Sports in Austin

[electricron]

You guys are arguing it's very important for the city to determine where a professional soccer team builds it's home pitch. I'm sorry, but that decision should rest with the soccer team.
With all the push back and unwillingness from the city to help. don't be surprised to see it go someplace else. Note, the pro ice hockey team, pro basketball team, and pro baseball team homes aren't within Austin's city limits.
Maybe the better question to ask is why aren't they in Austin?

[loonytoony]

Wasn't trying to start a N v S turf war!!

Austin Monthly already did this for us: http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/September-2016/North-Austin-vs-South-Austin/

Lots of ties on there but a few stand-outs:
North Austin wins on traffic, shopping, and dining.
South Austin wins on parks, entertainment, and weirdness.

If anything, perhaps South Austin needs to share some of this entertainment and parkland with the rest of us schleps??

Banter aside. Realistically Roy G and Butler will likely never happen. As another poster mentioned it would be a political death sentence to "give parkland to a corporation," as the argument would be framed. If we want MLS we need to be open to other locations. There may be private options not being discussed, who knows, but pragmatically speaking Mckalla is the front runner in terms of options PARD has provided.

[We vs us]

I'm ready for the Statesman folks to come riding in like a white knight and volunteer a portion of their land, a la the Gensler mockup we saw a couple of weeks back.

FWIW, 1) I still think PSV drastically underprepped the battlefield before moving forward with their plans; and as it stands now 2) will go with McKalla if they need public land.

[papertowelroll]

Originally Posted by loonytoony

Wasn't trying to start a N v S turf war!!

Austin Monthly already did this for us: http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/September-2016/North-Austin-vs-South-Austin/

Lots of ties on there but a few stand-outs:
North Austin wins on traffic, shopping, and dining.
South Austin wins on parks, entertainment, and weirdness.

If anything, perhaps South Austin needs to share some of this entertainment and parkland with the rest of us schleps??

Banter aside. Realistically Roy G and Butler will likely never happen. As another poster mentioned it would be a political death sentence to "give parkland to a corporation," as the argument would be framed. If we want MLS we need to be open to other locations. There may be private options not being discussed, who knows, but pragmatically speaking Mckalla is the front runner in terms of options PARD has provided.

As an East Austin resident I have to laugh hysterically at the idea of South Austin complaining about not getting enough attention. Go visit Zilker, Barton Springs, and the Barton Creek Greenbelt and then follow it up with a visit to Guerrero, Colorado River Park, and East Boggy Creek Greenbelt....

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by electricron

Note, the pro ice hockey team, pro basketball team, and pro baseball team homes aren't within Austin's city limits.
Maybe the better question to ask is why aren't they in Austin?

Because CP and RR said "suck it" to the poor/elderly/environment and said "we want stadiums instead of transit"

[abigdeal]

Looks like Precourt finally decided to make a statement about their commitment to Ausitn.

Anthony Precourt, chairman of Precourt Sports Ventures and owner/operator of Columbus Crew SC, issued this statement late Tuesday afternoon:

“Precourt Sports Ventures continues to work with the Austin community to secure an appropriate urban core site for a soccer-specific stadium that will serve as the home of Austin’s first major league professional sports franchise. We announced our serious interest to work with Austin prior to the start of the 2017 playoffs, an announcement that embodied risk, urgency, and a genuine desire to work with Austin to find the right site.

“With the right site, we can build a world-class, privately financed $200 million soccer park and grounds. As we have said from the onset of this exploratory process, a location in the vibrant urban core where people live, work, and play is of paramount importance. This stadium location is a critical driver to the club’s long-term success.

“Based on the direction of the City of Austin Council and staff, we are conducting due diligence on a variety of sites, including city-owned parkland and city-owned land (nonparkland) suggested by the City on December 14, 2017 (Council Resolution No. 20171109-046). Independently, we also continue to explore a select list of privately held parcels.

“The initial list of sites provided by the city contains a variety of options, and we continue to carefully analyze each site recommended by the City. We started the process in earnest with Butler Shores because we were given early indications from city leaders that it is a viable, under-utilized site.

