Ybor Stadium
Ybor Stadium was a proposed baseball park in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. If approved and constructed, it would have served as the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball.
  Ybor Stadium Location in Florida  Ybor Stadium Location in the United States | |
| Location | Tampa, Florida, U.S. |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 27°57′26″N 82°26′40″W |
| Capacity | 30,842 |
| Acreage | 14 |
| Surface | Artificial turf |
| Construction | |
| Construction cost | $892 million (estimate) |
| Architect | Populous |
| Tenants | |
| Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) | |
Proposal
In 2017, the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball (MLB) finished the season with an average paid attendance of 15,477 per game, the lowest in MLB, and a stadium with the lowest capacity in MLB in Tropicana Field (31,042). The Rays have been looking for a new site to build a stadium, as St. Petersburg is difficult for fans from Tampa to access.[1]
On July 10, 2018, the Rays announced they would vacate Tropicana Field and relocate to the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, between 15th Street and Channelside Drive from east to west, and between Fourth Avenue and Adamo Drive from north to south. While the Rays have a contract to play in Tropicana Field through 2027, they have reached an agreement for an early departure.[2]
The architectural firm, Populous, announced the futuristic ballpark would feature "dramatic" sliding glass walls and a fully enclosed, translucent roof.[3][4] The park would use artificial turf.[5]
Construction was estimated to cost $892 million. Ballpark construction was estimated at $550 million; the roof would cost approximately $245 million, with about $83 million coming from ancillary infrastructure spending.[6][7] The construction costs also included a parking garage and pedestrian bridge.[1] The Rays announced they were expecting taxpayers to fund most of its construction, despite some controversy regarding the limited evidence of public benefits arising from subsidizing such projects.[8] The stadium would be a year-round entertainment venue and will not be exclusively used for baseball games.[9] The proposal called for 28,216 seats with a total capacity of 30,842, which would make it the smallest MLB stadium by capacity.[4] The ballpark was slated to be ready by the start of the 2023 season.[1] However, in December 2018, the project was abruptly cancelled.[10][11]
References
- Gardner, Steve (July 10, 2018). "Rays unveil plans to build smallest stadium in baseball to replace Tropicana Field". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Frago, Charlie; O'Donnell, Christopher; Topkin, Marc; Danielson, Richard (July 10, 2018). "Rays reveal Ybor City stadium details, including $892 million price tag". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Kritzer, Ashley Gurbal (July 10, 2018). "Tampa Bay Rays unveil 'translucent roof' design for Ybor stadium". Tampa Bay Business Journal. American City Business Journals. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Paciotti, Jack (July 10, 2018). "Rays unveil their plans for an Ybor City ballpark: All our coverage of the stadium". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
- Boex, Chris (July 10, 2018). "New stadium, new city: Rays unveil Ybor City ballpark plan". WTVT. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Danielson, Richard (July 12, 2018). "Roof drives lofty cost of Rays' proposed Ybor City ballpark". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
- Danielson, Richard (August 16, 2018). "Rays ballpark engineers computer-modeled fly balls to design a roof that would stay out of play". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
- Kinane, Seán (July 10, 2018). "Rays expect taxpayers to fund much of team's proposed Ybor stadium". WMNF. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- O'Donnell, Chris (July 10, 2018). "Rays reveal Ybor City stadium details". The Tampa Tribune. Tampa Media Group, Inc. Archived from the original on July 11, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
- Topkin, Marc (December 11, 2018). "Rays say current Ybor stadium project is dead, remain committed to Tampa Bay area – for now". Tampa Bay Times. Times Publishing Company. Retrieved December 12, 2018.
- Lacques, Gabe (December 11, 2018). "Rays' new stadium proposal dead – and clock ticking on alternatives to Tropicana Field". USA Today. Gannett Company. Retrieved December 12, 2018.