ST. PETERSBURG — When Bill Edwards complained about the poor conditions at Al Lang Field earlier this year, he demanded action. The mayor's office said the local business magnate knew the challenges of the aging waterfront icon when he bought the stadium's home team, the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

In the end, it looks like Edwards will get what he wants. He forged an agreement with Mayor Rick Kriseman on Thursday to take control of the historic venue for four years, spend $1.5 million to spruce up the aging infrastructure and hold outdoor concerts.

The deal, if approved by the City Council next week, would mean a century of baseball at Al Lang Stadium will come to an end.

Kriseman officials, though, said the three-way deal was a win for the city, Edwards and the St. Petersburg Baseball Commission, which manages the stadium and has been embroiled in a lawsuit with Edwards.

A proposed legal settlement gives the baseball commission the management rights to the Walter Fuller baseball complex and redirects the $200,000 subsidy from the stadium to the complex.

The deal calls for the stadium to be used primarily for soccer. Baseball would not be allowed. That had been a longtime goal of Edwards, who has said baseball ruined the turf for his professional soccer team.

Kriseman said that eliminating baseball at Al Lang "weighed heavily" on his mind as he waded into the legal dispute.

But the outdated facility no longer was attractive to major-league teams, Kriseman said. And he spoke glowingly of professional soccer's potential to draw the young, hip and upwardly mobile to St. Petersburg.

"Lawsuits like this aren't good for anyone," the mayor said. "They aren't good for the city."

Edwards' latest move expands his business empire downtown. He already operates the Mahaffey Theater and is finishing the Sundial shopping center.

Ben Kirby, Kriseman's spokesman, said any discomfort with Edwards' growing downtown influence isn't shared by the administration.

"People can certainly have their own opinion about that," Kirby said. "This is a win for the city, a win for Mr. Edwards, a win for everybody involved."

The city said it will require a minimum of 10 nonsoccer events at the field, which could include sports like lacrosse or rugby as well as concerts.

The baseball commission's contract would soon be terminated at the stadium and extended through 2018 at Walter Fuller.

In May, city officials said keeping baseball at the stadium was a high priority. But Kriseman said his opinion on baseball's viability at Al Lang have since evolved.

Kriseman said Al Lang, once spring training host to such teams as the Boston Braves, New York Yankees, St. Louis Cardinals and New York Mets, no longer met major-league expectations. Baseball teams want weight rooms and entire sports arenas for spring training, Kriseman said. "We can't do that at Al Lang."

The stadium was once known as "America's winter baseball capital." Mayor Al Lang lured the St. Louis Browns, the first major-league team to train in the city in 1914, banking on spring training as a boost to tourism.

In 1947, the city named the newly opened stadium after its former mayor.

Edwards plans to renovate the field, update the stadium's seats, fix leaks in the locker room and upgrade the concessions, city officials said.

The Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg and Saturday Morning Market would continue.

Edwards did not return a call requesting comment. Neither did attorneys representing the baseball commission.

The deal appears to bring to an end a six-month bitter legal and political saga. In March, the Rowdies sent a letter to St. Petersburg officials complaining about the conditions of their home field, including an air-conditioning system that smelled of mold, burnt-out scoreboard bulbs, broken seats and weeds.

The Rowdies said players suffered injuries because of the field's uneven ground, which they blamed on being forced to lay sod over the baseball field.

Steve Nadel, director of the baseball commission, called the complaints false.

Over the summer, Edwards filed a lawsuit against the baseball commission. The mayor and his staff stepped in to mediate.

The agreement with Edwards is short enough that "it doesn't tie our hands," Kriseman said, as the city gathers public input for its waterfront master plan.

Council Chairman Bill Dudley said he was optimistic about the stadium's future, but still a little nostalgic for baseball.

"I'm pragmatic. I understand that baseball would be a little tough these days," Dudley said. "The field will get more use, which makes sense."

Times staff writer Weston Phippen contributed to this report. Contact Charlie Frago at cfrago@tampabay.com or (727) 893-8459. Follow @CharlieFrago.