Source: Danielle Zulkosky/WISH-TV / other
INDIANAPOLIS — A proposed tax district to fund the construction of a soccer-specific stadium with the hope of attracting an MLS franchise to Indianapolis has been given final approval on the local level.
The 6-to-1 vote by the seven members of the Indianapolis Metropolitan Development Commission was the final step before the proposal can be sent to the Indiana Statehouse, where lawmakers on the State Budget Committee will review the proposal.
The result is exactly what those in the mayor’s office were hoping for. Deputy Mayor Dan Parker has been at the leading edge of the proposal, which calls on taxes to be collected from any new development in certain areas of the city to be collected and then used to pay for the construction of a stadium.
Parker said Major League Soccer is the next step for the city to be competitive from a sports economy standpoint with the rest of the country.
“This past week we had 285,000 visitors to the city for the US Swimming Trials,” Parker said to the commission. “We are a world-class city and we need to bring the top level (of soccer) to Indianapolis.”
Before the vote was taken Parker urged the commission to approve the measure, saying that its approval was a “crucial step” towards bringing further basis for the unnamed MLS ownership group to invest in the city and an MLS franchise.
“The (ownership group) want to see if a soccer-specific stadium in downtown Indianapolis can be a reality,” Parker added. “This PSDA gives a greater emphasis on development in the pipeline to support that.”
Parker also made it clear that the city will not be building a soccer stadium unless they get a hard commitment from Major League Soccer that the city will be awarded a franchise.
The meeting was not without those who have been against the proposal. Martin Augustino is an Indy-resident who showed up to speak against it.
“Indianapolis neither wants nor needs a Major League Soccer franchise and the shiny new stadium it demands,” he said. “What Indianapolis wants and needs are safe streets, good schools, and stable property taxes. This project won’t do that.”
The Brickyard Battalion, who are a fan group who have supported Indy Eleven, expressed their concern about the proposal approval as well.
“Today’s actions by the Metro Development Commission was the logical conclusion of months of speculation and anxiety-inducing back-and-forth between multiple parties that still leaves a lot of questions to be answered,” said Brickyard Battalion President David Ziemba. “As the new district is forwarded to the Statehouse, we continue to believe and offer our services to bring everyone together for the betterment of professional soccer in Indianapolis.”
Ziemba also called on the ownership group to reveal themselves as soon as possible. Those involved in the group have remained a mystery ever since Mayor Joe Hogsett announced the MLS stadium pursuit in April.
The adoption of the proposal has also killed the tax district previously approved by the city for Eleven Park. The one tax district now on the table is the one for the MLS stadium, which the city says satisfies the parameters laid out in state law that allowed Indianapolis to create the tax district to begin with.
The proposal will now head to the State Budget Committee for its consideration. The proposal will also have to undergo a feasibility study from the state’s Finance Authority. What happens if the state says no?
“If the state rejects the PSDA as approved today the issue would be over and there would not be an application to Major League Soccer,” Parker said. “But, we have already started out discussions with Gov. Holcomb and the state.”
Parker said those discussions have been “positive” so far. City attorneys anticipate the state to have their feasibility study and discussions on the proposal done by the end of the summer, at which time the next step would be applying to Major League Soccer for a franchise. The application fee would be solely the responsibility of the ownership group. If approved by MLS the entry fee into the league would be around $500 million, some anticipate.
Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett released the following statement after the vote:
“When I flew to New York City to meet with Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber in April, he made clear the City’s role in securing an expansion club was creating the financing framework for a soccer-specific stadium on an appropriate site. Today, I was proud to see the Metropolitan Development Commission vote overwhelmingly to confirm a stadium development district at the Downtown Heliport, marking the final step in the local legislative process ahead of the July 1 deadline outlined by state law. We look forward to having conversations with members of the State Budget Committee later this summer as we continue the effort to secure a Major League Soccer expansion club for Indianapolis and solidify our status as the greatest sports host city in the world.”
