Sign the Letter: Pause the Gas Plant Process and Plan First
St. Petersburg is considering one of the most important redevelopment decisions in the city’s history. The Historic Gas Plant District consists of approximately 86 acres of publicly owned land in the heart of our city. The decision made today will affect St. Petersburg for generations.
I have sent the following letter to Mayor Ken Welch asking him to pause the current process, create a public plan for the site, and retain public control before selecting a master developer.
If you agree, I invite you to add your name in support.
Letter to Mayor Ken Welch
Mayor Welch,
You are expected to recommend one of three proposals for the future of the Historic Gas Plant District. Two would place responsibility for redeveloping the entire 86-acre site in the hands of a single development team.
I respectfully ask that you pause before making that recommendation.
Over the past several weeks, I have written about ten cities that successfully redeveloped major public properties by planning first and retaining public control. I have also written about six redevelopment projects where developer-led approaches failed to deliver the results communities expected. Most recently, I examined a project much closer to home.
Nearly seven years ago, the City selected a development team to redevelop the former Police Headquarters site. Today, nearly seven years later, the only completed structure on the property is a parking garage.
This is not intended as criticism of the developers involved. Development is difficult. Markets change. Financing conditions change. Interest rates change. Plans change. Teams change.
But that is precisely the lesson.
When a city places responsibility for an entire project in the hands of a single development team, the future of that project becomes tied to circumstances that no one can predict.
The Historic Gas Plant District is not a two-acre site.
It is 86 acres of publicly owned land in the heart of St. Petersburg and one of the most valuable public assets our city will ever control.
The question is not whether any particular developer is capable. The question is why St. Petersburg should assume this risk when another option exists.
The City can create a public plan first. The City can determine the streets, parks, public spaces, infrastructure, development standards, and community priorities before selecting developers. The City can then invite multiple developers to compete for individual parcels over time.
That approach reduces risk, increases competition, preserves flexibility, and keeps control in the hands of the public. If one project slows down, the entire district does not stop.
If one developer encounters difficulties, other projects can continue moving forward. The City remains in control of its future.
Mayor Welch, I believe the Gas Plant site is too important to place in the hands of a single development team before the City has first established a comprehensive public plan.
I respectfully ask that you pause the current process and pursue a city-led planning effort before selecting a master developer for the site.
Future generations will live with the consequences of this decision. We have one opportunity to get it right.
Respectfully,
Ron Diner
HomeRunsMatter.com
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