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A Peek at The Rays New Stadium & Surrounding Neighborhood In 2028

Tropicana Field in St. Pete is showing its age. The debate of where to put a new stadium has been debated for years, but it seems a decision has finally…

The new baseball stadium in St. Pete coming in 2028

The new home for the Tampa Bay Rays looks incredible! And to answer the most commonly asked question, yes there will be a roof. We love our AC as much as we do the Rays.

Rendering courtesy of Gensler

Tropicana Field in St. Pete is showing its age. The debate of where to put a new stadium has been debated for years, but it seems a decision has finally been made. The Tampa Bay Rays and the City of St. Petersburg held a joint news conference this morning to announce their deal for a new ballpark. It'll be built next to The Trop.

The big thing that has held up the process for years is ... who will pay for this? It looks like the Rays and the city struck close to a 50/50 deal. The Rays will pay for half of the $1.3 billion cost. The city and county will pitch in about the same.

The new stadium will hold about 30,000 for Rays games. An additional 5,000 seats will be able to be used for other events. The redevelopment isn't limited to the baseball stadium. There will be new residential units, senior housing, space for businesses, hotels, and even a new museum. Where Tropicana Field is now will be converted to parking space.

So what will the new neighborhood look like once the work is done in about 5 years? Global architecture, design, and planning firm Gensler shared these photos with us. Looks incredible!

sakzsf3nrgvbnj7lli3p.pngCity of St. Petersburg

Inside the new stadium, which will seat about 30,000 for baseball games. About 5,000 more will fit in for things like concerts and other events.


pkmjvxnrx4si6d9jtkfj.pngCity of St. Petersburg

Yes, there will be a roof. Otherwise we'd have rain delays extending the season to January.


HIRDC_HinesTropicana_20221129_05-Medium.jpgRendering courtesy of Gensler

New retailers, living spaces and other new offerings will definitely brighten up the area. I don't think many hang around The Trop for a few hours before or after the game right now. Hopefully this can change that.


HIRDC_HinesTropicana_20221129_06-Medium.jpgRendering courtesy of Gensler

I loved the idea of putting the new stadium in Tampa, but if they can make the neighborhood look like this, I'm all in. It looks like all the improvements made near the St. Pete Pier in the past decade or so.


HIRDC_HinesTropicana_20221129_07-Medium.jpgRendering courtesy of Gensler

Lots of beautiful walkways will make the area fun to pass through on non-game days. Plus one of my favorite parts about the area, the Pinellas Trail, goes right by this.


HIRDC_HinesTropicana_20221129_04-Medium.jpgRendering courtesy of Gensler

The new home for the Tampa Bay Rays looks incredible! And to answer the most commonly asked question, yes there will be a roof. We love our AC as much as we do the Rays.

GenoEditor
Hear Geno on the air weekday afternoons. Geno's passions include fat guy food, concerts, sports, travel to Europe and South America. He loves 80s and 90s music, from MTV hairbands to old school freestyle, alternative rock to TRL era jams. Geno's radio career began in his hometown of Portland, Maine. Since then he's been on the air coast to coast from Boston to Las Vegas, Tampa to California.