Rapids getting a stadium... thought some of you might be interested in a comparison to Frisco context. ------------------------------------- COLORADO RAPIDS AND KROENKE SPORTS ENTERPRISES ANNOUNCE NEW SOCCER STADIUM COMPLEX IN COMMERCE CITY DENVER (Tuesday, July 27, 2004) – Kroenke Sports Enterprises (KSE) and officials of Commerce City today announced plans to develop more than 360 acres of open land to house a 20,000-seat soccer stadium, youth soccer fields, retail development and a new Commerce City civic center. The stadium will be home to Major League Soccer's Colorado Rapids, also owned by KSE, as well as concerts and other events. The stadium, which will be owned by the city and operated by KSE, will be at the new Prairie Gateway development in Commerce City. The announcement comes following last night's unanimous approval by the city council of Commerce City. The vote also cleared the way for a November ballot initiative that will ask Commerce City voters to approve a $64 million bond issue, with no tax increase to Commerce City residents. If approved, construction would begin in early 2005 with a projected opening date in Spring 2007. HOK already has been announced as the stadium architect. "The Prairie Gateway site is an ideal location on which to carry out a vision for the game of soccer and Colorado's youth," Kroenke Sports COO David Ehrlich said. "We intend to build a first class facility that will grow the game, support this region's kids, and benefit Commerce City. "This vision requires a large amount of land with access to city amenities," Ehrlich continued. "It would be hard to replicate the land package that we've put together with Commerce City anywhere in the country." "For the third time in less than a year, I am proud to celebrate the vision and innovation of a community which has dedicated bricks and mortar to the development of professional soccer in the U.S.," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "Lamar Hunt coined the term 'soccer-specific stadium' with the Columbus Crew Stadium in 1999. The Home Depot Center in Carson is referred to in soccer circles as 'The Cathedral.' Last April, the forward-thinking leaders of the city of Frisco, Texas, voted for a public-private partnership to build one of our spiritual homes in suburban Dallas for the 2005 season. Last winter we marked yet another watershed moment for our sport in Bridgeview, Ill., with the dedication of a new home for the Chicago Fire. Now we add Denver to the list of places where the dreams of Major League Soccer and its fans come true." Prairie Gateway Site Includes Commerce City's Civic Center The $130 million project will be located nine miles northeast of downtown Denver near the intersection of I-70 and Quebec Street, just north of the planned NorthField at Stapleton retail center and the rapidly growing Stapleton neighborhood development. Under terms of the agreement, Commerce City will contribute 160 acres for construction of the stadium and playing fields. Kroenke Sports will purchase another 200 acres from the city for commercial or retail development over the next decade. The proposed development site would be bounded on the west by Quebec Street, on the east by the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Refuge, on the north by Highway 2 and on the south by 56th Avenue. Additionally, Commerce City will develop part of the property to include Commerce City's civic center and government building. The new city building had been in the planning stages prior to negotiations with Kroenke Sports and would potentially house the offices of the mayor and city manager, city council chambers and offices of the departments of community planning and development services, finance, and parks and recreation. "The potential of a new civic center on the site will bring tremendous value to the entire project," Commerce City mayor Sean Ford said. "The location of the civic center at Prairie Gateway will enhance the vitality of the entire site." "What better place to base a city government facility than in a location dedicated to families and children," Ehrlich said. "We're very pleased that Commerce City had the desire to move ahead with this part of the plan." Youth Sports - Soccer and Lacrosse Construction of a new stadium specifically for soccer had been announced when Kroenke Sports bought the Colorado Rapids last September. The planned stadium complex will include two regulation size fields outside the stadium, as well as 10-20 additional playing fields. "The Kroenke-Commerce City partnership is the largest private-public partnership ever dedicated to a soccer complex," Ehrlich said. "The stadium complex is one of the most significant private commitments to youth sports in Colorado." The stadium and surrounding fields will be modeled after successful soccer-only stadium projects in Columbus, Ohio, and Carson, Calif., home to the MLS Columbus Crew and Los Angeles Galaxy teams, respectively. Colorado Rapids coach Tim Hankinson hopes the new stadium will increase support for the team. "A soccer-specific stadium builds tradition, inspires our team to fight and gives our soccer community an arena of competition for our fans to cheer in, which in turn fuels the aspirations and dreams of our young players," Hankinson said. Soccer balls may be joined on the field by lacrosse balls. Plans call for the facilities to be used for lacrosse as well. KSE owns the National Lacrosse League's Colorado Mammoth franchise, which last year led the league in attendance, and there has been an increase in local youth lacrosse league participation. "We hope to build on the enormous success of the Mammoth by spurring additional interest in youth lacrosse," Ehrlich said. "Ideally, Prairie Gateway will become the center for youth lacrosse in the state." Infrastructure Improvements and Conservation Areas Plans for the complex in the largely undeveloped section of Commerce City will require significant infrastructure improvements including on-site road construction, installation of water and sewer lines and the planting of thousands of trees. Off-site road projects include the widening of Quebec Street between 47th and Highway 2, and the widening of 56th Avenue from Quebec to Central Park Boulevard. These improvements are included in the overall budget. Additionally, open space and conservation areas will surround parts of the site and civic areas including an open space extending from 64th to 72nd avenues. A final addition to the site will be the construction of a visitors center as entry to the Rocky Mountain Wildlife Refuge. The visitors center will be built in conjunction with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and will house offices, a conference center and environmental education resources. No Tax Increase In Project Financing Plan Financing for the project is a unique public-private partnership that will not require tax increases for Commerce City residents. "The leadership of Commerce City will serve as tremendous partners in a groundbreaking public-private venture that can literally change the face of a sport and youth development in Colorado," Ehrlich said. Following last night's city council approval, Commerce City voters will be asked to approve $64 million in sales tax revenue and possessory interest tax revenue bonds to fund the off-site improvements. The bond sale question will be on the ballot this November. "Sale of these bonds is an investment in Commerce City that we hope our voters approve," Ford said. "There is no tax increase involved." Kroenke Sports will commit a minimum of $20 million to construction of the stadium and part of the 56th Avenue improvements. Kroenke Sports also will guarantee approximately $45 million in bonds that it will request in conjunction with the Prairie Gateway Urban Renewal District. Additional contributors include Great Outdoors Colorado and Adams County Open Space which have provided $1.2 million for land purchase. Other contributors will be identified at a later date. Kroenke Sports' investment in both equity contribution and guaranteed bonds accounts for about half the total project cost, with the proposed Commerce City bonds accounting for the other half.
