Tampa Bay Rays' ballpark quest takes step forward with possible Hillsborough College site

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TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — The Tampa Bay Rays’ quest for a new ballpark took a step forward when the Hillsborough College board of trustees voted Tuesday to unanimously approve a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the team for a redevelopment of the school's Dale Mabry campus that would include a baseball stadium.

“We are encouraged to take this early but very important step forward,” Rays CEO Ken Babby said in a statement.

The proposed project would create a mixed-use district in an area of Tampa near Steinbrenner Field, the Yankees' spring training home that the Rays used last season, and Raymond James Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play.

The Rays withdrew last March from a $1.3 billion project to construct a new ballpark adjacent to Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, citing a hurricane and delays that likely drove up the proposal’s cost. The team was sold in late September from a group headed by Stuart Sternberg, who had been in control since November 2005, to a group headed by Florida-based real estate developer Patrick Zalupski.

Under Sternberg, the Rays had also announced plans for and then failed to move ahead with proposed ballparks at the Al Lang Stadium site in St. Petersburg (2007), Ybor City in Tampa (2018) and the site adjacent to the Trop in downtown St. Petersburg (2023).

Following repairs to Tropicana Field, the Rays plan to move back to their ballpark this season. Under the team's lease with the city of St. Petersburg, the Rays are obligated to play at the Trop for three more seasons.

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