ST. PETERSBURG The message was sprinkled across every scoreboard inside Tropicana Field on Tuesday morning. It was repeated by everybody that supported a microphone, from major owner Stuart Sternberg to St. Petersburg mayor Ken Welch to various other club, city and county Rays are "here to stay." The Rays reached an arrangement with the city of St. Petersburg and Pinellas County to construct a new $1.3 billion ballpark as part of the redevelopment of the Tropicana Field website, an 86-acre location also referred to as the Historic Gas Plant Area. The club, city and region made the announcement at Tropicana Field's "162 Touchdown" on Tuesday morning, bringing the Rays closer than ever before to safeguarding a long-lasting home in the Tampa fl Bay location. Here To Remain: Historic Gas Plant District DevelopmentThere is still a public approval process that all parties wish to finish by early next year, including votes from the St. Petersburg City Council and Pinellas Area Payment, yet this is the very first time the Rays have reached this step in their long-running search of a brand-new a result, it shows up most likely than ever that the club will remain where it been because its inaugural season in 1998: in midtown St. Petersburg." Major Organization Baseball is here to remain, right below, " Sternberg stated. "As we all recognize, things do not constantly progress in a straight line. But we have all been very privileged this area and especially this city are maturing around us and are better-equipped to support a Significant League Baseball team." Renderings of the new ballpark and redeveloped Tropicana Field site in St. Petersburg recommended by Rays and Rays' proposition includes a roughly 30, 000-seat ball park with three seating degrees, a repaired roofing, a synthetic grass field and a "pavilion" design. The arena will certainly have 3 seats degrees in addition to other sorts of seating, from costs clubs and suites to a lot more versatile locations like decks and celebration style additionally consists of operable walls and windows that can be opened up on positive days or near fend off Florida's summer season warm, rainfall and moisture. Unlike at Tropicana Area, fans will have the ability to keep an eye out the windows and, as the group put it, "bring the outdoors in."" Our goal is to build the ideal ball park in America. We believe it's mosting likely to be the most intimate ballpark, the most comfortable ball park, " team head of state Matt Silverman stated. "It's mosting likely to be special due to the fact that it has a roofing. Which roof covering is a benefit to us." That is just one of things we learnt through our followers: Convenience comes first. They enjoy coming into Tropicana Area recognizing the video game is mosting likely to be played, it's 72 degrees and it fits. That's going to be the same in this following ballpark." Obtain ready for an entire brand-new gameday experience. #HereToStay Tampa Bay Rays September 19, 2023The Rays would certainly pay for more than fifty percent of the stadium's approximated price, with the city and area covering around $600 million and the club responsible for the remainder plus any type of enhancements or , who selected the Rays and their advancement partner Hines in January as his recommended selection to redevelop the Tropicana Field website, said the city will certainly pay its $300 million via the "bonding of a variety of income streams, none of which are building taxes, and we're doing it with no new taxes or any increase in current tax obligations." The region is anticipated to pay its share primarily from a "bed tax" set aside for economic development or tourism-related financial investments." It is a significant commitment for our company to fund $700 million or even more right into this ball park, and that shows the confidence that we have in being here and belonging of the development and proceeded renaissance of this location, " Silverman said. "We're all in this with each other. We're not making a bet. We're making an investment in the future of this city and of this franchise, and we see actually, really excellent years ahead for us." According to the contract, the entire investment in the almost 8 million square-foot Historic Gas Plant District mixed-use growth project is forecasted to be more than $6.5 billion over the following 20 years. Roughly 15-20 acres, consisting of the ballpark and two occasion car parking garages, would be owned by Pinellas Region, rented to St. Petersburg and subleased to the Rays on a 30-year lease agreement, with options to extend it to 40 club's existing 30-year usage agreement at Tropicana Field expires after the 2027 season, and the Rays are established to remain at their ball park until then. If the agreement is authorized and every little thing goes according to strategy, ball park construction would be start in late 2024 and be finished by late '27. Renderings of the brand-new ballpark and redeveloped Tropicana Field site in St. Petersburg recommended by Rays and Hines." We are celebrating our 25th anniversary as a ballclub. A generational fanbase is taking root Shawn Armstrong Shorts, " Sternberg claimed. "And today, we take a huge step forward to guaranteeing that the Rays followers will be below in Tampa fl Bay for generations and generations to find." The Rays would certainly start playing there on Opening Day 2028 and accomplish their oft-stated objective of keeping the club in the Tampa Bay location for generations to come." This will be a transformative job for the Rays, St. Petersburg and Pinellas Area, Sternberg said. We have happily served as Tampa fl Bay's Major Organization team for 25 years, and we are enjoyed remain in placement to do so for decades and generations to ball park is simply one part of the Rays and Hines' mixed-use district redevelopment plan, which also requires housing, workplace and clinical area, retail room, resort areas, senior living homes, an enjoyment location, conference and meeting area, the Woodson African American Museum of Florida and Rays have actually been looking for a brand-new ballpark in the Tampa florida Bay area for about 16 years. They introduced strategies in November 2007 for a stadium on the Al Lang Stadium site, could not get to an agreement with Hillsborough Region in 2018 for a suggested ball park in Ybor City, then had their split-season "Sibling City" proposal with Montreal turned down by MLB's Exec Council in January 2022. Tampa florida Bay has been among baseball's most successful clubs on the field over the previous 15 years, having secured its 9th postseason look because 2008 on Sunday, however ranked no greater than 28th in typical participation from 11-22. The Rays are 26th in the Majors this season, averaging 17, 778 followers per game, heading into their final regular-season club will deal with concerns concerning how building a new ballpark in about the same location as Tropicana Area could address its well-documented participation concerns. However the Rays believe that a new ball park, incorporated with the redeveloped area around it and their continued success on the area, will drive further interest and higher attendance numbers." We believe there's a variety of things that are mosting likely to enable us to materially enhance participation going onward, " team president Brian Auld said. "The very first is that we're going to have a far better ball park bordered by a first-rate location, so we anticipate more people to come to appreciate that incredible ball park and all the remarkable points we're mosting likely to have around it."