Subject:
Title
Termination of negotiations with SportsPark Partners, LLC and rejection of all proposals received via the Request for Negotiation process for the sale or lease of property known as the Toytown site in St. Petersburg.
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Recommended Action:
Recommended Action
Approve the termination of negotiations with SportsPark Partners, LLC, (SportsPark) and rejection of all proposals received via the Request for Negotiation (RFN) process for the sale or lease of property known as the Toytown Site in St. Petersburg (Toytown).
Contract No. 145-0413-P
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Strategic Plan:
Foster Continual Economic Growth and Vitality
4.1 Proactively attract and retain businesses with targeted jobs to the county and the region
4.3 Catalyze redevelopment through planning and regulatory programs
4.6 Support a vibrant community with recreation, arts and culture to attract residents and visitors
Deliver First Class Services to the Public and Our Customers
5.2 Be responsible stewards of the public’s resources
Summary:
Staff recommends the Board of County Commissioners (Board) formally terminate negotiations with Sportspark based on their loss of interest in the Toytown property, located in St. Petersburg.
Three (3) proposals were received through the RFN process and ranked accordingly:
1) Sportspark
2) Meridian Realty Capital (Meridian)
3) Sunray Park
*On October 5, 2015, the number two ranked proposal from Meridian was eliminated from contention for violating the County Lobbying Code.
The recommended action seeks to reject the two (2) remaining ranked proposals (Sportspark and Sunray Park) received through the RFN process.
Staff will explore options pertaining to the Toytown property and report back to the Board in the near future.
Background Information:
The Toytown property is a closed Class One Landfill, certified for closure in 1991 and is currently operating under a closure permit. The property is included within the Gateway Area wide Development of Regional Impact (DRI).
On July 1, 2015, the Purchasing Department on behalf of the Pinellas County Economic Development Authority (EDA) released an RFN for the purpose of developing the Toytown site through either a purchase or lease process. An evaluation committee consisting of five (5) individuals met on September 17, 2015 to discuss and rank the three (3) proposals received.
On October 6, 2015, the EDA presented key elements of the number one ranked proposal by SportsPark to the Board; the Board subsequently provided direction to staff to begin negotiations with SportsPark.
The proposal from SportsPark is for a multi-use venue which includes a multi-sport, mixed-use development with year-round professional and amateur sports venues, athlete care and commercial enterprises, including a Major League Baseball Spring Training facility for the Atlanta Braves. The proposal contains venues for multiple sports including but not limited to: hockey, baseball, soccer, football, basketball and lacrosse.
After multiple meetings and attempts to negotiate an agreement for the sale of Toytown, SportsPark provided a written termination notice on July 8, 2016 to the Director of Economic Development informing that they are no longer interested in the property.
Fiscal Impact:
N/A
Staff Member Responsible:
Michael Meidel, Director of Economic Development
Joe Lauro, Director, Purchasing
Partners:
Pinellas County Economic Development Authority
Attachments:
N/A