(Photo credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images)

The Tampa Bay Rays received initial permission for a long-awaited, $2.3 million ballpark.

The vote of the Tampa City Council on Thursday was 4-3 -- not exactly the endorsement the Rays would have liked. The stadium issue in Tampa has been stopped and started throughout the years, and the City Council still must hold public hearings to listen to community input on the current proposed project.

So what the Rays have now is a non-binding memorandum of understanding that grants permission for the club to proceed with plans to build the ballpark. While the Rays cannot yet turn the dirt to begin construction, there is much that can be done behind the scenes.

The project is proposed to be built on the Dale Mabry Campus of Hillsborough College, just across the street from Raymond James Stadium, creating an area that will include a mixed-use development.

The Hillsborough County Commission on Wednesday also approved the formation of the non-binding memorandum of understanding.

Next up will be hearings on the proiect to give residents and business owners a chance to voice their thoughts and lead toward a binding agreement and eventually construction.

Per Front Office Sports, council member Bill Carlson voted in favor of approving the memorandum of understanding to move along the process, but he said he is not a guarantee to give final approval.

The Rays currently play at Tropicana Field, which is far out of date in comparison to modern stadiums. It also is in St. Petersburg and outside the team's preferred locale.

The club had a plan in place under former team owner Stu Sternberg to build a $1.3 billion stadium in a public-private partnership, but Sternberg backed out. He sold the team to a group put together by Patrick Zalupski, a developer in Jacksonville, last fall.

'We are in the late innings of a very long game with the future of baseball in Tampa Bay hanging in the balance,' Rays CEO Ken Babby said before the meeting, adding commissioner Rob Manfred wants Tampa and the Rays to come to an agreement. 'We have faith in Tampa Bay as a major league city.'

The Rays entered Friday with the best record in baseball at 33-15 (.688) yet still struggle to draw fans at Tropicana Field. In their past 12 games, attendance surpassed 20,000 only twice -- and barely. A three-game series against the Baltimore Orioles that ended Wednesday averaged 13,145 per game.

--Field Level Media