A group studying whether the Rays should leave Tropicana Field in downtown St Pete has identified 5 potential alternatives in the Bay Area, three of which are in neighboring Hillsborough County. It is clear at this point that the Rays will be moving and discussions of the Rays potentially moving across the Bay to Tampa will probably stir up competitive tensions between the two areas. Rays’ fan support in St Pete has been lukewarm and the closed roof of Tropicana Field has been a source of controversy from the very beginning. Travel is difficult in and around Pinellas County and fans in the Greater Tampa Bay Area have complained that their attendance at Rays games have been negatively affected by the downtown location of the “Trop.”
What is undeniable is the rebirth and development in St Petersburg that has accompanied the arrival of the Rays. Some will say that the area was due for a makeover and the Rays were only a contributing factor to revitalization of the area. That opinion may be true, but since the Rays threw the first pitch in 1998 to now, Downtown St Petersburg has become THE area to be for the young professional crowd and suddenly nouveau riche empty-nesters that seek a more urban, pedestrian friendly existence. Real estate development in and around the downtown corridor was the most active and probably healthiest of the urban core areas surrounding the Tampa region. If the Rays decide to move away from downtown St Pete, it does not take a rocket scientist to understand the seismic shift in energy and activity they carry with them in the area’s commercial real estate market.
Rays Looking for New Home in Bay Area
Source: Tampa Tribune
A group studying whether the Rays should leave Tropicana Field in downtown St Pete has identified 5 potential alternatives in the Bay Area, three of which are in neighboring Hillsborough County. It is clear at this point that the Rays will be moving and discussions of the Rays potentially moving across the Bay to Tampa will probably stir up competitive tensions between the two areas. Rays’ fan support in St Pete has been lukewarm and the closed roof of Tropicana Field has been a source of controversy from the very beginning. Travel is difficult in and around Pinellas County and fans in the Greater Tampa Bay Area have complained that their attendance at Rays games have been negatively affected by the downtown location of the “Trop.”
What is undeniable is the rebirth and development in St Petersburg that has accompanied the arrival of the Rays. Some will say that the area was due for a makeover and the Rays were only a contributing factor to revitalization of the area. That opinion may be true, but since the Rays threw the first pitch in 1998 to now, Downtown St Petersburg has become THE area to be for the young professional crowd and suddenly nouveau riche empty-nesters that seek a more urban, pedestrian friendly existence. Real estate development in and around the downtown corridor was the most active and probably healthiest of the urban core areas surrounding the Tampa region. If the Rays decide to move away from downtown St Pete, it does not take a rocket scientist to understand the seismic shift in energy and activity they carry with them in the area’s commercial real estate market.