Public pressure to keep baseball on the Boulevard appears to be having an impact.

In a new effort, Mayor Dwight C. Jones is teaming up with the Richmond Flying Squirrels and Virginia Commonwealth University to find a site for a new ballpark near The Diamond, but not on the 60 acres of public property the city wants to redevelop.

The announcement came Tuesday, a day after the issuance of a consultant’s report that essentially called for office, residential, hotel and retail development on the city land bounded by the Boulevard and Hermitage and Robin Hood roads, and inclusion of sports and entertainment facilities on nearby property.

There have been repeated attempts during the past 13 years to replace The Diamond, but none have worked. There appears to be fresh optimism with this effort.

Mayor Jones issued a joint announcement about the new approach to finding a site for a ballpark that the San Francisco Giant’s affiliate and VCU baseball team could share.

According to the announcement, the three parties are to work together to find a property. However, one point was emphasized: The cost of any development would fall largely on the ballpark’s users, not the city government.

The statement noted that public engagement in recent months brought the parties together, particularly public meetings and online surveys in which more than 5,000 area residents participated.

The clear message from the participants: Keep baseball on the Boulevard.

Whether all the wrinkles and financing issues can be worked out remains to be seen.

“This new initiative may very well serve everyone’s interests, while allowing the Squirrels to stay in our hometown,” said Lou DiBella, president and managing general partner of the Flying Squirrels.

“It feels like we’re closer to a solution than ever before,” said Mr. DiBella, who has been pressing for a replacement for the 30-year-old stadium since bringing the team to Richmond in 2010 from Connecticut.

Still, as yet, he has no plans to move the team from the Richmond area, which has provided an attendance bonanza unmatched by most other communities with Double A teams.

For Mayor Jones, this new effort may quell critics on Richmond City Council and in the community who opposed his efforts to develop a new stadium in Shockoe Bottom.

It could also pave the way for a desired goal of removing The Diamond from the development area, enabling the city to generate higher-value development on the city property that would yield more new revenue.

“This approach opens a pathway for full development of the city’s most valuable land,” Mayor Jones stated, while offering a potential way to provide “the Squirrels and VCU baseball with a new home and keep their ballpark in an area that Richmonders love.”

VCU President Michael Rao said, “VCU and the Squirrels have a great sports partnership, and we are excited about moving toward a new ballpark that would enable our teams to compete at the highest level and improve the fan experience at our games.”

VCU Athletic Director Ed McLaughlin said that VCU is eager to work with the Squirrels on a new facility. The Rams play at The Diamond under a sublease with the Squirrels, but the facility is not considered ideal.

Todd “Parney” Parnell, vice president and chief operating officer of the Squirrels, underscored the team’s desire to have a space that could offer year-round programming in addition to baseball. A new facility would help the team accomplish that, he stated.

The partners plan to report progress on locating a stadium site to the public in about 90 days. At the same time, the city is proposing to extend the Squirrels’ lease on The Diamond until Dec. 31, 2018.

Meanwhile, the city plans to move forward on seeking a national real estate developer for the 60-acre site. The city expects to issue a “request for qualifications (RFQ)” by the end of May, while also seeking additional public comment on the proposed development of the land.

The RFQ process would allow the city to identify companies with sufficient ability to undertake development of the 60 acres.

Officials have yet to say how the city would replace the Arthur Ashe Jr. Athletic Center, the school system’s basketball and convocation center located on the Boulevard, that occupies a key area of the 60-acre site.