) submitted a proposal with Ascension Real Estate Partners and STORYN Studio for Architecture. It consists of a seven-story affordable senior housing facility on one city-owned parcel within the Gas Plant.

​The building would offer 80 units, ground-level and rooftop community spaces, and direct access to the Pinellas Trail. PCHA would prioritize applications from former residents of the Gas Plant.

​Herendeen said the “limited” project would help activate what is now used for overflow parking during Tampa Bay Rays games. She also listed the “strong development team” as a strength.

​Greene said the project could “provide affordable housing fairly quickly given the location of the property.” Foster wrote that Mark Van Lue, assistant director of housing and community development, would “prefer to include this parcel in the larger [redevelopment] plan to provide a path to an early housing win while larger phases get underway.”

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