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The Skanska USA Building announced a grand slam of a win last week.
The US arm’s program management consulting group based in Sweden will act as the owner’s representative in the 6.5 billion dollar redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant property in St. Petersburg, Florida, as well as providing the design and construction of a new stadium there for Major League Baseball’s Tampa Bay Rays.
Pinellas County, the Tampa Bay Rays and Hines Development have partnered to develop the project.
It is estimated that the new stadium will cost $1.3 billion, with $600 million in public funds is going under construction, according to local NPR station WUSF.
In addition to the new ballpark, the project will transform the 86-acre site of the Rays’ current Tropicana Field into 8 million square feet of development that includes affordable housing, hotels and office and retail space. It will also feature the new headquarters of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, which recognizes the history of the surrounding neighborhood.
About four decades ago, members of the The historic area of the gas plant was moved because of the city’s decision to locate the stadium in its neighborhood. The move prompted residents and businesses to move in with the promise of new jobs and opportunities that never materialized, according to the city of St. Petersburg’s project page.
Now, in partnership with the development team, the city plans to invest more than $6 billion over the next 20 years, creating the largest development project in Tampa Bay history, according to the website from the city. The St. Petersburg City Council voted to approve the development at a July 18 meeting. The plans call for the new one stadium to be built near the site of Tropicana Field.
As the owner’s representative for the city, Skanska will provide project management, design reviews, accounting, scheduling, on-site quality assurance and compliance with development agreements. Skanska declined to share its contract amount for both facets of the project.
Skanska has overseen several projects in the region, including the current construction of the Bernie McCabe Second District Court of Appeals, the University of South Florida Health’s Morsani College of Medicine & Heart Institute on Water Street Tampa, and the recent renewal from the Tampa Convention Center.
