Cardinals Say Ballpark Village On Track, But Obstacles Loom

Cardinals Say That Ballpark Village Construction Is On Schedule

The MLB Cardinals “insist their ambitious Ballpark Village is still on track to break ground later this year, but some potential obstacles are looming,” according to Jake Wagman of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. The state of Missouri “still must sign off on millions of dollars in public subsidies” and other downtown projects “could emerge as competition.” Plans call for most of the $387M entertainment district to be built on the site of the old Busch Stadium, which is owned by the team. The rest of the site is held by the Int’l Bowling Museum & HOF, and obtaining the property “is a key step for Ballpark Village.” Cardinals Senior VP/Business Development Bill DeWitt III said that construction “will begin as planned” later this year and the ’09 opening “is on target.” Wagman notes some of the $115M in public incentives set aside for the project “must be approved by the state Department of Economic Development [DED], which still is reviewing the project.” DED spokesperson Spence Jackson said that there is “no timetable for staff there to move on Ballpark Village’s application” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/23).

CLAYCO: ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL’s Christopher Tritto reports Missouri-based Clayco has withdrawn its proposal to be the general contractor on the Ballpark Village. Clayco Chair & CEO Bob Clark said that his firm made the decision May 15 “to free up resources for other projects.” Tritto notes Clayco was the lead contractor for maintenance and upgrade work at the old Busch Stadium and “acts as the owners’ stadium project manager at the current ballpark” (ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/18 issue).