Jones ready to play ball with new stadium study
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Will baseball work in the Bottom?
Apparently so, according to a new study that Richmond will release portions of today.
Mayor Dwight C. Jones plans to release the executive summary of a review by Davenport & Co., which already had endorsed the concept of a minor-league baseball stadium in in Shockoe Bottom in an earlier study commissioned by then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder.
The Jones administration is hinting that Davenport's new study reflects favorably on the $318 million Shockoe Center proposal by Highwoods Properties, which would bring baseball to the Bottom as part of a huge mixed-used development.
The city also suggests that Jones will be looking to the surrounding counties as the city works to bring minor-league baseball back to Richmond after losing the Braves this year. A city news release issued Friday said the "report cites the proposal as a potentially very attractive economic development opportunity for the city."
It goes on to say that Jones is "more confident in his knowledge of the implications of the proposed project. We now have information that we can share with stakeholders as well as our regional partners as we work to chart our course from here. All of the implications have to be considered, and I'm prepared to outline the steps necessary to move this matter toward a conclusion."
The $100,000 study was conducted by Davenport & Co. of Richmond, Economic Research Associates of Washington, and Chmura Economics & Analytics of Richmond.
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Reader Reactions
Scott Burger:
If they required a referendum for every development made by private enterprise, the city would be nothing but a vast wasteland of dilapidated buildings because no one would want any new development anywhere. This is a venture made by private developers, and is being paid by private interests.
The public has a say in any new developments. It is called a public hearing.
I’m for building a new stadium and I don’t care where it goes.
Aside from the other factors mentioned (and probably some that haven’t been yet), one of the obvious things is that the City hasn’t been able to get traffic in Shockoe Bottom moving along at rush hour, why in the world would anyone think this stadium would be an improvement?
dogtown, I love the “disproportionate financial investment” argument that’s always trotted out. You act as if the City was forced to invest in the downtown expressway and that the city is at risk on the bonds used to build the roads. Neither is true.
The City facilitated the construction of the Expressway because it thought that it was in its own best interest to do so. When you consider the improved access to downtown and the thousands of vehicles that have been removed from city streets (maintained by city taxpayers) such as Hull, Midlothian, Forest Hill and Semmes, I’d say that the City was probably wise to encourage construction of these toll roads. The notion that the City is doing this to subsidize suburban lifestyles is a joke.
The City is not at risk on the RMA bonds. Those bonds are held by private investors, not the City and not by City taxpayers. The bonds are also not repaid by the City nor by City taxpayers. They are repaid by revenue generated by tollpayers, most of whom live in Chesterfield and south Richmond.
The City’s investment in the RMA facilities was completely voluntary and the RMA is contractually obligated to repay the money with interest in accordance with terms that were agreed to by the City before the money was ever obligated. The City doesn’t own the RMA or the RMA roadways. If the City wanted complete control over the roads, it should have built them themselves.
Is the Richmond Airport Board stacked with Henrico appointments because it happens to be located in Henrico? I can assure you that Henrico has spent its own money to make infrastructure improvements near the airport for the benefit of airport users, but Henrico also receives economic benefit from having the airport in its jurisdiction, just as the City receives benefit from the existence of the Expressway and the Powhite.
For the City to come along years after its construction with this woe is me routine is tiresome. The current structure of the RMA is an impediment to regional cooperation.
Virginian: Apparently you are unaware of the disproportionate ofinancial investment of the City in the RMA in comparison to the counties. Want more seats on the Board? Repay the millions still owed the City by the RMA dating from acquisition of the right-of-way and construction of the Downtown Expressway. Until the counties share equally in the financial risks, they are not ethically or morally entitled to equal shares of whatever rewards result or equal representation on the RMA Board
Payments of tolls by county residents do not count - city residents pay them too.
The City does not exist to subsidize the suburban lifestyles and entertainment of of county residents who’ve chosen to live where they do and voluntarily subjected themselves to commuting expenses.
Highwoods and Bostic have yet to admit what inevitable occurs with development bonds - ill-conveived projects fail and the City ends up assuming bond obligations.
My father operated a business for over 50 years without one dime of taxpayer money. Highwood and Bostic should do likewise - the teacher who spoke at the RTD Public Square forum had it right - it is unconscionable to consider any Cith taxpayer support when City schools are in such a disgraceful state of disrepair. City taxpayers are seeing that the Shockoe proposal has great potential to result in their ending up holding an empty bag.
The citizens should decide if they want this, not some by the hour consultant or developer. And to Squier’s point, why would Richmond want a $70 million stadium while the other teams in the league have ones that less than HALF that cost???
A $70 million stadium for a $30 million league. Must have been thought up in Richmond, Virginia.
I have to question the results of this study.. Did they just sit around watching Field of Dream (if you build it they will come).. or did they do some due diligence by polling tipsy patrons coming out of a couple bars in the bottom?
This project is expensive. I don’t think the problems with game attendance had much to do with geography or aesthetics. The product being sold (minor league baseball) did not have enough demand in Richmond. Sure.. build the stadium.. get a team and maybe the first season may have a little attendance due to the new “wow” factor. Just like the new malls and restaurants have rushes and waits at their opening. Unfortunately, if the product you are selling doesn’t have an underlying demand.. the venture will fail. I am just not so confident that there are all that many people out there that will wake up and say.. “wow… I guess I do like baseball enough to pay to go see a game instead of watching professionals on tv.“ I work with a lot of men.. and I have yet to hear one of them say that they can’t wait for a new ball team. (they discuss all manner of sports.. including baseball.. but the local team issue seems to be a non-issue/need for these guys.)
How about a referendum?
Most Richmond citizens understand the true costs of the Shockoe stadium proposal and are against it. Once again Richmond is ignoring its citizens and being lead by the nose by so-called ‘consultants’ and developers.
Tolls collected by RMA are only used to pay debt and for maintenance on the toll roads. What does this have to do with a Shockoe Bottom stadium proposal which has no involvement from the RMA?
Save a sliver of Powhite Parkway, all of the RMA’s holdings are in the City of Richmond and the City has contributed far more to the RMA than any county. Using the RMA’s facilities is completely voluntary. I’m all for regional cooperation, but I’ve yet to hear a compelling, well informed argument for why the counties should receive equal representation on the RMA’s board. Create a regional water authority under the RMA or something like that and then equal membership on the board starts to make sense.
Give the counties an equal voice on the RMA board, then we’ll talk about regional cooperation.
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