The Tampa Bay Rays on Tuesday held the first of three community engagement sessions on their plan to build a new stadium on Hillsborough College’s Dale Mabry campus.
About 100 students, faculty, Rays fans and local residents gathered in one of the campus auditoriums to hear Rays CEO Ken Babby and Hillsborough College President Ken Atwater speak and answer questions for more than two hours.
Some attendees brought concerns and asked about changes to the college and the project’s funding. Others were excited fans who asked lighter questions about game experience.
“I want to make the assumption that everybody here is aware that the Rays are going to become a part of Hillsborough College,” Atwater said at the outset.
In January, the college signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the team that lays out the project. Hillsborough College will lease most of the land to the Rays but retain ownership of the new college buildings.
The team and the college have until mid-July to come to a final agreement. Construction is planned to break ground in the fourth quarter of this year, Babby said.
Before Babby and Atwater took questions, Babby shared a new video rendering and updates to the project’s plan, which he said is still in the “early innings.”
The Rays have said they will pay 50% of the stadium cost, which could reach $2.3 billion. The City of Tampa and Hillsborough County will need to fund the rest of it.
“No part of our financial proposal will take funding away from other priorities that the city and county have committed to,” Babby said.
Atwater said the school will not increase tuition or fees. The Rays will take on all operating expenses, maintenance, capital improvements and construction cost overruns, Babby said.
The ballpark would include around 30,000 fixed seats and be completely indoors, according to the Rays’ presentation.
The project will bring 10 million annual visitors, Babby said, which he likened to building a theme park in the region. Babby said the team hopes to anchor a Fortune 500 company’s headquarters in the stadium district.
He also said he knows that roads need to be expanded and pedestrian walkways need to be constructed.
Dawn Doge, the vice president at engineering firm Kimley-Horn, said the firm is working with the city and the Tampa Sports Authority on traffic and infrastructure planning .
The project will create nearly 12,000 on-site permanent jobs and nearly 40,000 construction jobs, Babby said.
Babby also said the Rays and the college are working on what they’re calling “Hawksville,” the college’s temporary space during construction.
“What I can commit to you is that the Rays are committed to seeing that transition be done the right way, so that student experience continues to excel in the same way,” Babby said.
The stadium project will bring new opportunities to the college, Babby said. This includes expanding the curriculums for sports science, hospitality management and innovation programs, according to the presentation.
Hillsborough College trustee Mike Garcia said the Rays understand the college’s central role in the project.
“Soon, we’ll face significant challenges with our physical space,” Garcia said. “If we do not undergo a significant remodeling, it could impact our ability to offer essential services that our students deserve.”
Echo Durham, who is on the Hillsborough College’s Student Government, asked why the college did not simply renovate the current facilities and chose instead to partner with the Rays.
Tuition has stayed the same for over a decade, so the college heavily depended on state funding, Atwater said.
Last week, the state gave Hillsborough College 22 acres of land nearby to the Dale Mabry campus for the project. The state could take back the land transfer if construction on the stadium or surrounding development has not started within five years. The state also may give $50 million to the college to create new buildings.
“We feel very comfortable (that) the state’s going to fulfill their obligations,” Atwater said.
Kendra Yates, a Hillsborough College student athlete, asked if college students and athletes will have access to athletic facilities and gyms during construction.
The Rays are planning to build a gym with an indoor pool, track and weight room that both students and the Rays can use, Atwater said.
Michael Reid, a college employee, asked if the college’s teams will be able to play “one or two games” at the new stadium.
“Yes,” Babby said. “The answer is yes.”
Atwater also said the college’s partnership with the Yankees will not change, and the college will continue to use Steinbrenner Field.
Babby said the team’s plans will be amended and conform to the feedback they receive.
More forums will come, Babby said, including some the team has not announced yet. The next two will be at 6:30 March 10 at Jefferson High School, 4401 W Cypress St.; and March 11 at the Skills Center, 5107 N 22nd St.
Lucy Marques is a reporter covering education as a member of the Tampa Bay Times Education Hub in partnership with Open Campus. You can contribute to the hub through our journalism fund by clicking here.
