The Tampa Bay Rays baseball team in Florida are planning to move to a new stadium, recently revealing the design of a future $2.3 billion ballpark. While the construction timeline hasn’t been released, the team owners anticipate opening the park by 2029.
The stadium will host more than just sporting events as part of a larger vision to build a mixed-use district at Hillsborough College. The university’s Board of Trustees has already approved a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) permitting the team to redevelop the Dale Mabry campus.
The team and city are approaching the project through a public-private partnership (P3) delivery model for the ballpark, leaving the mixed-use development as an entirely privately funded venture. The Rays anticipate covering half of the total project cost as well as cost overruns, repairs and maintenance and future improvements.
Initial renderings for the ballpark depict the covered stadium exterior alongside the refreshed and updated mixed-use district accompanying the facility. The layout has been split into four sections:
- Champions Quarter.
- Innovation Edge featuring Hillsborough College.
- The Canopy.
- The Row.
The site in total will cover around 130 acres in the city’s Westshore Dist rict and Dale Mabry campus. Estimated to have a capacity of 31,000, the stadium will feature easy entrance and exit points while offering diverse seating, celebration areas and year-round event spaces.
The Champions Quarter will be a walkable destination neighborhood blending sports and culture in a retail-focused atmosphere. Once completed, the area will feature stores, public spaces and amenities geared to enhance the experience for residents and visitors.
The project will be completed in partnership with Hillsborough College, including a complete refresh of the college’s facilities. The Innovation Edge portion of the site will operate as a hub for learning, health, performance and discovery based on Tampa Bay’s emerging innovation economy.
The Canopy, much like the Champions Quarter, will serve as a parkside neighborhood, featuring ample shade, greenery and other amenities to facilitate a walkable campus. Plans include building The Row to serve as the site’s signature street, cutting through the park to connect pedestrians with amenities and improve mobility. The project is still in progress with the design subject to change based on site studies and new concepts.
Rendering courtesy of the Tampa Bay Rays
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