Topeka ? A developer making a pitch for an entertainment district in downtown Topeka is talking about a minor-league baseball stadium featuring a retractable roof as the focus of the plan.

The stadium would be the centerpiece of proposed attractions in the Watertower area that developer Michael Johnson wants to rename as the “Gaslight Entertainment District.” Meeting with members of the Topeka City Council on Tuesday, Johnson outlined a plan that would include retail business, offices, loft apartments and green space, plus a walkway leading to the nearby Ritchie House historic site.

“We feel like this is a diamond in the rough for minor-league baseball,” said Johnson, 47, a former minor-league player who now lives in Pennsylvania but says he plans to move to Topeka.

Johnson estimates the entertainment district would produce 4,000 to 5,000 year-round jobs for Topeka.

Johnson was joined by Bruce Miller and Mike Sabatini of Kansas City-based HOK Sport. Miller said the firm had designed various major-league stadiums and more than 55 minor-league ballparks that had helped revitalize their communities.

The council’s response was a mixture of enthusiasm and caution. Deputy Mayor John Alcala said he liked Johnson’s proposal, but questioned whether he had the financial resources to make it work.

Johnson estimated the cost at between $100 million and $120 million, including $18 million to $22 million for the 5,500-seat stadium, saying national corporations have expressed interest in buying naming rights. He said he had funding sources and was looking for more.

Neil Dobler, the acting city manager, said the city would conduct a feasibility study that he expected to be finished before a Dec. 20 hearing.