“Precourt Sports Ventures’ extensive due diligence work on the Butler Shores site included architectural renderings, landscape design, light, sound, parking, traffic and engineering studies. Understanding that parkland is a treasured community asset, and the creation of a successful soccer park and grounds within the landscape of parkland is a responsibility we take seriously, we also began to develop a package of community benefits tied to the creation of a soccer park on parkland. Based on our analysis, a public-private partnership of this nature could deliver community benefits in excess of $400 million in the club’s first 25 years, in the form of community investments, park improvements, soccer wellness and programming, wages and construction services, among others. If an MLS club were to play at a soccer park and grounds on city-owned parkland, the Austin community would also benefit from the broader social and economic impact. We encourage the City of Austin to independently verify this.

“We are still in the process of identifying the right stadium site in Austin, TX. We recognize some would prefer if this process were to move faster, however we believe that ultimately there is value in being thorough as opposed to being fast. And although we are willing to dedicate significant time and expense in this effort, we are not in a position to move to Austin if the right site is not identified.

“Additionally, we have engaged and hired a team of experts to help bring an Austin team to life, including: JP Morgan for financial expertise; Armbrust & Brown for legal and real estate counsel; CAA/ICON for project management oversight and feasibility; Gensler for sports architecture and design; Elizabeth Christian Public Relations for local media relations; two local branding and advertising agencies; local political advisors and consultants; among others. “As we continue a dialogue with Austin about possible locations for a soccer facility in Austin’s urban core, we welcome new ideas and community input before any further decisions are made or actions are taken.

“Elected officials and community leaders, as well as thousands of citizens, have repeatedly stated that they support the concept of establishing a home for Major League Soccer in Austin. We are hopeful that, if in the context of this conversation the best site is either parkland or city-owned land, the will of the people, across a spectrum of perspectives and districts, would be heard.”

[We vs us]

Tsk tsk. Dude should’ve gotten out ahead of this one weeks ago.

[abigdeal]

Originally Posted by We vs us

Tsk tsk. Dude should’ve gotten out ahead of this one weeks ago.

That's very true. There's nothing in here that they couldn't have said a month ago.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by abigdeal

That's very true. There's nothing in here that they couldn't have said a month ago.

Damned if you do, damned if you don't in Austin. The locals he hired probably told him to handle it like that for PR purposes instead of coming out with the truth that this was basically all about Butler Shores. I think his firm was afraid of the "we don't take kindly to ultimatums" attitude that council and people in Austin had to Uber/Lyft.

People were led to think that the team was definitely coming and it was just an issue about where to put them as oppose to it still being about finding the right site or the deal is not going to happen if it depends on private financing. The Houston Texans were originally the Los Angeles 2002s until their stadium deal fell apart. It took LA another 15 years after that to finally get the right land and private financing together for a stadium. Yes, a 2 billion football stadium is way more than 200 million MLS stadium but they also generate far more revenue and LA has way more rich investors than Austin. It STILL took that long because it has to be exactly right if there is no public money backing it.


I think the biggest mistake was not having the land improvement aspect ready ESPECIALLY when it came to the practice facility which would put up extra fields for the public. Supporters need to show people that this allows them to make improvements that would require significant capital that they could only find as a part of a tax bond.

Originally Posted by Jdawgboy

You don't seem to care about the health and vitality of the heart of this city which is the DT area and Central Austin.

His point was that you aren't helping the city by being against a stadium if it's not where you want it to be. How is Austin better off without a MLS team than with a MLS team outside of the city core? It may not be ideal but it's still better than not having it at all because it will bring a lot of happiness to a lot of people.

Also, this is not the time you want to pull the South Austin card considering this thing was gift wrapped and it was the South Austin city council member that led the fight against a South Austin stadium.

Originally Posted by chinchaaa

I wonder if there's a way Precourt could partner with the YMCA and take over that land? Maybe build a new Townlake YMCA as part of a new stadium on that land.

That would be cool but their land is very skinny and bordered by parkland and Amtrak on either side.

