Is it stadium or bust for St. Pete mayor’s new approach to Trop site?

An intriguing tidbit from St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch’s decision this week to restart the Tropicana Field RFP process is the proviso that new proposals for the 86-acre site should include plans for a baseball stadium. That’s a significant departure from Welch’s predecessor, Rick Kriseman, who, because of lingering uncertainty about the Tampa Bay Rays’ intentions, called for developers to submit two sets of plans for the property — one with a ballpark and one without.

According to a statement posted on the city of St. Petersburg’s website, officials are “soliciting proposals containing a new baseball stadium, in lieu of including proposals that contemplate a site without one. We believe this model will provide certainty as it relates to the Tampa Bay Rays.”