The city of Orlando yesterday "dropped its eminent-domain fight" against a family-owned church in the Parramore neighborhood, the "lone holdout in the way of the city's plans to build" a new MLS stadium downtown, according to David Damron of the ORLANDO SENTINEL. The city will instead move the new $110M stadium for incoming MLS Club Orlando City SC "about a block west, using property the city bought last week" for $2M. Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said that the move "avoids a costlier condemnation fight with Faith Deliverance Temple." It also "ensures stadium construction starts this fall, which should allow the team to play in its new facility" at the start of the '16 season. The city "had been in negotiations with the church since last year, but the two sides remained far apart." Orlando officials said that when the city bought the land last week, it was "not certain that it could accommodate the soccer project." But over the last week Dyer's staff "determined it could make the stadium-site move work." Dyer said that the new development layout "allows more room for the stadium and its parking, plus opens the door to more affordable housing and business infill options there" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 8/5).
THROUGH WIND, SLEET AND SNOW: St. Paul-based KSTP-ABC's Josh Rosenthal cited sources as saying that NASL club Minnesota United FC Owner Bill McGuire and Twins Owner Jim Pohlad "want to build an outdoor soccer stadium next to Target Field in what's known as the farmer's market site." Sources added that it would "primarily be built with private money, not taxpayer money" (KSTP.com, 8/3). McGuire and Pohlad in April confirmed that they had teamed up on a bid to bring an MLS team to Minneapolis. However, their bid faces competition from Vikings ownership (THE DAILY).
