Dive brief:
- The Tampa Bay Rays plan to build a $1.3 billion stadium at their current site of Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida, the team said Tuesday.
- The Major League Baseball franchise agreed with the city of St. Petersburg and surrounding Pinellas County that the team would shoulder more than half the cost of the new construction, with the two municipalities contributing roughly $300 million each. The team will also be responsible for any cost overruns.
- Construction is expected to begin in late 2024 on the first of two phases. According to the release, the Rays will continue to play in the existing stadium at the site through 2027. Phase 1 of the development and the new stadium are expected to be ready by Opening Day 2028.
Diving knowledge:
Building professional sports venues is big business for major contractors.
A Gilbane-Turner JV is building a stadium for the NFL’s Buffalo Bills, with Cost estimates now reach $1.7 billiona considerable increase from the original projection of $1.4 billion.
Meanwhile, the Tennessee Titans are planning a $2.1 billion stadium in Nashville, as the Jacksonville Jaguars embark on the initial stages of a billion-dollar renovation of the team’s stadium in Florida. The franchise has selected HOK based in St. Louis for design and Indianapolis-based AECOM Hunt and Southfield, Mich.-based Barton Malow as preconstruction manager.
At the same time, MLB’s Oakland Athletics have proposed a $1.5 billion stadium in Las Vegas pending the team’s move to Nevada, which still has to be approved by the league. according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. And in Milwaukee, lawmakers have floated the idea spend $614 million in public funds to reform the stadium of the brewers.
While stadium projects that combine private and public money have become increasingly common, they also pose challenges for contractors. For example, Providence, Rhode Island-based Gilbane, and New York-based Turner, the JV building the Bills stadium, took heat when initial workforce participation. targets for minorities and women fell shortaccording to a New York State review.
The Tampa Bay Rays’ proposed new stadium, which would be part of a larger $6.5 billion development in St. Petersburg Gas Plant Historic District, also has diversity and inclusion goals. Up to $50 million is earmarked for affordable housing funding, employment and business support, education programs, and hiring commitments from minority- and women-owned businesses.
But like the A’s place in Las Vegas, the Rays’ ballpark isn’t a done deal. Chronology on the city’s website said the deal still needs final approval from the St. Petersburg City Council and the Pinellas County Commission. The approval process is scheduled to begin this fall.
