As the city waits for bids to come in to develop the long-awaited Sports Village it has begun to put pieces in place to make the transition easier for the future developer.
The Request for Proposals to redevelop the city-owned property that was once eyed to be the Gary Sheffield Sports Village is up and will hopefully set the stage for the future of the property.
The city didn’t want to waste any more time than necessary getting the project up and running again so it decided to have a relatively short window for proposals to be submitted. The RFP was published on Jan. 10 and the bids are due Feb. 7.
In a mere two weeks the city should know how many candidates are vying for the chance to redevelop one of the hottest commodities in town.
“The City is seeking a project that brings a dynamic integrated set of uses to the area in the form of a Sports Village, including sports facilities, dormitories, hotel rooms, meeting rooms, restaurants, retail, residential, entertainment venues and other complementary uses,” reads the RFP. “The City is looking for such a development that will stimulate additional economic development, create new revenue streams for the city through an increased ad valorem tax base and create jobs for the Park Road Corridor and environs.”
The RFP is seeking development of at least the 74.66 acre stadium parcel, however the total package would include the stadium land as well as a 52.51 acre urban forest parcel and a 6.17 acre adjacent parcel if the bidder desired.
Currently, the zoning of the stadium parcel is R-1A, which is a Single Family Dwelling District, and the Urban Forest Parcel is M-1A, which is a Light-Industrial District.
To help make the transition easier the city is beginning the steps to have zoning amended.
“This is basically changing density zoning and everything else to facilitate the project,” McDaniel said. “(The commission meeting) set the public hearing so the fun will occur at the next meeting.”
Commissioners agreed to set a public hearing for Jan. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in City Hall to discuss the map amendment and text amendment. If passed, it will change the land use designations of the parcels of land to Mixed Use- Residential/Commercial.
Other properties lying near the area, including a triangular shaped parcel owned by Hillsborough County, may also be on the table for development if negotiations are successful.
City Manager Bill McDaniel said he expected both James Talton, partner of GCJ Sports, and MLB legend Gary Sheffield to place bids on the development. Both were once partners with GCJ Sports before their collaboration dissolved.
