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Dream field could be reality
A Times Editorial
Published November 14, 2007
Afield of dreams is taking shape in downtown St. Petersburg, at least in the mind of Tampa Bay Rays principal owner Stuart Sternberg. This newspaper broke the story of the Rays' plans to build a new open-air stadium on the site of Al Lang Field on the downtown waterfront. If it were to happen, Tropicana Field with its umbrella roof would give way to mixed-use development just off the interstate.
The idea is certainly worth exploring, particularly when you consider details that have leaked out about the new stadium. It would have a nautical look and sail-like covering to protect fans and players from sun and rain, according to City Council Chairman James Bennett, who has seen the conceptual drawings. Also appealing is the fact that a new stadium would continue a colorful baseball legacy on the site, where legends such as Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig once strode. (In the interest of disclosure: The St. Petersburg Times is one of the Rays' sponsors, and the team's plans could make downtown property more valuable.)
Then reality sets in. Where will the money for a $450-million stadium come from when city, county and state officials are crying poor and taxpayers are fed up? The Rays have apparently committed to covering only a third of that amount.
Now that the secret is out, speculation is flying faster than a batted ball off a Rays reliever. Until Sternberg acknowledges his plans and provides more details, there is a danger that curiosity could be displaced by doubt and opposition. Better for the Rays to make the public a partner, and soon.
In addition to money, the issues that need to be addressed and debated include these: With no on-site parking at a new stadium, how will the city handle all of the traffic the Rays hope to generate? While there are parking lots scattered around the downtown, it is not clear that all of them would be available to the Rays. Even at the current stadium ringed by multilane roads, the city has a devil of a time handling the traffic at popular games.
A key element of the proposal would involve the sale and redevelopment of the Tropicana Field site. Set aside the sense of waste in demolishing a facility that is only 17 years old (though admittedly not the most pleasing venue), and the property just off the interstate has great appeal, particularly if part of it could be used to provide affordable housing. Yet this is not an ideal time economically to be pitching a big development project.
There are some practical concerns, too. How comfortable will fans be outside during a humid Florida summer, even if they are shaded and fanned? And exactly how will that roof-like canopy work? Perhaps most important, if they build it, will the fans come in greater numbers than they do now, especially if the Rays keep losing?
Even with such uncertainties, the idea is nearly as intriguing as a ghostly Shoeless Joe Jackson emerging from a corn field. No doubt the Rays are an asset to St. Petersburg and the entire Tampa Bay region, and a signature stadium could complete the remake of a spectacular stretch of waterfront that includes the renovated Mahaffey Theater and, likely, a new Salvador Dali Museum and waterfront park.
That is why Sternberg needs to go public with his dream, and the public needs to keep an open mind.
[Last modified November 13, 2007, 22:08:24]
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