ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — After St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch expressed his interest in moving forward with selecting a developer for the Historic Gas Plant District site, a city council member is asking the administration to pump the brakes.
St. Pete City Council member Brandi Gabbard filed a resolution asking the city administration to pursue a ‘planning-first framework’ before choosing a developer. The item will be discussed by city council members during Thursday’s meeting.
In response to the resolution, Welch issued a memo asking city council members to stay committed to action and progress.
“There are some who believe we should continue to further delay this development, but I want to be clear as I reaffirm my position — we should move forward to fulfill the decades-long promise of equitable and beneficial development of this site. The time for action is now,” Welch wrote.
Welch referenced at least four different rounds of proposals and community input sessions over the last decade, dating back to the HKS Master Planning in 2016, which took place under a former administration.
“With respect to timing, pausing all progress for yet another planning exercise — after proposals have been submitted — risks repeating a familiar and painful pattern for this community: plans discussed, promises acknowledged, and action deferred. St. Pete, including the families and descendants impacted by the original displacement, has already waited generations for meaningful progress. I do not believe further inaction serves them or the City,” Welch continued.
Welch has family ties to the Historic Gas Plant District, as does City Council member Corey Givens Jr., who supports what he calls a planning-first — not proposal-first — process.
“I have no problem telling the developers what we want to see at the Historic Gas Plant site — I don’t think it should be the other way around,” he said. “I care about honoring the history of that site, and I think we have to be intentional. Part of honoring the history of the site means taking a community-driven approach to doing so. That doesn’t mean proposal first, it means planning first, and we need the community to be a part of that process.”
The city of St. Pete has received 9 new proposals from groups that wish to redevelop the 86-acre site.
A discussion regarding the resolution is set to take place during Thursday’s city council meeting, which is set for 9 a.m.
A spokesperson for the city says it is in the administration’s purview to select a developer. But in order to get a funding vote to pass later down the line, the mayor would need city council support.
Angie Angers
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