ST. PETERSBURG The message was sprinkled across every scoreboard inside Tropicana Area on Tuesday morning. It was repeated by every person who supported a microphone, from major owner Stuart Sternberg to St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch to other club, city and area Rays are "here to remain." The Rays got to an arrangement with the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas Region to develop a new $1.3 billion ball park as component of the redevelopment of the Tropicana Area site, an 86-acre area also called the Historic Gas Plant Area. The club, city and region made the statement at Tropicana Area's "162 Landing" on Tuesday morning, bringing the Rays closer than ever before to safeguarding a long-term home in the Tampa florida Bay area. Right here To Stay: Historic Gas Plant Area DevelopmentThere is still a public authorization process that all events want to finish by very early next year, including votes from the St. Petersburg Common Council and Pinellas Region Commission, however this is the very first time the Rays have reached this action in their long-running search of a brand-new an outcome, it appears more probable than ever before that the club will certainly continue to be where it been considering that its inaugural season in 1998: in midtown St. Petersburg." Major Organization Baseball is here to stay, right below, " Sternberg stated. "As all of us understand, things do not always proceed in a straight line. But we have all been extremely lucky this region and specifically this city are maturing around us and are better-equipped to sustain a Major League Baseball group." Renderings of the brand-new ball park and redeveloped Tropicana Field website in St. Petersburg suggested by Rays and Rays' proposal features an approximately 30, 000-seat ball park with 3 seating degrees, a dealt with roof covering, a synthetic grass field and a "structure" design. The arena will certainly have three seating levels along with other sorts of seating, from premium clubs and suites to much more adaptable areas like decks and celebration design likewise consists of operable wall surfaces and home windows that can be opened on positive days or near prevent Florida's summertime heat, rain and moisture. Unlike at Tropicana Area, fans will have the ability to look out the windows and, as the group placed it, "bring the outside in."" Our goal is to develop the finest ballpark in America. We assume it's going to be one of the most intimate ballpark, the most comfy ball park, " team president Matt Silverman stated. "It's mosting likely to be unique because it has a roofing system. Which roofing is a benefit to us." That is just one of things we learnt through our fans: Comfort precedes. They love entering into Tropicana Area recognizing the game is going to be played, it's 72 levels and it's comfortable. That's mosting likely to be the exact same in this following ballpark." Prepare yourself for an entire brand-new gameday experience. #HereToStay Tampa Bay Rays September 19, 2023The Rays would pay for more than half of the arena's approximated cost, with the city and region covering about $600 million and the club in charge of the rest plus any type of enhancements or , that picked the Rays and their development partner Hines in January as his preferred option to redevelop the Tropicana Field site, said the city will pay its $300 million with the "bonding of a number of income streams, none of which are home taxes, and we're doing it with no new taxes or any type of boost in present taxes." The area is expected to pay its share mainly from a "bed tax" allocated for economic development or tourism-related investments." It is a major commitment for our organization to fund $700 million or more into this ballpark, and that reveals the self-confidence that we have in being below and belonging of the development and continued renaissance of this location, " Silverman said. "We're done in this together. We're not making a bet. We're making an investment in the future of this city and of this franchise, and we see truly https://www.raysshorts.com/Francisco_Mejia_Shorts, really excellent years ahead for us." According to the contract, the whole investment in the nearly 8 million square-foot Historic Gas Plant Area mixed-use growth task is predicted to be even more than $6.5 billion over the next 20 years. Roughly 15-20 acres, consisting of the ball park and two event parking lot, would be possessed by Pinellas Region, leased to St. Petersburg and subleased to the Rays on a 30-year lease agreement, with alternatives to extend it to 40 club's existing 30-year use contract at Tropicana Area ends after the 2027 period, and the Rays are readied to continue to be at their ballpark till then. If the contract is authorized and every little thing goes according to strategy, ballpark building and construction would be begin in late 2024 and be finished by late '27. Makings of the new ballpark and redeveloped Tropicana Field site in St. Petersburg proposed by Rays and Hines." We are commemorating our 25th anniversary as a ballclub. A generational fanbase is settling, " Sternberg said. "And today, we take a huge advance to guaranteeing that the Rays fans will certainly be right here in Tampa bay Bay for generations and generations to find." The Rays would begin playing there on Opening Day 2028 and accomplish their oft-stated goal of maintaining the club in the Tampa bay Bay area for generations to find." This will be a transformative project for the Rays, St. Petersburg and Pinellas County, Sternberg stated. We have happily served as Tampa fl Bay's Big league group for 25 years, and we are delighted to remain in setting to do so for years and generations to ballpark is simply one component of the Rays and Hines' mixed-use district redevelopment strategy, which additionally requires real estate, workplace and clinical room, retail area, hotel rooms, elderly living residences, an entertainment place, meeting and conference space, the Woodson African American Gallery of Florida and Rays have actually been searching for a new ballpark in the Tampa florida Bay area for around 16 years. They announced plans in November 2007 for a stadium on the Al Lang Stadium website, couldn't get to an agreement with Hillsborough County in 2018 for a suggested ball park in Ybor City, after that had their split-season "Sibling City" proposition with Montreal declined by MLB's Executive Council in January 2022. Tampa fl Bay has been just one of baseball's most successful clubs on the field over the past 15 years, having actually secured its 9th postseason appearance given that 2008 on Sunday, however rated no greater than 28th in average participation from 11-22. The Rays are 26th in the Majors this season, averaging 17, 778 followers per video game, heading right into their final regular-season club will certainly face questions about exactly how developing a new ball park in roughly the exact same area as Tropicana Field may resolve its well-documented attendance issues. But the Rays believe that a brand-new ball park, incorporated with the redeveloped location around it and their proceeded success on the area, will drive more rate of interest and higher participation numbers." We believe there's a variety of things that are mosting likely to allow us to materially enhance attendance going onward, " team president Brian Auld said. "The first is that we're going to have a far better ball park surrounded by a first-rate location, so we expect more individuals to find to delight in that extraordinary ball park and all the wonderful things we're mosting likely to have around it."