The Tribune has a feature on something we have all discussed and or thought about - a new stadium.

Predicatbly they go with retractible roof (good)

THey also list locations

My preference would be dt Tampa, but I would be happy with dt St. Pete (parking lot of Tropicana). THe rest stuck.

I also object to their exclusive Tampa focus - typically myopia for the papers around here.

HEre is the link:
http://www.tbo.com/sports/special/raysstadium/

^A Tampa focus makes me wonder why such a feature exists on the website in the first place. Coincidence that this follows a number of public revisions of the team's image by new owners??? [Probably, but fun to speculate.]

I think the I-4/I-75 Junction site would make the most sense. High traffic volume, easy accessibility from a multi-county perspective, relatively cheap, and a catalyst of development in a rather under-utilized area of a county bursting with growth.

As I posted in the now closed thread:

The stadium paying homage to local herritage with facade and stuff is nice, but the Plant Hall Spires on top look down right corny on this design. IMO However, a brick facade looking like 7th Ave. or cigar factories would be pretty cool in the right location.

They need some better locations. Purely as a Rays fan, a downtown Tampa location would be cool. But that would probably be way more difficult, econamically, politically and just fitting in the 'hood, then a location mentioned.

Anyway Tampa has been a baseball town for a long time, especially with all the hispanics and former and current players on the Tampa side. I think it should be in Tampa, although I realize that may be difficult with leases and all.

Well Tampa is more convenient, but Pinellas would be ok.

BRandon would just be a waste - with no useful spinoff and alienating all the Pinellas fans. In fact, I am more inclined to go to St. PEte than Brandon

I stated earlier, but will state it again. I think a stadium on the Tampa Park Apartments (pink apartments by Nuccio) would be a great location. Downtown in the background, walking distance for both Ybor and Channelside. In fact, a project of this size could possibly be the link between the two districts.

Downtown St. Pete would be alright, too, as long as it is on the water.

As I posted in the now closed thread:

The stadium paying homage to local herritage with facade and stuff is nice, but the Plant Hall Spires on top look down right corny on this design. IMO However, a brick facade looking like 7th Ave. or cigar factories would be pretty cool in the right location.

They need some better locations. Purely as a Rays fan, a downtown Tampa location would be cool. But that would probably be way more difficult, econamically, politically and just fitting in the 'hood, then a location mentioned.

Anyway Tampa has been a baseball town for a long time, especially with all the hispanics and former and current players on the Tampa side. I think it should be in Tampa, although I realize that may be difficult with leases and all.

I have to disagree there, because if I'm looking for a building that everyone is going to like in Tampa and is appealing to people watching the TV, I would go with the most pleasing historical structure in Tampa. I think it would go great on the Tampa Park apts.
And also for such a baseball city, we kind of suck....Is it really worth it?
Actually looking at this, I really enjoy this design, its a perfect mixture of modern and old architecture, this is a beautiful structure, now the 2nd half of the struggle here is to place it in the correct area.
I'm in love with the architect who designed this.

As posted on Dave's original thread:

Unimaginative roof structure -- they copied Miller Park's roof. I like the idea / concept of working in minarets a la University of Tampa but the overall architecture doesn't support that aesthetic.

I like the large glass outfield wall panel as one of the biggest limitations in the Trop is the lack of natural light.

The concept is there but the imagination - not so much IMHO. Locations are also unimaginative (RJS parking lot, Interstate, toytown landfill, and the impossible Al Lang Location).

I posted this elsewhere on these fancy fangled interwebs:

The Tampa Tribune decided to piecemeal several current stadium concepts into one new ballpark for the Tampa Bay Devil Rays -- You can check out the design and the features on their web site. (http://www.tbo.com/sports/special/raysstadium/)

A retractable roof structure (of the clam-design featured at Miller Park (http://www.ballparks.com/baseball/national/miller.htm) in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) is employed with minarets (a la the University of Tampa (http://www.utampa.edu/)'s Plant Hall). The model is viewable from 360 degrees and is not an officially proposed stadium for the Rays. This is just wishful thinking by the staff at the Tribune. No doubt that wishful thinking also includes the stadium being dubbed Tampa Tribune Ballpark, with the stadium located in downtown St. Petersburg. After all, the Tribune needs a retort for the St. Petersburg Times owning naming rights to the arena formerly known as Ice Palace in downtown Tampa (http://www.boltsmag.com/the-st-pete-times-forum/).

There is a forthcoming article about this proposal scheduled to be published this Sunday (7-08-07) in the Tribune.

The minarets are unique to UT and the old courthouse. I don't want to see them on everything Tampa. Please no!!

A location in the Cemtral Park Village would be great or maybe there's enough room at Riverfront Park across the river from TBPAC

The most probable location is the St. Pete Gateway area. There's a lot of restaurants and m/hotels and it's convenient to Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee, etc. Also it would help to keep the Battle of the Bay cooled(you know, Tampa vs St Pete)

The minaret design will not work anywhere but Downtown Tampa. It would be ridiculous to include that facade anywhere in St. Pete and any other place in Tampa. It would look completely out of place next to Raymond James.

I like the Nuccio apartment spot. Perfect location for post game fun and lots of parking and transportation options. Downtown Tampa has plenty of land for a stadium close to the St. Pete. Times Forum.

The minarets are unique to UT and the old courthouse. I don't want to see them on everything Tampa. Please no!!

