ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — As another baseball season nears Spring Training, there’s a new development in the plans for Tropicana Field. 

According to two St. Petersburg City Council members, who spoke to the Tampa Bay Times, Rays officials have said they will hold up any plans to develop the property, citing the Tropicana Field use agreement. 

A spokesman for the city said Mayor Rick Kriseman won’t get into what he discussed in private with Rays’ officials but he did say the use agreement stipulates that the Rays can not unreasonably prohibit the city from beginning redevelopment of the 86-acre site as long as baseball operations aren’t impacted. 

The city will meet to discuss this on Thursday at 3:00 p.m. 

The issue is the agreement between the city and the team which prohibits the Rays from planning its future before 2027 could also keep the city from planning the future of the Trop property before then. 

And for that to change, both sides would have to come to an agreement.  

Earlier this month during the city's State of the Economy address, a site selection company presented its findings on the value of the Trop site and potential plans without a stadium - something Kriseman hoped to use to convince the Rays to stay in St. Pete. 

In December, Kriseman said any talks with the team about the "shared city" Montreal concept have ended.