TAMPA — As the focus intensifies on the Tampa Park Apartments as a potential Hillsborough stadium site for the Tampa Bay Rays, another once-much-talked-about site, the ConAgra flour mill, may be poised for a fade-out.
Source: www.tampabay.com
The the ConAgra flour mill in downtown Tampa has never been a viable option for either Jeff Vinik’s development project, nor a potential landing spot for the Tampa Bay Rays. The fact remains that this is an actual working mill, albeit in the middle of a central business district. The site is not particularly large and is an awkward shape, however, the biggest issue is the potential costs. In talking directly with ConAgra officials, it is estimated that to replicate the facility it could costs upwards of $50 million (not including the land).
There is no real metric that justifies this astronomical costs for any private developer and any type of private-public partnership would be hard pressed to get enough support when there are clearly other better positioned sites that could be purchased for a fraction of the costs.