Committee To Study Five Locations For Potential Rays Ballpark
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ABC Studying Whether Rays Should Leave
Tropicana Field For New Home Or Not |
Sites in downtown Tampa, the West Shore district, the fairgrounds in eastern Hillsborough County, downtown St. Petersburg and in central Pinellas County are "all being considered" by A Baseball Community (ABC), the panel that is "studying whether the Rays should leave Tropicana Field for a new home," according to Jeff Harrington of the ST. PETERSBURG TIMES. ABC Chair Jeff Lyash Thursday said that the group is "examining potential sites in those five 'trade areas' and anticipates detailed reports on each region by August." The reports would "consider income levels in surrounding neighborhoods, population within a 30- to 45-minute drive and availability of land." Harrington notes though the Rays up until this point have "avoided considering Hillsborough County as a viable option," the downtown Tampa, West Shore district and fairgrounds locations are all in the county. However, the "odds of a Hillsborough location becoming home for a new stadium are slim," and only one member of ABC, Sykes Enterprises CEO Chuck Sykes, is from the county, with the rest of the 11-member BOD from either St. Petersburg or Pinellas County. Rays Senior VP/Development & Business Affairs Michael Kalt Thursday "declined to discuss the merits of specific sites, but the team has said it prefers a location closer to the population center of the Tampa Bay area." Harrington notes the ABC study "won't even begin to address who would pay for the ballpark, or if the city of St. Petersburg would allow the Rays out of an agreement that keeps them in the city through 2027." Meanwhile, in the wake of Rays President Matt Silverman "calling the lack of fans in the stands 'bewildering'" for this week's Phillies-Rays series, ABC also is "studying ways to increase fan and business support for the Rays" (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 6/26).
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