Council must act now.
St. Petersburg is being pushed into a premature developer selection process with high risk and no justification.
St. Petersburg is being pushed into a rushed, 30-day sprint toward developer proposals for the 86-acre Gas Plant District — before the city has a plan, before the public is involved, and before any serious analysis has been completed.
This is not just unusual.
This approach is premature and exposes the city to unnecessary risks.
This is not how any successful city manages its most valuable public land.
It is not how major districts are planned.
And it is certainly not how to protect the public’s interest.
The Mayor may prefer “proposal first,” but City Council has the authority — and the duty — to stop this now.
It takes five votes.
Five voices saying:
“We will not approve a proposal-first developer selection. Planning comes first.”
Nothing else will prevent a bad deal from taking root.
Why Proposal-First Is Reckless
1. Developers cannot produce real proposals in 30 days.
Any documents submitted in this timeframe will be:
Non-binding
Non-financed
Non-engineered
Filled with assumptions
Banks and investors will rewrite them later anyway — meaning Council will be voting blind today on what will become an entirely different project tomorrow.
2. The city is being asked to lock in value before creating value.
Land without:
a street grid
a phasing plan
infrastructure analysis
market testing
community framework
…is worth far less than land with those elements.
Locking in terms now is equivalent to selling your house before you’ve measured the lot, checked the zoning, or inspected the structure.
It makes no sense — and it costs millions.
3. Choosing one developer today concentrates all the risk.
If that developer later:
loses financing
shifts priorities
gets bought out
or simply changes direction
…the entire project stalls.
Cities lose decades this way.
4. The public has been cut out of the process.
A 30-day developer rush is not community engagement.
It is not transparency.
It is not planning.
And it is not how you build trust — especially on land with a history like the Gas Plant.
5. The city cannot “fix it later.”
Once a developer is selected, the structure becomes locked in.
A flawed beginning cannot be corrected midstream.
What Planning First Makes Possible
1. It defines what success looks like — before negotiations begin.
Planning-first answers:
How many homes?
What kind?
What parks and public spaces?
What jobs and sectors?
What cultural assets?
How do streets, mobility, and resilience integrate?
How do we honor history?
Only after answering these can a developer meaningfully respond.
2. It preserves the city’s ability to capture full land value.
With a real plan:
Parcels gain value
Phasing is rational
Competition increases
The public benefits financially
Planning-first can produce tens of millions more for the community over time.
3. It spreads risk across multiple developers.
Major districts today are built by many developers, not one.
4. It honors the significance of the land.
This site deserves a careful, inclusive, professional process — not a sprint.
5. It allows the people of St. Petersburg to participate.
A Community Advisory Council and national planning team should shape the outcome, not be bypassed by speed.
City Council Must Act — Now
The Mayor is advancing a process that is:
too fast
too early
too shallow
too risky
and unsupported by best practices
Council cannot wait until proposals appear — by then momentum will force a choice.
The time for action is before proposals are submitted.
Five Council members can simply and clearly say:
“No developer selection without planning first.
No 30-day rush.
No proposals before a framework.”
This is reasonable.
This is responsible.
This is what well-governed cities do.
And this is what St. Petersburg must do before a flawed process becomes irreversible.
What St. Pete Should Do Instead
1. Bring in a national planning firm immediately.
ULI, Civitas, or similar experts can create:
a parcelization plan
infrastructure and mobility strategies
market testing
conceptual frameworks
2. Form a Community Advisory Council.
Not symbolic — real representation and deliberation.
3. Update the 2022 guidelines into a true planning framework.
The raw material already exists.
4. THEN issue competitive RFPs by parcel or phase.
Developers will bring real commitments and real financing only after the city provides the foundation.
This Is Our One Chance
We will never again have 86 acres in the center of our city.
We will never again have this opportunity to:
honor history
build a district with purpose
bring people together
create value for generations
A rushed proposal-first approach is not worthy of St. Petersburg.
A planning-first approach is.
Plan first. Then pick developers. Then build a legacy.
— Ron Diner
Home Runs Matter
IF YOU AGREE — TELL CITY COUNCIL NOW
City Council will only take a strong stand if they hear from the people they represent.
If you believe St. Petersburg should plan first, not rush into developer proposals, please email your Council Members and ask them to support a planning-first resolution for the 86-acre Gas Plant District.
When you write to them, please cc: homerunsmatter@gmail.com so we can track community support.
Send your message to:
City Council Administrative Officer
jayne.ohlman@stpete.org
And to each Council Member individually:
copley.gerdes@stpete.org
gina.driscoll@stpete.org
richie.floyd@stpete.org
lisset.hanewicz@stpete.org
brandi.gabbard@stpete.org
corey.givens@stpete.org
deborah.figgs-sanders@stpete.org
mike.harding@stpete.org
Your voice matters.
And this is the moment to use it. A SAMPLE EMAIL YOU CAN COPY AND SEND
Subject: Please Take Action: Vote for a Planning-First Process for the Gas Plant
Dear Council Members,
I am writing to respectfully ask you to take formal action to ensure a planning-first process for the 86-acre Gas Plant District.
Specifically, I ask that you:
Publicly state that the City will not select a developer through a proposal-first approach, and
Approve a resolution requiring a planning framework — led by a national planning firm and community engagement — before any developer is chosen.
The current 30-day proposal sprint puts the city at risk. Without a planning framework, the city would be evaluating proposals without clear requirements, without a street grid or parcel plan, without infrastructure analysis, and without meaningful public involvement. This is not how successful cities approach major redevelopment.
A planning-first process will allow St. Petersburg to:
Define what success looks like before negotiations begin
Capture full land value through phased, competitive development
Reduce risk by avoiding reliance on a single developer
Honor the site’s history and engage the community
Ensure decisions reflect what truly matters for the city’s long-term future
This project is too important — and the land too valuable — to rush.
Please act now to restore a responsible process: affirm that no developer will be selected before planning is complete, and begin that planning work immediately.
Thank you for your service and leadership.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Neighborhood]
