Fresh off new talks and agreements about a potential new home in Tampa, the Tampa Bay Rays have released their first renderings of a new baseball stadium and mixed-use district they want to build at Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.
The release from the Rays refers to the new stadium and location as the club’s “Forever Home,” with a stadium that could hold 31,000 nestled into a mixed-use entertainment, education and residential neighborhood. This comes after years and even decades of the team trying to secure a permanent, long-term location. Their most recent plans for a similar concept in St. Pete fell through after the 2024 hurricane season damaged Tropicana Field and resulted in increased construction costs due to setbacks. The franchise has since transitioned to new ownership.
Renderings via Tampa Bay Rays
A core piece of the plan is the “Champions Quarter,” which the club describes as “a vibrant destination neighborhood that blends baseball and culture into a walkable, retail-rich district that brings people together well beyond game days. The district and its partnerships will strengthen Tampa Bay’s regional identity and enhance the area’s quality of life through great public spaces and amenities that serve residents, visitors and fans.”
The announcement emphasized that the renderings and plans are preliminary and will evolve as the project takes shape. The team is planning community engagement sessions to get feedback from locals as they create a plan that fits the desires of the City and County and their citizens. The new stadium site would place the Rays near the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the New York Yankees Spring Training stadiums.
The key piece of this plan, as it was with the previous one in St. Pete, is securing funding. St. Pete and Hillsborough County had promised roughly $600 million in support. Hillsborough County and the City of Tampa have yet to make any guarantees on funding, and both Raymond James Stadium and Benchmark International Arena are in line for upgrades that will be at least partially publicly-funded.
The announcement comes after the Hillsborough College Board of Trustees approved a Memorandum of Understanding with the Rays to redevelop the Dale Mabry campus as part of a new ballpark district, while the Hillsborough County Commission voted unanimously on Wednesday to begin negotiations with the Rays on proposed ballpark funding. The plan and partnership with Hillsborough College “are designed to improve campus facilities, expand workforce development, curriculum and internship opportunities for more than 45,000 students, and reinforce the site as a key driver of regional growth.”
According to the Rays, the project is envisioned as a public–private partnership, with ballpark costs shared between the team, Hillsborough County, and the City of Tampa. The broader, multi-billion-dollar, mixed-use development will be 100 percent privately financed.
Renderings via Tampa Bay Rays
“I’m incredibly grateful for what our organization and the Tampa community have accomplished in just over 100 days since acquiring the team, and of the progress we are making together toward a Forever Home for the Rays and our loyal fans,” said Patrick Zalupski, Managing Partner of the Tampa Bay Rays. “Hillsborough County’s unanimous vote is a significant milestone and a clear signal that Tampa is serious about keeping Major League Baseball in this region and transforming Tampa Bay for generations to come.”
“We are moving into the next phase of this process with excellent momentum, thanks to the outstanding support of community leaders and our staff and partners here at the Tampa Bay Rays,” added Ken Babby, Chief Executive Officer of the Tampa Bay Rays. “We’re proud to share our bold and dynamic vision for the ballpark, and believe strongly in its ability to benefit the team and our fans, Hillsborough College, the surrounding neighborhoods and the entire region.”
“Our community can be assured, however, that we want the ballpark and district design to reflect the voices of the people who live, work, study, and operate businesses here. In that spirit, we look forward to meeting and listening to as many people from across Tampa Bay as we can in the weeks ahead.”
The news is an exciting step forward for the Tampa Bay Rays as they work to secure a long-term home. In the coming weeks, the Rays, Hillsborough College, and local officials will host a series of community engagement sessions across the county. These meetings will give baseball fans, Hillsborough College students and faculty, nearby residents, and community and business leaders opportunities to review the evolving concepts, ask questions, and share feedback that will help shape the final design. Details on dates, times, and locations for these sessions will be announced shortly.
Fans can learn more about the project at NewBallpark.RaysBaseball.com. The Rays begin Spring Training later this month and return to Tropicana Field on April 6 against the Chicago Cubs in the regular season.