In San Antonio, W. Scott Bailey reported the fate of Toyota Field "could be determined" by the Spurs, thanks to a "little-known clause in an agreement the NBA team struck with Bexar County more than 15 years ago." NASL San Antonio Scorpions Owner Gordon Hartman has "sought for some time new ownership" for his team and its stadium." An operating agreement signed in '00 for AT&T Center "includes a 'No Competing Facilities' clause, which states in part that during the term of the agreement, the county shall not directly or indirectly 'own, manage, operate, control, finance, sponsor (or) develop' any indoor or outdoor sports venue with a capacity of 5,000 to 30,000 seats" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/30). Also in San Antonio, Dan McCarney notes Toyota Field "will need to be expanded from its current capacity of 8,500 to near 20,000 in order for the Scorpions to earn an expansion berth" in MLS. Funding for stadium expansion "has been pegged" at roughly $30-40M (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 10/1).
NEW REPUBLIC: In Sacramento, Kasler & Breton report local development firm Downtown Railyard Venture yesterday "completed the long-awaited purchase of downtown Sacramento’s abandoned railyard ... setting the stage for a new era of development that’s expected to include" an MLS venue. The sale price "wasn't disclosed." The northeast corner of the railyard "would serve as home" to a 22,000-seat, $100M-plus stadium if USL club Sacramento Republic FC "can gain admission to MLS." Developer Larry Kelley, who leads Downtown Railyard, "is a minority owner of Republic FC, and team officials have made it a priority to get the land deal completed before Dec. 31 as part of a plan to demonstrate the city's readiness for an MLS franchise" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 10/1).
LAST-SECOND SHOT: In DC, Aaron Davis reports the city under an agreement with DC United had until yesterday to "acquire all of the land" for the team's new Buzzard Point stadium, even if it "meant taking property from a major developer through eminent domain." But as the courts closed at 5:00pm ET, the city "had not filed suit." DC Communications Dir Joaquin McPeek said that the city almost two hours later "made an after-hours filing, electronically, but offered no explanation for the apparent last-minute scramble in the mayor's office" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/1).
BIGGER IS BETTER: In Minneapolis, Lee Schafer writes under the header, "St. Paul Has The Better Location For A Pro Soccer Stadium." Fans could "get to the St. Paul stadium easily on the light-rail Green Line." The soccer site also will be "served by the first arterial bus rapid transit line in the Twin Cities." But the "biggest selling point" the size of the site. It is "about three times bigger than the proposed site in Minneapolis, at about 35 acres," and a "very big blank canvas for the team and its partners to create whatever kind of gameday experience they think fans will want" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 10/1).
