What The New Rays Stadium In St. Pete Could Look Like

We have a major update for the new Rays stadium! St. Petersburg City Council approved the agreements for construction and funding for the new Tampa Bay Rays stadium. 5 votes were needed for approval and the final vote was 5-3.

Now that we know that the Rays are staying in St. Petersburg, what are the next steps in the process? Well, the Pinellas County Commission needs to vote to commit $312.5 million in tax dollars. If that's approved, then we'll be looking at a new baseball stadium in a few years! According to the Tampa Bay Times, the funding would come from taxes collected on stays at hotels and short-term rentals, which have been plentiful for Pinellas in recent years and which can be used for a narrow range of purposes, including sporting venues.

The voting is set to take place on July 30, but could be postponed if commissioners need more time to consider the plan. However one commissioner is ready for a vote. Commissioner René Flowers has spoken favorably for the deal and is excited to discuss it with her colleagues.

According to the proposal from Hines/Rays, the expected stadium can hold 30,000 people. The space will be used for civic events, concerts, festivals, and of course Rays baseball. They expect the use of distinctive overhangs, canopies, outdoor terraces, and a unifying square-hipped roof. A few renderings have been revealed since the development team has been announced. Check out the most recent design below.

Even though the project for a new Rays stadium is currently scrapped, we hope to see these current features incorporated in the new place. Tropicana field has never really been a "baseball lovers" stadium and there's tons of room for improvement. But we went to a game the other day and thought about all the things that we would hate to see go.

One major hope to see in the new Rays stadium is a possible retractable roof or a lot of glass structure. The outside feel of the game is one of the best parts about baseball. Sitting in your seat and taking a whiff of the freshly cut grass is a baseball tradition that Rays fans can't relate to. Another feature we hope makes the new stadium is an updated bullpen. We love the opportunity to interact with players and coaches with the current bullpen set up, but it can also be kind of obstructing to the game. Many baseball stadiums bullpens have been moved off-field due to injury. It would be nice if the Rays could find a middle ground so that the relief pitchers can get ready for the game without having to worry about dodging foul balls.

But there are a lot of things about Tropicana field that we love and want to see incorporated in the new spot. For example, the food options are great, especially the crafted entrees at The Porch in the outfield. Whether the new stadium will stay in St. Pete or relocates across the bridge to Tampa, we hope the stuff on our list survives the move!

It's a stadium must-see for the Rays. The sting ray touch tank is a tribute to the original Rays uniform and is the first of its kind at a professional sports venue. For the new stadium, we would love to see a bigger tank where maybe you can take standing photos against the glass with the sting rays.

One of the Trop's newest additions, The Budweiser Porch, out in centerfield is a great spot to hang before or during the game! The area features a long bar which makes it easy to get your beer and back to your spot. There's also exclusive food stands here like Beer Battered Fries from Pig & Potato or the Hawaiian Hot Dog from Pacific Counter. Needless to say there definitely needs to be an outfield hang spot in the new stadium.

Another great addition to the Trop that we would hate to see go. An arcade lounge indoors and outdoors that's a great spot to hang before or after the game. It helps that there are two Tampa Bay Park and Rec locations so it will still feel fitting to include them in the new stadium.

The most bougie milkshakes in baseball, but they are WORTH IT! Pro tip: they're even better when you add whiskey! We can't imagine the new stadium without this foodie staple.

Life-long and newbie Rays fans love to reminisce at the Rays Museum that features the history of the franchise since its inception. 162 Landing is another great spot to look back and remember one of the Rays most iconic wins. We hope the new stadium finds a way to incorporate Longo's winning home runs and all the other milestones the Rays have reached since becoming a team back in the 90's.