Florida Construction News staff writer
Skanska has announced that its program management and consulting group within Skanska USA Building Inc., has been selected by the City of St. Petersburg to oversee the $6.5 billion redevelopment of the Historic Gas Plant property and the design and construction of a new Major League Baseball stadium for the Tampa Bay Rays.
In addition to the stadium, the project will transforming the 86-acre site where the current stadium sits into 8 million sq. ft. of development. This includes building new affordable housing, hotels, office and retail space, and the new home of the Woodson African American Museum of Florida, which recognizes the rich and storied history of the surrounding neighborhood.
Upcoming milestones:
- 2025: Construction to begin on infrastructure and phase one vertical development.
- Late 2027/Early 2028: Phase one development opens alongside the proposed new Rays ballpark.
- 2028: Proposed new ballpark opens.
“We’ve had the great pleasure of working with the City of St. Petersburg for many years, constructing notable and impactful projects, and we look forward to representing the city in this new role on the Historic Gas Plant Redevelopment project, which is poised to revitalize this once vibrant corridor of the local community,” Chuck Jablon, senior vice-president of construction at Skanska, said in a statement
Skanska USA Building Inc. will provide a multitude of project management services, including design reviews, project accounting, management of the comprehensive milestone schedule for the redevelopment, permitting assistance, on-site quality assurance, ensuring compliance with the development agreements, as well as the vital communication with area stakeholders to keep them informed on the project’s status.
“We’re pleased to partner with Skanska on this once-in-a-lifetime, generational project for St. Petersburg,” said city development administrator James Corbett. “Skanska’s expertise in multiple project types combined with their extensive experience across Tampa Bay, especially St. Petersburg, makes them a valuable member of the collaborative required to turn this vision into a reality.”
Skanska has managed several projects in the Tampa/St. Petersburg area, including the current construction of the Bernie McCabe Second District Court of Appeals Courthouse in downtown St. Petersburg, the award-winning St. Petersburg Pier, Pier Approach and Gateway, the recent renovation and expansion of the Tampa Convention Center, the construction of Coachman Park in Downtown Clearwater, and the University of South Florida Health’s Morsani College of Medicine & Heart Institute at Water Street Tampa.
