The Tampa Bay Rays are set to make a considerable announcement on Tuesday concerning the building of a new stadium in downtown St. Petersburg. The new stadium will be situated close to the present Tropicana Field web page as element of the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant District. It is anticipated to be open for the 2028 season.
Preliminary data suggests that the new stadium will have a fixed dome roof and an artificial turf field. It is estimated to have a seating capacity of about 30,000 and price more than $1.two billion. The funding for the project will come from contributions from the group, St. Petersburg, and Pinellas County.
Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg has expressed optimism about reaching a deal with the city and county by the finish of the year. He has also stated that the group expects to finance at least half of the stadium project and is in search of investors to contribute to the remaining price in exchange for shares in the group.
The new stadium agreement will give the group with a new property following their 30-year lease at Tropicana Field expires in 2027. Group officials anticipate that the new stadium will lead to enhanced revenues by way of greater attendance and far more sponsorship offers. These enhanced revenues will let them to strengthen facilities and raise player payroll.
This announcement brings an finish to a 16-year search for a new stadium, which incorporated proposed internet sites in each Tampa and St. Petersburg. Regardless of exploring the possibility of developing a stadium in Tampa, negotiations did not progress far adequate to establish a financing package. In addition, a strategy to split property games in between Montreal and Tampa was rejected by Important League Baseball officials.
The announcement should really place an finish to speculation about the group potentially relocating to cities like Nashville or Las Vegas. Additional information about the Rays’ announcement are presently not accessible.