Downtown St. Petersburg has experienced a remarkable renaissance in the last decade.  The downtown area has come alive with new shops and restaurants visited by residents and tourists alike. Despite this revitalization, the city’s vibrant downtown core is relatively small and remains cut off from surrounding amenities and neighborhoods by inactive streetscapes and storefronts.  On the western edge of downtown, Tropicana Field’s vast ocean of surface parking discourages fans from contributing to the economic vitality of downtown St. Petersburg.  

A new waterfront ballpark, including new public parks, will expand the downtown core of St. Petersburg, increase spending at local business, and attract tens of thousands of residents and tourists to the downtown’s spectacular waterfront.

Most ballparks built since the completion of Tropicana Field have been integrated into the downtown cores of America’s cities. Urban ballparks throughout the country have been successful at increasing tourism, downtown business growth, and surrounding property values. The following case studies describe the impacts of new ballparks in San Francisco, San Diego and Denver.