Ybor Stadium

Ybor Stadium
Location Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Coordinates 27°57′26″N 82°26′40″W / 27.95722°N 82.44444°W / 27.95722; -82.44444Coordinates: 27°57′26″N 82°26′40″W / 27.95722°N 82.44444°W / 27.95722; -82.44444
Capacity 30,842
Acreage 14
Surface Artificial turf
Construction
Construction cost $892 million (projected)
Architect Populous
Tenants
Tampa Bay Rays (MLB) (2023; planned)

Ybor Stadium is a proposed baseball park in the Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida. If approved and constructed, it will serve as the home of the Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball.

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, despite the 31,042 capacity of Tropicana Field. The Rays have been looking for a new site to build a stadium, as the St. Petersburg, Florida, location is difficult for fans from Tampa, Florida, 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 will feature "dramatic" sliding glass walls and a fully enclosed, translucent roof.[3][4] The park will use synthetic turf.[5]

Construction is estimated to cost $892 million. Ballpark construction is estimated at $550 million, the roof will cost approximately $245 million, with about $83 million coming from ancillary infrastructure spending.[6][7] The construction costs also include a parking garage and pedestrian bridge.[1] The Rays announced they are 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 will be a year-round entertainment venue and will not be exclusively used for baseball games.[9] The proposal calls for 28,216 seats with a total capacity of 30,842, which would make it the smallest MLB stadium by capacity.[4] The ballpark is slated to be ready by the start of the 2023 season.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Rays unveil plans to build smallest stadium in baseball to replace Tropicana Field". USA Today. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  2. ↑ "Rays reveal Ybor City stadium details, including $892 million price tag". Tampa Bay Times. July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  3. ↑ "Tampa Bay Rays unveil 'translucent roof' design for Ybor stadium". The Business Journals. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  4. 1 2 "Rays unveil their plans for an Ybor City ballpark: All our coverage of the stadium". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 11, 2018.
  5. ↑ "New stadium, new city: Rays unveil Ybor City ballpark plan". FOX13. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Roof drives lofty cost of Rays' proposed Ybor City ballpark". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved July 15, 2018.
  7. ↑ "Rays ballpark engineers computer-modeled fly balls to design a roof that would stay out of play". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved August 16, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Rays expect taxpayers to fund much of team's proposed Ybor stadium". WMNF. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Rays reveal Ybor City stadium details". The Tampa Tribune. July 10, 2018. Retrieved July 10, 2018.
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