The more SSS the better. Its great to see the "Frisco" model being taken by other teams. I think the concept of having community rec fields adjacent to the stadium makes it easier for citizens to swallow the idea of their tax $$ going to a private sports venture. If MLS clubs can continue working on stadium deals that benefit the community in more then one way everyone wins. I know this concept has been referenced by the folks in Chicago and San Jose. It truly is a groundbreaking deal that our team made with the city, county and ISD.
Yes, more SSS. Sounds like a sweet deal for all the clubs there, both local as well as national. But I have to admit, Northside's right - the Rapids still suck.
correction: it's the "Rocky Mountain ARSENAL Wildlife Refuge" and it was a chemical weapons production facility back when there were no environmental laws to slow down the chemical dumping. http://rockymountainarsenal.fws.gov/overview/overview.htm
no offense to ULHOWA, but this stadium has the potential, based on it's surroundings and proximity to downtown Denver, as well as the amount of additional development they'll be doing in the area, to really be the premiere SSS in the US. good God, i've got Mountain Envy.
If the vote passes in November anyway. I have bad flashbacks of a vote against Columbus roaming through my head...
i don't know anything about denver or commerce city politics, but it seems a pretty good deal for everyone involved, and they aren't talking about raising taxes at all.
"Last April, the forward-thinking leaders of the city of Frisco, Texas, voted for a public-private partnership to build one of our spiritual homes in suburban Dallas for the 2005 season." I know soccer is like a religion, but isn't this a little too much? I don't want God to curse ULHOWA, we haven't even played a match there yet.
While that is technically true....as it was with the Frisco project.....the real issue is that the city is borrowing against future tax revenue.....revenue that 'could' be used for other things. It all depends on how the project is presented to the citizens. Thankfully in Frisco the added benefit of the ISD not having to build a second football stadium, and those budgeted funds going into the Burn stadium, helped sell A LOT of people on the idea. Considering the size of the bond issue, it must be only for the stadium. The Frisco project was lumped into a major bond issue that also included funds for a new city hall, a library, a senior center, road improvements, etc. That also helped in deflecting some criticisim. Support for publicly funded stadia is really thinning out these days. People are sick and tired of being asked by millionaires for money to build their little toys. There is definetley a movement to stop this out there. Lets hope the good people of Denver see the positives in this project that extend beyond getting the Rapids a place to play of their own.
I found those boundary roads in the old Rand-McNally (2, Quebec, 56th, and, since it's an old atlas, "Rocky Mtn. Arsenal"). Seems huge. This is good. Looking forward to the oxygen-deprivation rivalry between Rapids and SLC Seagulls!
Rocky Mtn. Arsenal would be an ironic name for a soccer team that plays on a cleaned-up chemical weapons facility of the same name... might as well call them the Denver WMDs... but in that case, the terrorists have already won.
potential render of the Colorado stadium on MLSnet.com: "potential" means nothing, by the way. i dig the "rooflets" and the sunken design - the facade isn't much to look at, though.
no, it probably won't, but the 130M goes for road improvements, a headquarters for the fish and wildlife people (this is right next door to a wildlife preserve), environmental improvements, multiple fields, a civic center for the city, and then the stadium. environmental improvements could be pricey as this is being built on land that belonged to a chemical weapons facility and an airport. edit: i believe it also covers the purchase of the land itself, but i'm not sure.
Some land is being bought, other is being donated. And the stadium designers themselves, HOK, have yet to draw up the plans so that picture is a complete waste of space. HOK said they are modeling it after Bolton's Reebok stadium and another one....Huddersfield, I think. Both have more of a circular look. Bolton: Huddersfield:
MLS is moving forward. What a difference a few years make. The league was on life support and now it likes like the patient is leaving the hospital on its on 2 legs.
No one knows how much of the original plan will end up being in the final product, but that is what HOK said. But if it comes close then it certainly would give the HDC a run for its money.