Originally Posted by Novacek

Right, but there's going to be another N/S street (and another strip of development) between the McKalla site and Burnet. The two (stadium and Pickle Research) won't be across the street from each other, is what I mean.

Maybe I wasn't clear when I brought up the issue originally. The reason I think it hurts the value of the site is because investors in the McKalla site want increased mixed use development close by so you cut the potential of surrounding businesses by half in that section of Burnet. I think UT announcing they are going to lease out their land that is right next to Burnet would be a game changer.

Originally Posted by Novacek

Some people complain about McKalla being too far away from the Domain (which as I said, is short sighted, but even so), while not recognizing that Butler is a mile walk to West 6th, almost 2 miles to traditional 6th Street or Rainey, etc.

I agree that it's short sited but what you are envisioning is not 3 years away and that isn't going to cut it for a privately financed MLS stadium. Pushing investments that require patience for eventual development often require public funds.


I don't think they have investors support for any of the public locations outside Butler. I really really don't think this move is happening but I hope I'm wrong. I would love to go to games no matter where the stadium is.

[StoOgE]

Originally Posted by freerover

I don't think they have investors support for any of the public locations outside Butler. I really really don't think this move is happening but I hope I'm wrong. I would love to go to games no matter where the stadium is.

That is likewise my guess. If I was a potential investor one of the sites was far preferable to the others, and at this point you have no reason to think they won't all be shot down.

Precourt is probably out 6 figures in studies on Butler Shores and Kitchen shut down that talk before we even saw the results of the studies.

Also, I'm sure Kitchen hasn't been back to Butler Shores since.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

That is likewise my guess. If I was a potential investor one of the sites was far preferable to the others, and at this point you have no reason to think they won't all be shot down.

Precourt is probably out 6 figures in studies on Butler Shores and Kitchen shut down that talk before we even saw the results of the studies.

Also, I'm sure Kitchen hasn't been back to Butler Shores since.

Does Kitchen really know where Butler Shores is (without the assistance of GPS)? Heck, does GPS know the correct location of Butler Shores?

It seems very obvious to me that PSV, from day one, was going to have to look for private land to accomplish a move to Austin. This whole "underutilized" park land/city owned property idea was a shot at securing a (relatively) cheap piece of land.

He's doing the same thing in Columbus. Hell, I'd attempt it too. Who wouldn't in their right mind?!?

[GoldenBoot]

Question: How much do we believe in PSV delivering a $200 million, state-of-the-art stadium in Austin?

According to Forbes, the Crew had the lowest valued team in the MLS in 2017 (Atlanta & Minnesota were not included in the Forbes list). It was valued at $130 million (the most valuable team in the MLS was the LA Galaxy @ $315 million). Thirteen of the 20 team listed had values north of $218 million (11 of those had valuations of $100+ million more than the Crew).

Now...that can change quickly based on several factors.

[freerover]

Originally Posted by StoOgE

That is likewise my guess. If I was a potential investor one of the sites was far preferable to the others, and at this point you have no reason to think they won't all be shot down.

Precourt is probably out 6 figures in studies on Butler Shores and Kitchen shut down that talk before we even saw the results of the studies.

Also, I'm sure Kitchen hasn't been back to Butler Shores since.

I really don't think she cares about S. Lamar. I think she sees her district as really just the portion south of 71. I think she ended up with it because they (IMO) gerrymandered 78704.

I think 10-1 can course correct itself if we actually enforce term limits. Tovo is going to get around hers and so will Leslie Pool in 2020 unless something is done now.

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Question: How much do we believe in PSV delivering a $200 million, state-of-the-art stadium in Austin?

According to Forbes, the Crew had the lowest valued team in the MLS in 2017 (Atlanta & Minnesota were not included in the Forbes list). It was valued at $130 million (the most valuable team in the MLS was the LA Galaxy @ $315 million). Thirteen of the 20 team listed had values north of $218 million (11 of those had valuations of $100+ million more than the Crew).

Now...that can change quickly based on several factors.

