Do You Care Where Candidates in St. Petersburg Stand on the Gas Plant?

I’ve written extensively about the future of the 86-acre Gas Plant. (You can read the articles on HomeRunsMatter.com.)

I have done so because I believe the Gas Plant property is the most valuable asset the City of St. Petersburg will ever own. What happens there will involve billions of dollars in public and private investment, influence the future of our city for decades, and help determine who controls many of the decisions that shape this extraordinary public asset.

I’ve spoken with nationally recognized planners, and I’ve spoken with developers involved in projects in St. Petersburg. Most recently, I published a four-part series on Vision, Control, and Value and conducted polls here in my newsletter.

The conclusion of virtually everyone (except Mayor Welch):

The City—not a developer—should lead.

Successful cities create the plan first. They don’t turn an entire district over to a single developer and hope for the best. They establish the vision, decide the streets, parks, public spaces, and development parcels, and then invite developers to compete to build that vision.

But this post isn’t about my position.

It’s about the candidates.

On August 18, voters will choose which two candidates advance for Mayor and which two candidates will advance for the District 6 City Council seat.

Shouldn’t voters know where these candidates stand on the future of the Gas Plant before Election Day?

I’m considering sending the following:

If elected Mayor, would you negotiate with a single master developer for the Gas Plant redevelopment, or would you pause the process and have the City first prepare a comprehensive master plan.

1. If a proposal to proceed with a City-Led Planning First approach for redeveloping the Gas Plant came before the City Council, would you vote: FOR or AGAINST.

2. If a proposal to proceed with a Master Developer First approach for redeveloping the Gas Plant came before the City Council, would you vote: FOR or AGAINST

Every response would be published exactly as received. If a candidate does not respond, I will publish that as well.

Poll respones are anonymous. I can’t see who voted, and neither can anyone else, so please feel free to answer honestly.