Kansas Speedway Area Being Considered For New MLS Wizards Home

Kansas Speedway Area Has Emerged As New Choice For Long-Sought Wizards Stadium

The Kansas Speedway area has "emerged as the new choice for a long-sought Wizards soccer stadium," according to Kevin Collison of the K.C. STAR. Lane4 Property Group, the developer working for Wizards Owner OnGoal LLC, has "prepared a stadium plan for a site owned by Nebraska Furniture Mart." Lane4 Property is "asking state and county officials to use revenues from the existing sales tax revenue bonds ... issued for the Village West retail district to help finance the project." OnGoal, whose ownership group includes K.C.-based medical software company Cerner Corp. CEO Neal Patterson and Vice Chair Cliff Illig, has "included a 600,000-square-foot office project that Wyandotte County officials confirmed would house new Cerner employees." An amateur sports complex with "at least a dozen athletic fields also is part of the plan, bringing the total estimated investment" to $400M. Architecture firm Populous has "developed drawings for the 18,500-seat stadium, and preliminary soil exploration has been done on the 11-acre site." The "potential shift would be a substantial blow to Kansas City," as the soccer stadium "was to be the cornerstone" of a $1B plan to redevelop the former Bannister Mall property (K.C. STAR, 9/9). In K.C., Collison & Horsley note City Council members "reacted angrily to the change in plans" for the Wizards stadium, and city officials are "expected to meet today with representatives of the Wizards to discuss the situation" (K.C. STAR, 9/10). Lane4 Property Group President Owen Buckley said that "despite the new stadium proposal, the overall Bannister Mall redevelopment project remains under way." Buckley: "We own 200 acres and spent over $30[M]. We continue to have significantly positive conversations with possible tenants" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/9). 

HOUSE HUNTING: Wizards President Robb Heineman in an open letter to fans on a BIGSOCCER.com message board wrote, "While we expected to be and wished we were further along on the development of the stadium, the facts are facts and we've found ourselves with a beautiful site in southeast Kansas City, a partner in the city and state, and a financing structure that has become all but moot in this new found world of banking and capital markets. [Bannister Mall] is our favorite site as evidenced by our activities of the past two years, but we need a stadium and we need it fast. This has caused us to keep us cognizant of other opportunities. 'A Real Opportunity' to us means a few things: (i) capable of playing games in the 2011 season, (ii) provide access to adjacent entertainment and athletic amenities and (iii) provide a first-class fan experience" (BIGSOCCER.com, 9/8).