Did they say it would be state of the art? I think you're likely to see a very very modest stadium because they have to pay for it. There was a quote from one of PSV's reps in a story a couple weeks ago that they have investors for the stadium. It's not being paid for completely by PSV. That means switching the location is extremely difficult and all of those investors have to be re-sold on the plan.

[freerover]

Meanwhile, the 2018 Bond group formally recommended spending 25 million in public money to move the DAC to Butler shores and to build a parking garage. I assume this would require at least the closure of at least one of the little league fields.

Anti Tax groups are going to take quotes from Ann Kitchen when they rally against the bond if city council approves it. The current DAC is at Butler Park and will be repurposed for other park use.


Here is the exact text:

The Dougherty Arts Center (“DAC”) is located on the NW corner of Dawson Road at Barton Springs Road. The facility was originally built in 1947 by the US Navy Reserve. The major facility need is a resolution to a badly deteriorating, heavily used Dougherty Arts Center (DAC) [District 5]. This need has been identified on several bond proposals in the recent past with no action forthcoming. The DAC is adjacent to West Bouldin Creek and is subject to periodic flooding (cited as being within the “25-year flood plain”) because it has a surface-level entrance which receives flood waters from Barton Springs Road. The DAC is located upon a supposed landfill, subjecting the facility to TCEQ Subchapter T methane emission monitoring. Further, the DAC is inefficient and has become very difficult and costly to maintain and repair. A citizens group has studied the staff proposal and supports it. In consideration of this, staff recommended that the current facility be razed and converted to parkland or another PARD-associated use, and that a new facility be constructed to be located at Butler Shores to accommodate DAC users. The working group has not seen a cost estimate. The staff suggested budget for this is $25,000,000. Many of the 66,000 regular users of the DAC advised members of the working group that the greatest advantage of the DAC is its physical location, not necessarily its facilities. The proposed Butler Shores location, across Lamar Boulevard would be in the same general area. Adequate parking space is a strongly recommended consideration.
(For comparison, it is noted by the working group that the Hill Country Indoor Sports and Fitness Center was constructed privately in Bee Cave, TX including 140,000 interior square feet of high-ceiling space, a separate parking garage for 613 vehicles, 5 party rooms for children’s events, for a total construction cost of $25,000,000, equal to the amount requested for the DAC).
Nonetheless, the working group acknowledges that something must be done for the DAC. The staff suggestion and the working group recommendation is to provide funding for the Dougherty Arts Center replacement of:

[Novacek]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Question: How much do we believe in PSV delivering a $200 million, state-of-the-art stadium in Austin?

Does it matter?

Give him access to a plot of land, and tell him to go for it.

If he doesn't get a stadium built, then Austin isn't out anything.

[We vs us]

Originally Posted by GoldenBoot

Question: How much do we believe in PSV delivering a $200 million, state-of-the-art stadium in Austin?

According to Forbes, the Crew had the lowest valued team in the MLS in 2017 (Atlanta & Minnesota were not included in the Forbes list). It was valued at $130 million (the most valuable team in the MLS was the LA Galaxy @ $315 million). Thirteen of the 20 team listed had values north of $218 million (11 of those had valuations of $100+ million more than the Crew).

Now...that can change quickly based on several factors.

I believe it. Completely believe it.

I really think there's the potential for a massive increase in value for a soccer team in Columbus that moves to Austin. Austin is just more affluent; is an international destination; has no other major league sports team; and its young hip demographics are primed for a slightly off-center (to American tastes) sport like pro soccer.

And Austin is going to continue to grow seemingly forever at an incredible pace, and that's great news for the Crew, too.

We're a stupendous bet for a sport like this, and Precourt knew this even when he bought the team and built the Austin-specific exit clause into his contract.

It doesn't give me much confidence to see how poorly he's bobbled the relocation process up to this point, but his instincts are right on target. If I was an investor and looked at a prospectus outlining some of this basic stuff, I'd be in 1000%.

[GoldenBoot]

Originally Posted by freerover

I really don't think she cares about S. Lamar. I think she sees her district as really just the portion south of 71. I think she ended up with it because they (IMO) gerrymandered 78704.

