New partners join potential Gas Plant development teams

St. Petersburg has yet to receive any additional Historic Gas Plant District proposals since formally opening a submission window Jan. 4. However, two potential redevelopment teams have expanded their rosters.

ARK Ellison Horus announced Monday that multiple national companies, including Moss Construction, technical consultant Jacobs and planning firm Kimley-Horn, have formally expressed interest in partnering on the generational project. Mayor Ken Welch’s administration is currently considering the group’s $6.8 billion vision, which triggered the land disposition process.

In addition, the Pinellas County Housing Authority has signed a letter of intent to collaborate with Ark Ellison Horus on affordable housing components within a reimagined Gas Plant District – currently home to Tropicana Field. St. Petersburg Housing Authority officials have signed a letter of interest to help expand affordable rental access for seniors, veterans and residents with disabilities.

Evara Health would like to support the group’s focus on equitable access to care by operating a medical facility in the Gas Plant. “This level of interest reinforces the strength of the proposal and the seriousness of our commitment to getting this right,” said Casey Ellison, CEO of Ellison Development, in a prepared statement.

“From day one, our focus has been on assembling the very best partners to help bring the full Gas Plant District vision to life,” Ellison added. “These are well-known, trusted companies with deep experience delivering complex, transformative projects. Each brings unique and extraordinary value, and their interest strengthens the original plan and our ability to deliver lasting impact for St. Petersburg residents.”

An aerial view of Ark Ellison Horus’ vision for the Historic Gas Plant District. Renderings provided.

St. Petersburg-based ARK Investment Management and Tampa’s Ellison Development and Horus Construction submitted an unsolicited proposal for 95.5 acres of prime real estate in October 2025. The overarching goal is to recreate a world-class destination for innovation, culture and community.

In December, St. Petersburg-based Blake Investment Partners (BIP) announced plans to submit a second Gas Plant proposal in January. The firm unveiled an all-cash bid for 86 acres in March 2025, just hours after former Tampa Bay Rays owners Stuart Sternberg announced he was exiting a long-negotiated $6.7 billion deal.

BIP announced Saturday that Blue Sky Communities, a prominent local affordable housing developer since the 1970s, would join its Gas Plant redevelopment team. While proposal details remain scarce, the firm’s founder, Thompson Whitney Blake, offered a “sneak peek” in a Dec. 9 open letter.

Blake wrote that his plans would include a “show-stopping city park” for families, friends, music, markets and concerts. He also believes that “affordable and workforce housing must not rest on this property alone.”

“That’s why, as part of this transaction, BIP will agree to the largest affordable/workforce housing commitment in the history of the city,” Blake wrote. “Over the next decade, we will build thousands more units than any other builder.”

Scott Macdonald, principal with Blue Sky, said in a video released Saturday that affordable housing commitments “don’t mean anything unless you have the team in place to actually get it done.”

“We’re ready to deliver affordable and workforce housing, not only within the district, but across the city,” Macdonald continued. “This isn’t just another project for us – this is St. Pete. It’s our home, and we want to have our hands on history.”

National builder Moss acquired Ellison Construction in December. Ellison Development continues operating as a separate entity, and the deal established a strategic business relationship between the two companies.

Fort Lauderdale-based Moss would serve as “general contractor for portions of the Gas Plant District,” according to the announcement. The company shares a “unified vision” and “brings a strong commitment to innovation, quality craftsmanship and building projects that deliver lasting value and long-term impact.”

Jacobs will help ensure the redevelopment features “visionary placemaking balance with operational feasibility and future-ready design.” The announcement states that Kimley-Horn will provide a “strong understanding of the local context and a track record of advancing projects that prioritize mobility, resilience and long-term community benefit.”

“The Gas Plant District is an opportunity to demonstrate how innovation-led investment can drive durable economic growth,” said Cathie Wood, CEO of ARK. “By uniting world-class partners, emerging technologies and a long-term capital mindset, this project is designed to create new engines of productivity, job creation and sustained economic impact.”

Welch’s focus remains on fulfilling long-deferred promises of economic revitalization to the Black community that once called the Gas Plant home. ARK Ellison Horus plans to create over 1,900 affordable, workforce and senior housing units, research space, conference facilities, a new Woodson African American Museum of Florida and nearly 20,000 jobs.

Welch told the Catalyst in December that the proposal is “actually stronger than what we had with Hines and the (Tampa Bay) Rays.” Jonathan Graham, president of Horus, said Monday that “projects of this scale only succeed when they are built through true partnership.”

“This collaboration allows us to deliver not just buildings, but long-term opportunity and shared prosperity for St. Petersburg,” he added.