The backers of a proposed ballpark in Richmond’s Shockoe Bottom have not locked up access to a state parking deck on game days, despite a public claim that an agreement is in place. Bryan Bostic, who is working to buy a minor-league baseball team to relocate to Richmond, was asked during a debate last week about the proposed Shockoe Center development whether his group had secured use of the state’s parking deck at 14th and East Main streets.

Paying for a ballpark in Shockoe Bottom will require free-spending fans, according to financial projections from the developers. The developers are counting on a little less than $1.2 million a year from taxes on tickets, fans’ food purchases and souvenir sales at the stadium to help finance a new facility, spokesman Peter Boisseau said yesterday.

Consultants hired by the city of Richmond say it’s highly unlikely that a ballpark development in Shockoe Bottom can be built without the city, in effect, co-signing for the loan.

Richmond Mayor Dwight C. Jones today will release the executive summary of a report on the viability of a proposed ballpark development for Shockoe Bottom. The Jones administration is hinting that the latest review by Davenport & Co. and other private advisers reflects favorably on the $318 million Shockoe Center proposal by Highwoods Properties.

Access. Crime. Parking. Those were concerns Patrick Zohn says he most frequently heard when speaking at public forums before the construction of Toledo’s downtown ballpark. The Class AAA Toledo Mud Hens played for decades at suburban Lucas County Recreation Center, but needed a new home.

On Tuesday night, The Times-Dispatch held its 24th Public Square, at its downtown offices. The forum began with a four-person debate between supporters and opponents of building a new minor-league baseball stadium in Shockoe Bottom, followed by comments and questions from the audience. Publisher Tom Silvestri moderated. Below is an edited transcript of the conversation. To watch the entire Public Square online, go to Timesdispatch.com, key word: Public Square.

The Double-A Connecticut Defenders will be allowed to relocate to Richmond even without a long-term plan for where they’ll play, the president of the Eastern League said. Minor League Baseball officials previously expressed reluctance to approving a move without firm plans for a new ballpark.

In the absence of minor-league baseball, Richmond’s new pastime is debating the best place for minor-league baseball. About 230 people, including a silent Mayor Dwight C. Jones, attended last night’s Public Square discussion.

Where to build a baseball stadium remains a hot topic in metro Richmond. The discussions date to 2003 when an $18.5 million renovation plan stalled and was ultimately canceled as developers and the Richmond Braves discussed a downtown stadium.

Charlie Diradour isn’t afraid to take a stand, especially about issues that concern his hometown. His roots in Richmond date to the 1920s, when his grandfather immigrated from Armenia. As Diradour puts its, he has a passion to be a steward to the city for what it provided him and his family—the chance to make a living. “It’s very important to stand up against what I think is wrong, or stand up for what I think is right,“ said Diradour, who hails from a family of successful real estate investors.

Critically evaluate Bryan Bostic’s belief that minor-league baseball can greatly enhance a community’s quality of life. Challenge his contention that Shockoe Bottom is the ideal location for a new ballpark. Questioning his commitment to those positions is a tougher task. Dating back to his involvement with the Richmond Ballpark Initiative, the local businessman has spent the past seven years advocating an upgraded baseball experience in a modern facility. Since the Atlanta Braves announced in January 2008 that they were moving their Class AAA franchise to Gwinnett County, Ga., Bostic says he has worked nearly every day toward his goal of returning baseball to Richmond.

Paul Kreckman prefers backpacking to baseball. Yet, he was part of a small group of real estate professionals and civic leaders drafted in late 2006 to revive the once-rejected idea of a ballpark for Shockoe Bottom. The private group dubbed itself C.O.D.—Committee of the Delusional, said organizer Stan Joynes, a partner and chief growth officer for the LeClair Ryan law firm.

Jean Wight joined the fight to save a historic building in Shockoe Bottom soon after moving to Richmond about 10 years ago. “There’s a great immediacy when you live here. You don’t need to live here all your life” to get involved, she said. Wight, who lives in Church Hill, is now helping to wage a preservation fight to keep a minor-league ballpark out of Shockoe Bottom.

One thing that won’t have to come off at the strip club Velvet is the antiballpark sign on the building’s facade. Richmond officials have dropped for now their claim that the large, yellow banner is illegal because it exceeds size limits outlined in the city’s zoning ordinance. In an April 22 letter to Shockoe Bottom club owner Sam Moore, Zoning Administrator William C. Davidson said the city now agrees the sign is exempt as a political campaign sign because it cites bills that were considered by the General Assembly this year.

Richmond City Councilwoman Ellen F. Robertson wants to find out how—and whether—various plans for Shockoe Bottom are going to fit together. As part of their review of the proposed fiscal 2009-10 budget, council members will consider setting aside $150,000 toward a planning study for the historic area. Specifically, they want to look comprehensively at the proposed Shockoe Center ballpark development, bus transfer center for GRTC Transit System and slave-heritage projects of the Slave Trail Commission. The city money would be expected to be matched with private funds.