{"id":570433,"date":"2026-02-13T15:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T15:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/570433\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T15:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T15:42:15","slug":"hillsborough-college-president-embraces-rays-ballpark-plan-says-it-could-transform-dale-mabry-campus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/570433\/","title":{"rendered":"Hillsborough College President embraces Rays ballpark plan, says it could transform Dale Mabry campus"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hillsborough College<\/a> President Ken Atwater<\/a> is embracing a proposal to anchor a new Tampa Bay Rays<\/a> ballpark and mixed-use district at the Dale Mabry campus, calling it a once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform the college.<\/p>\n

After weeks of accelerating negotiations, state endorsements and early concept releases, Atwater told Florida Politics the proposal would give the college a chance to rebuild aging facilities, modernize the learning environment and position itself at the center of a broader regional redevelopment effort.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is going to be a game changer for us in relation to what we do at the Dale Mabry campus,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cIn regard to facilities it is a game changer for us. We\u2019re moving almost to a brand-new campus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atwater said the Rays approached the college last Fall with a vision that included the institution as an integral part of the site. The concept, first unveiled publicly<\/a> on Feb. 5, envisions a 31,000-seat ballpark surrounded by retail, entertainment, residential and academic space.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey began talking about their vision for the site,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cTheir vision simply included developing what they call a \u2018live, learn, work and play area\u2019 on the site, and that included us as being a part of the site.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The Dale Mabry campus encompasses roughly 120 acres. Atwater said the Rays were seeking approximately 100 acres for the stadium and surrounding development, leaving room for the college to remain on-site \u2014 though in a reconfigured footprint.<\/p>\n

The proposal would allow the college to replace aging infrastructure across the campus.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are living in almost 600,000 square feet of old facilities that constantly have repair work needs,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cI tease my faculty and staff that we\u2019ll have elevators that work. But truly, the upgrade on the facility enhancement will be amazing. Truly, truly amazing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hillsborough College\u2019s Board of Trustees voted Jan. 20<\/a> to authorize negotiations through a nonbinding memorandum of understanding, clearing the way for discussions over a long-term lease and redevelopment agreement. Hillsborough County followed suit on Feb. 4, voting to open negotiations with the Rays<\/a> about potential public financing, with debate already focusing on whether Community Investment Tax dollars could be used.<\/p>\n

State legislators will also consider a $50 million appropriations request<\/a> from the college sponsored by Zephyrhills Republican Sen. Danny Burgess<\/a>. Atwater confirmed the funding would support planning and construction tied to a reimagined campus, though he cautioned that specific designs are not yet complete.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Gov. Ron DeSantis<\/a> signaled that the state could be willing to support redevelopment of the college campus<\/a> \u2014 so long as state funds do not go directly toward construction of the ballpark \u2014 during a press conference at the Dale Mabry campus on Feb. 3. The House budget proposal, released Thursday, does not include the $50 million<\/a> appropriation but it could still be a part of the Senate budget proposal expected on Friday.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have not designed the new campus,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cOnce the agreement is done, you\u2019ll have a better picture about what it will mean for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the project moves forward, Atwater said the college would have the opportunity to design modern academic spaces aligned with contemporary learning models.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll get a chance to design those to represent what I call the 21st-century learning environment,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re now operating in a \u201970s learning environment. It is a win-win for the college.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beyond facilities, Atwater highlighted potential workforce partnerships tied directly to the surrounding development. He said embedding the college within a mixed-use district anchored by a Major League Baseball<\/a> franchise could open doors for internships, corporate partnerships and expanded curriculum offerings.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt gives us an opportunity to partner with the Rays and the businesses that are coming in there,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cOur hospitality program will thrive, for example. Our IT programs will thrive through AI and cybersecurity, for example.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atwater stressed that the Rays \u2014 not the college \u2014 are leading financial negotiations for the ballpark itself.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Rays are taking the lead and taking responsibility for doing that, not us,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are constantly meeting with the Rays to develop a plan, timeline and how we could do this. We\u2019re developing an agreement with them, and that means we\u2019re bargaining about issues, timing and all the things you bargain with an agreement.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rays ownership has publicly targeted a 2029 opening for a new ballpark. While acknowledging the timeline is aggressive, Atwater said his primary focus is managing what he described as a transition period while both the stadium and new campus facilities are constructed.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe biggest priority will be in our transition period,\u201d he said. \u201cThere will be a transition period for us while the stadium and the new college is being built. So our biggest priority is how we manage the transition efficiently so we maintain our quality learning environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

Atwater also addressed concerns raised during the Board of Trustees meeting about potential impacts on housing affordability. The college currently provides approximately 450 beds primarily for special population students, but he said the institution does not anticipate large-scale demand for additional on-campus housing because most students commute.<\/p>\n

The broader mixed-use district could include residential components, though master plans are still evolving. Atwater noted that such developments are typically centered around retail and entertainment uses.<\/p>\n

Ultimately, he framed the proposal as an opportunity to anchor Hillsborough College within the region\u2019s long-term economic future.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do see this as a game changer,\u201d Atwater said. \u201cThe opportunity to be that close to a ballpark \u2014 the Rays\u2019 ballpark \u2014 and that close to being an integral part of the development center is ideal for us. It has the potential to be a great partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hillsborough College President Ken Atwater is embracing a proposal to anchor a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":558515,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2377],"tags":[5,6610,70660,35960,72933,19,4,297,16597,295,2550,68,2551,2549],"class_list":["post-570433","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tampa-bay-rays","tag-baseball","tag-dale-mabry","tag-danny-burgess","tag-hillsborough-college","tag-ken-atwater","tag-major-league-baseball","tag-mlb","tag-rays","tag-ron-desantis","tag-tampa","tag-tampa-bay","tag-tampa-bay-rays","tag-tampabay","tag-tampabayrays"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116064089748634652","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570433","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=570433"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/570433\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/558515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=570433"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=570433"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=570433"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}