A location in the Cemtral Park Village would be great or maybe there's enough room at Riverfront Park across the river from TBPAC

The most probable location is the St. Pete Gateway area. There's a lot of restaurants and m/hotels and it's convenient to Pinellas, Hillsborough, Pasco, Manatee, etc. Also it would help to keep the Battle of the Bay cooled(you know, Tampa vs St Pete)

too bad the old Courthouse is gone, and I'm really pissed that they never rebuilt it.
I would like to see more buildings that depict the minaret.
Tampa Towers had a minaret on the top and it looked really cool, however itis more of a modern minaret than any, or rather a dome, but stilll.

You could only put that stadium in downtown for sure, If there was a enough space, a good place would be on the U.T Campus lol.

Well Tampa is more convenient, but Pinellas would be ok.

BRandon would just be a waste - with no useful spinoff and alienating all the Pinellas fans. In fact, I am more inclined to go to St. PEte than Brandon
Agreed.


I also wonder why this was put out into the public realm and ultimately at whose behest.

Probably a combination of a slow news week and an editor being annoyed at the drive from Tampa to St Pete for a game. I wouldn't invest too much thought into it. The Tribune does a lot of things that don't make sense.

^Hey, don't get me wrong... If the Trib wants to do sort off the wall, 'different' things like this from time to time, have at it. I just wish that they would keep up better on reporting urban developments and the merits of them...

^Hey, don't get me wrong... If the Trib wants to do sort off the wall, 'different' things like this from time to time, have at it. I just wish that they would keep up better on reporting urban developments and the merits of them.

How can they when they hate Tampa?

^The Times hates Tampa, the Trib just doesn't do the best job in general.

I would really appreciate if the Trib did another one of those big maps with the urban developments, some good in depth updates on projects, and maybe a future skyline graphic like what the Times has done with St. Pete in the past.

Anyway, they have a full two pages of quotes and more in depth study of the new this Rays stadium idea in the paper today.

The Times hates tampa, The Trib hates journalism. :P

But like Jason, I don't mind the off the wall stuff development so much. It can only spur conversations about development, which is a good thing.

btw... I don't think the Times 'hates' Tampa so much as they are willing to lay their perspective on the line and people can make of it what they will. Not sure if they're right, but give them credit for at least engaging in a dialogue, which is more than we get from most govt 'leaders', who provide just enough sunshine and smoke to assuage concerns until just past the next election.

its all opinion but I like the minarets on a park in Tampa or St. Pete

I would rather the ballpark have a view of the minarets, instead of getting corny on us.

Btw, I actually like the idea of a ballpark being next to Ray Jay, provided the land around it is actually redeveloped into something walkable and interesting, not just some corporate boxes with out parcels. And it is clear that either Dale Mabry would need the US19 treatment down to I-275, and probably up to Busch/Gunn, or rail/true brt service would need to run by the stadiums, connecting to parking facilities elsewhere around town. Oh and my brief take on dealmaking, govt can give the land and build the infra, let the team and the league build their own stadium and rake in the revs.

Of course, the Glazers would probably never hear of it, nor would any other owner I suspect, so why bother with a moot point? The site next to Ray-Jay flat out isn't going to happen.

BTW - doesn't the lease of RJS have money from events at the stadium and in the parking lots going to the Bucs? I thought they get a big percentage.

THe area around RJS will NOT be redeveloped in an urban way because of West Tampa residents. That is a major reason not to have it there - though it is the easiest location for me to get to. Look - the whole point of urban baseball stadia is that there are numerous games over months to support businesses. any location surrounded by parking fails this - like Tropicana because they put it on the wrond side of the lot (or the Marlins stadium) or a lot out on 75.

The AL Lopez Park looks good, but everything else is well, blah! I don't really understand the concept of the I-4/I-75 proposal though.

^^ maybe it was last year or the year before, NPR, but you suggested the former Winn-Dixie site on Kennedy Boulevard. I think I ended up mentioning that there was a busy car dealership nearby.

I was driving down Kennedy just a week or 2 ago and I noticed the car dealer lot was empty. I don't recall if there was a project planned for this spot or what but a location like that would be interesting.

This discussion (stadium location) is going on in a sports forum (sun sports TV's TB Lightning forum) and someone mentioned how several studies actually suggested a I-4/75 location for a stadium in the 1980's. I'm personally not big on the concept but that spot would open up Tampa Bay baseball to more Central Florida residents (even if several Pinellas residents were turned off by it).

Yeah, I remember. It just looked so good for a stadium to be built there. Big enough space for a stadium and parking space. But I was judging that just from Google Maps and never really been passed there, though I think I haven't. Maybe that can be another site proposal, but the only that would be thought of is traffic and nearby residents.

My Opinion-Minarets should be avoided, it trivializes the real thing on Plant Hall. It would be totally ridiculous on a stadium.

I didn't see the Central Park site shown as an option in the trib.

A downtown view (Tampa or St. Petersburg) from an open stadium roof seems ideal. The Gateway area (Toytown landfill) in Pinellas seems convenient for everybody.

^^ maybe it was last year or the year before, NPR, but you suggested the former Winn-Dixie site on Kennedy Boulevard. I think I ended up mentioning that there was a busy car dealership nearby.

I was driving down Kennedy just a week or 2 ago and I noticed the car dealer lot was empty. I don't recall if there was a project planned for this spot or what but a location like that would be interesting.


That used to be Ferman Chrysler which, in turn, used to be Ferman Oldsmobile before Olds ceased to exist. Its also where Tampa put a big sign up explaining they realize how Kennedy is the gateway to Tampa and they'll totally be making it nice at some point in the future perhaps possibly there's a chance. :banana: