ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The one noise now on the website of the previous Toytown landfill in St. Petersburg is from vehicles driving within the distance. It’s a sound that may very well be changed by the roars of cheering crowds.
“We went out in December to RFP [requests for proposals] for the Toytown website particularly for a youth sports activities event facility,” Brian Lowack, the president and CEO of Go to St. Pete-Clearwater, Pinellas County’s tourism advertising and marketing group, instructed the Vacationer Improvement Council at a gathering Wednesday.
“We all know that there is a robust demand for that right here in Pinellas County, within the Bay Space, within the southeast United States. And we did obtain some state funding just a few years in the past for that pre-site work,” Lowack mentioned.
The backstory:
The Florida Division of Environmental Safety closed the Toytown landfill in 1990. Ever since, a number of makes an attempt to redevelop the 235-acre website, together with a proposal to construct a spring coaching website for the Atlanta Braves, have failed.
The state legislature gave Pinellas County $15 million for environmental remediation of Toytown in 2022.
Dig deeper:
Clearwater-based Sports activities Amenities Firms believes it’s the perfect spot, close to I-275 and Roosevelt Boulevard, for a sports activities advanced. In February, the corporate submitted redevelopment plans to the county.
“SFC additional understands that the County ‘envisions a brand new neighborhood asset that gives high-quality open house and youth sports activities amenities to native, regional, and nationwide event audiences,’” it wrote in its submission.
“SFC may be very aware of the historical past of the Toytown and see this as a extremely strategic alternative for the County. Pinellas County’s award-winning seashores, tourism infrastructure, accessibility, and total enchantment make it a great vacation spot for Sports activities Tourism,” the corporate continued.
These plans embrace 20 turf baseball and softball diamonds, 17 fields for soccer, lacrosse, soccer and different sports activities, 12 sand volleyball courts, 24 pickleball courts and a cross-country course and strolling jogging path.
Additionally they envision a fancy able to internet hosting festivals and gala’s with sufficient parking for greater than 2,100 automobiles. The corporate estimates the fee at $150 million to $200 million, however says it might generate greater than $350 million of direct financial impression within the first 5 years.
Sports activities Amenities Firms says it operates greater than 60 venues throughout the nation, and had 35 million folks at its amenities final yr. The corporate additionally says it plans to work with specialists who focus on growing former landfill websites, saying it is aware of the positioning received’t be a simple one to develop.
“Now greater than ever, the demand continues to develop for aggressive youth sports activities tournaments,” Lowack mentioned. “The advantages and availability of a multi-use facility will be astronomical, and we need to be certain we’re capitalizing on that. Having a fancy centrally positioned as part of America’s Favourite Seashores would have an incredible financial profit to Pinellas County. We needed to make use of this course of to see what concepts could also be on the market to guage,” he mentioned.
What they’re saying:
Renewed talks round Toytown triggered Vacationer Improvement Council members to speak about different potential alternatives Wednesday, particularly after the brand new Rays stadium deal died.
“I feel it might be fascinating to form of try this, simply have a brainstorming session about potential alternatives and tasks, simply throw them up on a whiteboard and produce them again to this group for dialogue and see what the chances are,” Pinellas County Commissioner Brian Scott, Chair of the TDC, mentioned.
“As a result of, you realize, I feel we simply must plan at this level for, you realize, a future with out funding a stadium. And let’s have that plan prepared. Let’s have that plan able to go and begin being inventive about how we try this,” Scott mentioned.
The RFP was put out for the whole lot of the realm, which incorporates the Sparks RC Membership Flying Area, Lowack mentioned. He mentioned all plans would should be evaluated and mentioned, although, earlier than any remaining plans have been made.
Lowack mentioned they’re beginning to evaluation and consider Sports activities Amenities Firms’ proposal. The county says commissioners count on to be discussing it sooner or later, though there’s not but a selected timeline. Sports activities Amenities Firms was the one group to submit plans for the positioning.
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