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Stadium Plan Foes Expected At Morning Council Meeting

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By CARLOS MONCADA | The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 7, 2008

ST. PETERSBURG - Opponents of the Tampa Bay Rays' stadium proposal are expected at this morning's St. Petersburg City Council meeting to push their efforts to preserve Al Lang Field as parkland.

Community activists, including those with the newly formed group Preserve Our Wallets and Waterfront, say they were promised last year that the council would consider designating the Rays' downtown spring training site as parkland.

The issue arose when the city overhauled its land development regulations in August. At the time, city staff said they wanted to keep their options open for Al Lang because the Rays would be making the 10-acre waterfront site available when they move spring games to Port Charlotte in 2009.

In November, though, news broke of the Rays' proposal to build a $450 million ballpark at Al Lang and redevelop their home at Tropicana Field. City staff and the Rays, it turned out, had been discussing the project in secret since at least March under a confidentiality agreement.

This morning's council meeting at city hall, 175 Fifth St. N., will start at 8:30 a.m.

Reporter Carlos Moncada can be reached at cmoncada@tampatrib.com or (727) 451-2333.

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