With $7M rail corridor deal, St. Pete to advance long-delayed trail project

A long-planned effort to transform an abandoned CSX railway line that runs through downtown St. Petersburg into a multiuse trail cleared a major hurdle this week, with the Trust for Public Land announcing Tuesday it acquired the Booker Creek Rail Corridor for $7 million and will transfer the property to the city for future trail construction.

The acquisition advances a project city officials have pursued for more than two decades and will soon result in a nearly one-mile trail connecting the city’s EDGE District to the Pinellas Trail. That corridor will also be a key piece of the planned 420-mile Florida Gulf Coast Trail, which is an ongoing effort by the Trust for Public Land to link regional pathways across seven of Southwest Florida’s coastal counties spanning from the Tampa Bay region to Naples.

The national nonprofit conservation organization says the acquisition is the result of a partnership between the City of St. Petersburg, CSX Transportation, Rails to Trails Conservancy and St. Petersburg business Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill. The city pitched in $1 million for the purchase while Ferg’s contributed about $6 million and the Trust for Public Land provided philanthropic support, according to a statement. 

In February, St. Petersburg City Council unanimously agreed to purchase the 0.86-mile segment of rail corridor between Fifth Avenue North and First Avenue South from the Trust for Public Land. Then, in May, the city drafted two ground leases with Ferg’s for two parcels of the trail that run through the sports bar’s property: one from First Avenue North to Central Avenue and the other from Central Avenue to First Avenue South. Ferg’s owner, Mark Ferguson, will lease the two parcels for 99 years, according to an agreement approved by city council last month.

Once completed, the trail is expected to provide a safer route for pedestrians and cyclists while improving access to downtown neighborhoods, employers, parks and businesses. City leaders also see the project as part of broader efforts to improve mobility and spur redevelopment in one of St. Petersburg's fastest-growing districts.

"The acquisition of the Booker Creek Rail Corridor is a major step forward in our vision for a more connected, accessible, and vibrant St. Petersburg," St. Petersburg Mayor Ken Welch says in the release. "By closing this critical gap in our trail network, we're improving mobility, expanding access to recreation, supporting local businesses, and enhancing quality of life."

The Booker Creek corridor has appeared in the city's trail plans since 2003. The project converts a former rail line into a public trail while preserving the corridor through a railbanking agreement, allowing the right of way to remain available for potential future rail use.

Rails to Trails Conservancy helped develop the financing strategy for the acquisition, combining public funding with philanthropic support from Trust for Public Land and a major contribution from Ferg's Sports Bar.

Ken Bryan, the conservancy's senior strategist for external relations, says collaboration among public agencies, nonprofits and private businesses was essential to preserving the corridor for trail use.

"Creativity, partnership and a dash of ingenuity were needed to ensure that this corridor would be railbanked," Bryan says in the release. "This project will be worth the wait."

CSX, which owned the property, says the sale reflects its strategy of working with communities to preserve former rail corridors for public benefit.

Ferguson, meanwhile, saye he expects the trail to boost activity in the surrounding area and encourage additional development. "I can't wait to see the growth along the trail with the apartments and other businesses popping up," he says in the release.

The Trust for Public Land, formed in 1972, has helped create and expand trails across the country, including National Scenic Trails, rail trails, greenways, and urban pathways. In Pinellas County alone, the group has completed 15 projects and has also assisted in developing 15 miles of the Pinellas Trail. The organization says it will now convey the Booker Creek property to the City of St. Petersburg, allowing planning and construction of the new trail to move forward.