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St. Petersburg raises more issues with Rays ballpark plan

By Aaron Sharockman, Times Staff Writer
In print: Saturday, April 19, 2008

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ST. PETERSBURG — The city laid out a fresh set of stadium hurdles for the Tampa Bay Rays late Friday, further complicating an already complex deal.

In a 45-page ballpark analysis released to the City Council, city staffers raised several issues related to a downtown 34,000-seat ballpark.

Among them:

• Parking may not be as plentiful as the Rays contend.

• The stadium's proposed design would interfere with the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg.

• And the location of Rays' team offices near the Mahaffey Theater would infringe on the city's arts hub.

City officials stopped short of recommending against the stadium proposal but said they expect changes to the Rays' plan.

Team senior vice president Michael Kalt said Friday he believed the team could resolve the city's concerns.

"We think we can work it out," Kalt said.

For their study, city officials hired transportation consultant Kimley-Horn and Associates to review the work of the Rays' parking consultant.

Both consultants agreed that the team needs 11,950 available parking spaces to accommodate a sellout crowd.

They differed, however, on how to find 11,950 spaces.

The Rays counted spaces that were up to three-quarters of a mile away from the stadium, while the city's consultant suggested constructing a 3,500-space parking garage.

The analysis does not contemplate who should pay for a new garage.

On the Grand Prix, the city said the Rays must adjust plans to a 2-acre park at the north end of the stadium to make way for the race course. The city also said the Rays must widen Bayshore Drive to accommodate that portion of the course.

Kalt said the team believes it can honor both requests.

The team also is being asked to relocate its proposed offices from the northwest corner of the adjacent Mahaffey Theater site.

That site, the city says, should remain part of the Progress Energy Center for the Arts.

Kalt said the Rays likely will be able to include their offices either in the ballpark itself or somewhere else on the Al Lang Field site.