A Response to Recent Comments by Ken Welch
This post has been shared with Mayor Welch and members of City Council.
In a recent interview, Mayor Welch suggested that Home Runs Matter is advocating for “million-dollar condos” at the Historic Gas Plant site, and that Home Runs Matter has delayed progress without offering a plan.
That is simply not true.
I’ve already addressed similar comments—made previously—here:
https://homerunsmatter.com/mayor-radio-interview-gas-plant-response/
But it’s worth being clear again.
What Has Actually Been Said
Home Runs Matter has not advocated for luxury condos—or any specific development outcome.
The position has been consistent:
- Do not pre-determine the outcome
- Do not turn over 86 acres of public land to a single developer
- Start by defining what kind of place this should be—for the community
This includes public space, cultural uses, and phased development.
This is not about promoting a project.
It’s about how decisions are made.
What Has Been Proposed
The claim that there has been “no plan” ignores what has actually been proposed.
The approach outlined by Home Runs Matter—and informed by discussions with national planning organizations and how similar sites are being approached across the country—is a planning-first approach:
- Define what the city wants this site to be—public space, uses, and priorities
- Establish how decisions will be made and who is involved, including an advisory structure
- Bring in independent, national expertise
- Create a real advisory structure
These are not delays.
They are how you produce a plan.
Because planning leads to a decision about how the site will be developed—
whether the city leads, a developer leads, or some combination.
That decision has not been made.
Until it is, there is no real plan—only proposals.
On Timing
There is no immediate deadline forcing a decision.
The Rays will continue to use Tropicana Field for several more years.
We have time—three years, possibly more—to get this right.
This is a long-term decision for St. Petersburg.
Taking the time to do it properly is not delay.
It is responsibility.
What’s Not Being Addressed
It’s notable that the focus is on Home Runs Matter, rather than the substance of what’s been raised.
There has been no clear, fact-based explanation from the St. Petersburg administration for moving forward now:
- Why move forward without establishing a real advisory structure? Informal meetings and additional workshops are not the same as a structured, ongoing advisory group designed to provide independent perspective on decisions of this scale
- Why not bring in independent, national expertise to understand how projects like this have been successfully approached in other cities?
- The administration appears to be moving toward a single-developer approach, but there has been no clear, fact-based explanation for why that is the right path for this site
Saying “planning has already been done” does not make it so.
A real planning process produces a clear framework for decision-making.
That has not happened.
The Path Forward
The administration has now outlined a timeline that would lead to selecting a developer as early as June—before fundamental questions have been addressed: how the redevelopment will be led—including whether the city should play a primary role or rely on a single developer—what structure will guide decision-making, and what independent expertise will be brought in to support it.
Moving forward under that timeline does not make sense—especially after a 6–2 vote of the City Council calling for a planning-first approach.
The process should not continue until these questions are resolved.
Leadership
Situations like this call for clarity and focus.
Leadership is not about redirecting the conversation.
It’s about engaging directly with the facts and the questions being raised.
It means:
- Addressing substance, not characterizations
- Explaining decisions clearly and with supporting facts
- Ensuring the process reflects the importance of the decision
That’s especially true when the stakes are this high.
What This Is About
This is not about any one person.
It is about whether the city:
- Defines a clear vision
- Establishes a transparent process
- Makes decisions in the long-term public interest
That’s what matters.
