Two DC Council committees on Tuesday approved up to $150M in subsidies "for construction of a DC United soccer stadium, paving the way for the measure to be considered by the full council next month," according to DeBonis & O'Connell of the WASHINGTON POST. But the legislation approved by the two committees "would alter arrangements for financing the project, and a school for special-needs students has expressed concern that stadium negotiations have sidelined plans to open a campus in the West End." The committees "approved a modified version" of outgoing Mayor Vincent Gray's proposal for a 20,000-seat stadium at Buzzard Point. Development firm Akridge, which owns the land for the stadium, had "hoped to swap the stadium land for the city's Reeves Center, which sits on a valuable parcel." The new plan would allow DC to "keep the Reeves Center." DC Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser said that she had "removed the Reeves Center from the deal in order to win sufficient support from the council." DeBonis & O'Connell note the bill "does not include a source of funding to replace" the $34.5M the city "would have received through the Reeves swap." But Bowser said that she was "committed to finding money for the project through a combination of existing funds and new borrowing." DC has "committed to acquiring the land and building infrastructure for the project at a cost" of up to $150M. DC United would be "required to finance and build the stadium" (WASHINGTON POST, 11/26).
A NEW REPUBLIC? In Sacramento, Ben van der Meer reported USL Pro club Sacramento Republic FC "formally will ask" the Cal Expo BOD next month "for approval to expand Bonney Field." Club President & co-Founder Warren Smith said that the team is "asking to be able to add 6,000 seats to the stadium for a maximum of 14,000." But the "plan for now calls for only about 3,000 more seats for next season, on top of the existing 8,000." The team "had about 5,600 season tickets last year." Smith said that 85% of those "have renewed." Cal Expo CEO Rick Pickering said that leaseholder Ovations Food Services "wants to add some seats on the north end zone and the upper west side of the stadium for next season." Pickering in an e-mail wrote that sort of expansion "requires adding more land to the lease." The Cal Expo BOD is "scheduled to hear the item Dec. 12" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 11/25).
