First Things First
Before choosing a proposal, should St. Petersburg first decide how it wants the Historic Gas Plant site redeveloped?
St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch has three proposals on the table for the future of the Historic Gas Plant site.
One would put a master developer in charge.
Another would put a different master developer in charge.
A third would have the city retain ownership but hire an outside team to manage the process.
(Of course any proposal selected by the mayor would ultimately have to be approved by the City Council.)
Each proposal is different.
But they all have one thing in common.
They already assume they know how redevelopment should happen.
The future of the Gas Plant is too important to rely on what any proposal team thinks the answer should be.
Mayor Welch should pause the current selection process, create a short-term public review process to evaluate the alternatives, include community input, and make sure the city gets this decision right.
The city should first decide what redevelopment approach best serves St. Petersburg.
Are We Starting in the Middle?
I think we are.
The three proposals were submitted in response to the process Mayor Welch established, effectively asking each proposer to present what they believe is the best approach to developing the property.
Doesn’t that mean we are evaluating answers before deciding the question?
And I believe that question is:
Who should lead the redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant site?
Should the city lead?
Should a master developer lead?
Should there be some form of public-private partnership?
Or should there be another approach entirely?
Those are decisions that belong to the city and the community—not to any proposal team and not to any mayor.
Why This Matters
The Historic Gas Plant is one of the most important public assets St. Petersburg will ever own.
What happens there will help shape our city for decades.
We should make sure we are asking the right question before choosing an answer.
What I Think Should Happen
The city should create a short-term public review process to evaluate the alternatives and determine the best redevelopment approach.
The review process should be transparent and public. Citizens should be able to see the alternatives being evaluated, hear from experts, and provide input before recommendations are made.
This doesn’t need to take years. It could likely be completed in a matter of months.
The goal is simple:
Decide the approach first.
Then decide how to implement it.
Then decide what expertise is needed, if any.
The Bottom Line
This shouldn’t be a debate about which proposal is best.
It should be a discussion about how St. Petersburg should make one of the most important decisions in its history.
Mayor Welch should pause the current selection process, create a short-term public review process to evaluate the alternatives, include community input, and make sure the city gets this decision right.
👉 Click below to read the full article on Home Runs Matter: