A ‘Museum Row’ highlights arts and housing-focused bid by local group to redevelop Gas Plant District
Published 3 February 2026
Tuesday, February 3, was the deadline to submit proposals to the City of St. Pete to redevelop the Historic Gas Plant District, currently home to Tropicana Field and surrounding parking lots. A St. Pete-based group, Blake Investment Partners, has submitted a proposal to create a world-class arts destination as part of the redevelopment, alongside a record amount of affordable and workforce housing, a huge city park, and an indoor/outdoor event venue, among other plans.
The full proposal is extensive in nature, though the biggest highlight is the commitment to the arts. Blake has proposed “ HGP Museum Row,” which would become a cultural destination for the art world. A new Woodson African American Museum would serve as the “crown jewel” of the project, while a mix of local and international artists would fill out the remaining spaces.
Celebrated St. Pete artists Chad Mize and Mark Aeling have been tapped to lead a Museum of Public Art, which would be a showcase of the public arts projects and artists that have made St. Pete a living tapestry. Murals, of course, are a mainstay, alongside sculptures and other three-dimensional artistic installations.
Meanwhile, Blake has made plans with famed international artists and conservationists Gillie and Marc to create their first-ever permanent museum gallery in St. Pete. The two are famous for their nature-inspired statues and sculptures on city streets everywhere from New York to Azerbaijan. The new gallery would immediately join ranks with the Salvador Dalí and Dale Chihuly collections in St. Pete as must-visit destinations showcasing well-known individual artists.
The goal of the project, as it relates to the arts, isn’t just to create destinations for visitors. The Blake team says it will also prioritize providing opportunities for artists, from housing to education and professional incubation.
More highlights of the Blake Investment Partners proposal include:
- More than 3,600 units of affordable and workforce housing, both on-site and elsewhere in St. Pete
- A 13-acre Central Park designed by local firm Wannemacher Jensen Architects
- A multi-purpose indoor/outdoor event venue, dubbed the “Booker Creek Cultural Center”
- A potential multi-modal transportation hub designed for light rail to Tampa International Airport
- The creation of The Historic Gas Plant Visionary Panel, “a permanent advisory committee composed of leaders from ~20 organizations representing the heart of St. Petersburg”
Partners in the proposal include a wide range of local, regional and global companies with experience in development, also including Related, Skanska, Greystar, Gilbane, Blue Sky Communities, Open Realty, and Stadler Development, among others.
“We are stewards first, investors second,” said T.W. Blake, Founder, Blake Investment Partners. “We’re weaving together housing, culture, and commerce, with meaningful community accountability to create everlasting value for the city. The Historic Gas Plant District holds deep meaning and our vision represents a long-term commitment to the people of St. Petersburg.”
Blake says their vision for “St. Petersburg 3.0” is based on three key pillars: affordability, economic opportunity, and long-term community benefit while honoring the city’s history.
The St. Petersburg City Council and Mayor Ken Welch will begin reviewing proposals soon, though there is no strict timeline for selecting a proposal. We have previously written about the other major proposal from ARK Ellison Horus and its $6.8 billion vision to “reimagine the 95.5-acre district as a world-class destination for innovation, culture and community.”
