St. Pete reaches preliminary deal to buy CSX rail line running through downtown St. Pete
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A years-long effort to bring a key stretch of the CSX rail corridor in downtown St. Pete into public ownership, including the segment that cuts directly through Ferg’s Sports Bar & Grill, is finally moving forward.
According to an October 15th email from St. Pete Transportation and Parking Management Director Evan Mory, CSX Transportation has accepted a conditional offer from the City of St. Petersburg to acquire nearly a mile of rail right-of-way stretching from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Street along 1st Avenue South to 5th Avenue North.
The city plans to create a trail linking the Historic Gas Plant District redevelopment and the Pinellas Trail up to 5th Avenue North, with the longer-term goal of extending it to Booker Creek Park in North Kenwood.
The purchase is expected to cost $7 million, with $1 million coming from the City of St. Pete, $4 million from Mark Ferguson of Ferg’s Sports Bar, and $2 million from Ellison Development.
The offer cannot move forward without City Council approval, which is expected within the next 30 days.
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St. Petersburg has a rule that protects our waterfront. If the city wants to lease public waterfront land for longer than a short term, voters decide. That rule is worth keeping, and a "yes" vote on Charter Amendment #2 does not weaken it.
Here is what it changes. Under the City Charter, Port leases are capped at 10 years unless voters approve more in a citywide referendum. Charter Amendment 2 would raise that cap to 25 years, the same limit Albert Whitted Airport has had since 2004, when voters raised it from five years. Giving the Port the same terms as its neighbor is sensible.
Here is what it does not change. The ballot language says the amendment "would not change the permitted use of the Port." It does not approve residential development at the site, and it does not approve any redevelopment of the Port. It changes one number, the maximum lease length. Every lease would still go through the city administration and City Council. The amendment does not hand anyone a blank check. It lets the city negotiate from a stronger position.