I think 10-1 can course correct itself if we actually enforce term limits. Tovo is going to get around hers and so will Leslie Pool in 2020 unless something is done now.




Did they say it would be state of the art? I think you're likely to see a very very modest stadium because they have to pay for it. There was a quote from one of PSV's reps in a story a couple weeks ago that they have investors for the stadium. It's not being paid for completely by PSV. That means switching the location is extremely difficult and all of those investors have to be re-sold on the plan.

Yes. And the investors were made aware of the "alternatives." The general public is not aware of all the other sites being considered. This "underused park land" idea was a shot-in-the-dark at securing land at a cheaper cost than buying it outright. I would have done the same thing if I was given the same parameters of this specific situation.

Additionally, because the stadium is planned to be privately funded does not mean it will be "modest." Let's be true about that. There are plenty of examples on both sides of this argument!

Butler Park was ideal; obviously. However, PSV didn't seriously consider any other "centrally-located" park land in their analyses. In a nutshell, PSV did not pull and Aggie and place all of their eggs into one basket. Several sites were initially considered (not any one single site) and several sites remain under contention.

[freerover]

New article out. I highlighted some interesting info in bold.

https://www.mystatesman.com/sports/socce...n-mls-relocation/gjlVasrlGYd8eexFvtJxvO/

The owner of Columbus Crew SC said this week he’s still determined to move his Major League Soccer club to Austin, but only if an ideal stadium site is found that he said could be the catalyst for economic success for the club.

Anthony Precourt, in his first interview in 4½ months, discussed with the American-Statesman everything from potential stadium sites to what happens if Austin isn’t the answer. Among the highlights of the interview, which included Precourt Sports Ventures President Dave Greeley:

•Precourt said he is seeking local investors. These minority owners would help develop a better community bond and boost cash flow, he said.

• Greeley said 37 Austin-area companies have been identified for possible corporate partnerships, although the team has not begun negotiations with them.

• The Crew owner said a hesitancy to seek city-owned parkland has developed within his group, but Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Park in Southeast Austin is still being considered as a site for a stadium or practice facility.

• McKalla Place, a city-owned, non-parkland tract near the Domain in North Austin, is considered promising, Precourt said, and efforts are underway to scout private properties within the urban core. He would not disclose privately owned potential sites.

• Precourt would not provide a full breakdown of the eyebrow-raising potential $400 million package of community benefits of the team’s relocation that he had touted in a statement Tuesday, saying it was not ready to be publicly evaluated. Precourt, addressing skepticism about the $400 million total, said that the extent of the benefits the team would provide would depend on the quality of the stadium site.

In its statement Tuesday, Precourt Sports Ventures said a “public-private partnership” could deliver benefits in the form of community investments, park improvements, wages and construction services. Over 25 years, this amount could exceed $400 million, according to the statement.

“It will vary from place to place,” Precourt said. “There is a real analysis behind that. We have a spreadsheet that breaks it down and line-itemizes it. We’ll be able to provide detail in the coming days and will welcome the city to independently verify it.”

Greeley outlined some broad generalizations regarding the promised community benefits: $50 million in youth soccer investment and wellness programming; $45 million to $50 million in donations to local charities and youth organizations; $40 million for construction contracts; and above $200 million in club employment wages, job training and internships. He declined to detail how PSV arrived at those dollar figures.

Mayor Steve Adler and other City Council members could not be reached for comment.

RELATED: Columbus Crew SC owner Anthony Precourt remains committed to Austin move

Precourt, who has offered to privately finance a 20,000-seat, $200 million stadium, stressed the importance of not settling for a subpar facility.

“We need an economic model that works,” he said. “We’re trying to do something we think can be pretty special for Austin. But I can’t guarantee we’re going to move here unless we find the right site. This is not an ‘at-all-costs’ (situation).

“Our bar is very high as it relates to the site. That’s everything. Our league will not allow us to move unless we have a site that’s going to set us up for success.”

MLS Commissioner Don Garber must sign off on any Austin stadium location.

“Our stadium site in Columbus and the revenue model associated with it didn’t provide a sustainable situation for us,” Precourt said. “We need to be in a vibrant part of town.”

Does McKalla Place, approximately 11 miles north of the city center, qualify? “It’s midtown. It’s the new downtown,” he said. “The Domain is compelling. There’s some frontage issues. There’s some environmental remediation we need to get our arms around. But being on the Cap Metro line makes it extremely attractive to us. We’re evaluating it.”

PSV officials thought they had found their ideal location at Butler Shores Metropolitan Park, with its waterfront setting and views of the downtown skyline. They said they poured time and money into studying the location, just west of Lamar Boulevard and south of Lady Bird Lake, but ultimately succumbed to protests from neighborhood groups and City Council members.

Precourt lamented the loss of Butler Shores as a possible site and said he’s also concerned about growing pressure to remove Guerrero Park from the dwindling list of city-identified sites. In a nonbinding vote, the Austin Parks and Recreation board voted unanimously Tuesday night to recommend to the City Council that Guerrero be made off-limits.

“We understand how sacred public parkland is in this city, and we heard you all loud and clear,” Precourt said, speaking of parkland advocates. “We’re going to be more cautious as it relates to parkland. We’re evaluating more private opportunities and maybe city-owned land that’s not parkland.”

“I dread the idea of giving away Guerrero or any of our parkland for corporate profit,” said Jeff Jack, president of Austin Neighborhoods Council. “Keep our green space. We need to have our lungs supported, not snuffed out.”

Precourt also said there are potential issues at Guerrero — flood plains, sandy soil and access to the area, along with the timing of a November election that probably would be needed to approve use of the site by a private entity. PSV aims to move the team here in January.

Precourt said his group has identified local investors to partner with him and has bank relationships to help finance a stadium. Greeley said there are “37 companies with deep Central Texas roots that we think would be ideal partners for things like jersey sponsorship and stadium naming rights.”

Greeley would not give details on which companies have been contacted.

Both men said the financial model will not come together until investors, banks and local companies see a stadium plan.

Circuit of the Americas Chairman Bobby Epstein, a strong soccer advocate who announced he is starting up a second division USL franchise next year, will not be involved.

“I have no interest in a minority position with that team,” he said.

Precourt was asked what would happen if a suitable stadium site weren’t found. Would he consider moving to another city such as Sacramento, Calif., which is among the league’s top expansion candidates?

“This conversation is about Austin,” he said. “There are 11 markets that are participating in this round of expansion, and there is strong demand from other markets for an MLS team. But our focus has been on trying to bring MLS to Austin.”

Precourt said he remains bullish on Austin.

“We came out in October a week before our playoffs started and announced we were committed to exploring Austin. I think that says it all,” he said. “We put it out on the line, and we’ve taken a lot of heat for this.

“Austin scores extremely high across any survey or metric. This is a very robust economy. We have a sense of confidence that the business community and fan base would embrace the team.”

[abigdeal]

Originally Posted by freerover

Damned if you do, damned if you don't in Austin. The locals he hired probably told him to handle it like that for PR purposes instead of coming out with the truth that this was basically all about Butler Shores. I think his firm was afraid of the "we don't take kindly to ultimatums" attitude that council and people in Austin had to Uber/Lyft.

I'm gonna disagree here and say that good PR folks would recommend that they get ahead out of the message and announce their plans, whatever they are, rather than waiting until the narrative starts to turn against them. Which is what happened here.

[abigdeal]

Originally Posted by freerover

Meanwhile, the 2018 Bond group formally recommended spending 25 million in public money to move the DAC to Butler shores and to build a parking garage. I assume this would require at least the closure of at least one of the little league fields.

Anti Tax groups are going to take quotes from Ann Kitchen when they rally against the bond if city council approves it. The current DAC is at Butler Park and will be repurposed for other park use.


Here is the exact text:

Movement of DAC to Butler has been the number one priority of PARD for this bond package all along. Will be interesting to see the hypocrisy of people who demanded that parks be protected from soccer and will also suddenly roll over on Dougherty being there.